⚡ TL;DROne Skill Retake lets you retake a single IELTS section — Listening, Reading, Writing, or Speaking — within 60 days of your original computer-delivered test. The retake fee is roughly 40–60 % of the full test fee. Your retake score replaces your original, even if lower. Available worldwide except the United States.
Originally published July 2026. Last reviewed 3 July 2026.
What Is One Skill Retake?
One Skill Retake (OSR) is a feature from the IELTS partners — British Council, IDP, and Cambridge — that allows candidates to retake one section of the IELTS test without sitting the entire exam again. If you underperformed in just one area, you can focus your preparation on that specific skill.
Eligibility Requirements
Your original test was a computer-delivered IELTS test.
You book and complete the retake within 60 days of your original test date.
You retake only one section per original test.
You did not take your original test in the United States (OSR is not currently available there).
There is no minimum or maximum band score requirement. Whether you scored 4.0 or 8.0, you are eligible.
Which Sections Can You Retake?
Section
Duration
Format
Notes
Listening
~30 min
Computer
40 questions, headphones provided
Reading
60 min
Computer
40 questions, Academic or GT
Writing
60 min
Computer / Writing on Paper
Task 1 + Task 2
Speaking
11–14 min
Face-to-face
Parts 1, 2, and 3
How Much Does It Cost?
The retake fee varies by country and test centre but is typically 40–60 % of the full IELTS test fee. Contact your local IELTS test centre or check the British Council / IDP booking portal for exact pricing in your region.
How Scoring Works
⚠ Your retake score replaces your original — even if it is lower.
There is no option to keep the higher of two scores. Before booking, be confident that additional preparation will genuinely improve your performance.
Your updated Test Report Form will show your original scores for the three unchanged sections plus your new score for the retaken section, with a recalculated overall band.
How to Book
Log in to your IELTS account on the British Council or IDP booking portal.
Select One Skill Retake from your recent test results.
Choose the section and a test date within the 60-day window.
Pay the retake fee.
Prepare — focus on the single section you are retaking.
Attend the retake at the test centre.
Receive your updated results, typically within 1–3 business days.
Where Is It Accepted?
OSR results are accepted by major immigration and academic authorities including:
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) — accepted for Express Entry and other programmes
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) — accepted for all UKVI pathways
Australian Department of Home Affairs — accepted for skilled migration and student visas
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) — accepted for residence and work visas
Always confirm acceptance with your target institution or authority.
When to Use It — and When Not To
Good Candidates for OSR
You missed your target overall band by 0.5 and one section is clearly the weak link.
You had a bad day in one section but performed well in the other three.
You need a specific section score to meet an institution’s minimum requirement.
Consider Retaking the Full Test Instead
You underperformed across two or more sections.
You are not confident you can improve, since a lower score will replace the original.
Your 60-day window does not leave enough preparation time.
🔑 Key Takeaways
Retake one IELTS section within 60 days of a computer-delivered test.
Available worldwide except the United States.
Costs roughly 40–60 % of the full test fee.
Retake score replaces original — even if lower.
Accepted by IRCC, UKVI, Australian Home Affairs, and INZ.
No minimum or maximum band score requirement.
Book through the British Council or IDP portal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I retake more than one section?
No. You may retake only one section per original test. To improve two or more sections, retake the full test.
What if my retake score is lower?
The retake score replaces your original. There is no mechanism to keep the higher score.
Is OSR available for General Training?
Yes. OSR is available for both IELTS Academic and General Training, provided the original was computer-delivered.
Can I use OSR for UKVI IELTS?
Yes. UKVI accepts OSR results. The retake must be at a UKVI-approved SELT centre and must be computer-delivered.
Why is OSR not available in the United States?
The IELTS partners have not yet extended OSR to the US market. US-based candidates must retake the full exam. Check the official IELTS portal for availability updates.
⚡ TL;DR
From mid-2026, every IELTS test worldwide is delivered on computer — paper-based testing ended on 27 June 2026. The test content, scoring, and difficulty remain identical. Speaking is still face-to-face with a human examiner. A “Writing on Paper” option is available in selected markets. Results arrive in 1–3 days instead of 13.
Originally published July 2026. Last reviewed 3 July 2026.
What Changed and Why
In late 2025, IELTS announced the largest delivery change in the test’s 35-year history. From mid-2026, all IELTS tests — Academic and General Training — are delivered exclusively on computer. The final date for paper-based IELTS globally was 27 June 2026, according to the official IELTS partners (British Council, IDP, and Cambridge).
The decision followed years of data showing that over 80 per cent of test takers already preferred the computer-delivered option, primarily for faster results and more flexible scheduling.
What Stays the Same
Test content — the questions, passages, and tasks are drawn from the same item bank used for the former paper test.
Scoring criteria — the nine-band scale and all four assessment criteria for Writing and Speaking remain unchanged.
Difficulty level — computer delivery does not make the test easier or harder.
Speaking test — still a live, face-to-face interview with a certified IELTS examiner. This is not conducted on a screen.
Validity — results remain valid for two years from the test date.
What Is Different on Screen
Feature
Former Paper Test
Computer-Delivered Test
Listening audio
Played through speakers for the room
Played through individual headphones with volume control
Listening transfer time
10 minutes to transfer answers
2 minutes to review answers
Reading navigation
Flip physical pages
Split screen — passage on one side, questions on the other; text highlighting and note tools available
Writing input
Handwritten
Typed on keyboard; automatic word count displayed; cut, copy, paste available
Results turnaround
13 calendar days
1–3 business days
Test availability
Limited dates (typically 4 per month)
Multiple sessions per day, nearly every day of the week
One Skill Retake
Not available
Available — retake one section within 60 days
The Writing on Paper Option
In selected markets, IELTS has introduced a “Writing on Paper” option. Test takers who choose this option complete the Listening and Reading sections on computer but handwrite their Writing answers on paper. This caters to candidates who feel more comfortable composing essays by hand.
Important: The UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) track does not offer the Writing on Paper option, as UK Home Office security requirements mandate fully digital delivery.
How to Prepare for the Computer-Delivered Format
Typing Speed
You do not need to be a fast typist, but you should be comfortable typing at approximately 35–40 words per minute to complete the Writing section without time pressure. Practice typing academic-style paragraphs rather than casual messages.
Screen Reading
Reading passages appear on screen alongside the questions in a split-screen layout. Practise reading long texts on a monitor rather than on paper. Use the built-in highlight tool to mark key sentences, just as you would underline on paper.
On-Screen Navigation
Familiarise yourself with the test interface by using the free official practice materials available from the IELTS partners. Key features to learn:
The copy, cut, and paste shortcuts for the Writing section
The word counter displayed beneath the Writing text box
The review and flag feature for Listening and Reading questions you want to return to
The timer displayed at the top of the screen
The volume slider for adjusting Listening audio through your headphones
Listening Differences
The most significant practical change is in Listening. On the computer-delivered test, you have 2 minutes at the end to check your answers, compared with the 10-minute transfer time on the former paper test. Your answers are typed directly into the answer fields as you listen, so there is no separate answer sheet to fill in.
UKVI Candidates: What You Need to Know
If you are taking IELTS for a UK visa application, all UKVI IELTS tests moved to computer-only delivery from 22 March 2026 — earlier than the global transition. The test must be taken at a UKVI-approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) centre. Standard IELTS (non-UKVI) is not accepted for UK immigration purposes, regardless of your score.
Existing Paper-Based Results
If you took IELTS on paper before the transition, your Test Report Form remains valid for two years from the date of the test, as confirmed by the IELTS partners. No re-test is required solely because of the format change.
🔑 Key Takeaways
Paper-based IELTS ended globally on 27 June 2026 — all tests are now computer-delivered.
Test content, scoring, and difficulty are identical to the former paper format.
Speaking remains a live face-to-face interview with a human examiner.
Results arrive in 1–3 business days instead of 13 calendar days.
Listening gives you 2 minutes to review (not 10 minutes to transfer answers).
One Skill Retake is available exclusively on the computer-delivered test.
The “Writing on Paper” option is offered in selected markets (not UKVI).
UKVI tests transitioned to computer-only on 22 March 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the computer-delivered IELTS test harder than the paper test?
No. The test content, question types, and scoring criteria are identical. The only difference is the delivery method — you read on a screen and type instead of writing by hand.
Can I still take IELTS on paper anywhere in the world?
No. The last global date for paper-based IELTS was 27 June 2026. In selected markets, the “Writing on Paper” option allows you to handwrite the Writing section only, while Listening and Reading are still on computer.
Do I need to bring my own keyboard or headphones?
No. The test centre provides all equipment, including a computer, keyboard, mouse, and noise-cancelling headphones. You only need to bring your valid identification document.
How fast do I need to type?
A comfortable speed of 35–40 words per minute is sufficient for most candidates. The Writing section gives you 60 minutes for two tasks with a combined minimum of 400 words, so speed typing is not required.
Is my old paper-based IELTS score still valid?
Yes. All existing Test Report Forms remain valid for two years from the original test date. The format transition does not affect previously issued scores.
What is One Skill Retake?
One Skill Retake allows you to retake a single IELTS section (Listening, Reading, Writing, or Speaking) within 60 days of your original computer-delivered test, instead of retaking the entire exam. It is available in most countries except the United States.
A complete model answer and preparation guide for this IELTS Speaking cue card topic. Includes key vocabulary, follow-up questions, and examiner-approved response strategies.
Originally published March 2025. Last reviewed 3 July 2026.
Describe a gift that you gave to someone recently. You should say: what the gift was Whom you gave it to how you felt about it and explain why you chose this gift for this person. Learn How To Answer IELTS Speaking Test Part 2 : CUE Cards. Sample Response 1: I recently gave a handcrafted wooden photo frame to my best friend on her birthday. I chose a frame that was embellished with intricate carvings, and I inserted a picture of the two of us from a memorable trip we took together. My friend has always been appreciative of artisanal crafts, and since we both value our memories, I thought it would be a heartfelt gesture. The look on her face, when she opened it, was priceless, and I felt a deep satisfaction knowing that the gift was both meaningful and personal. Sample Response 2: For my father’s retirement, I gifted him a set of golf clubs. My father has always been interested in golf but never had the time to play. Now, as he enters this new phase of life, I wanted him to have something that would encourage him to pursue this hobby. I spent a considerable amount of time researching and finding the perfect set that would suit his needs. When he opened the gift, his eyes lit up, and I could see the excitement in his face. It felt wonderful to be able to give something that not only brought joy but also aligned with his interests. Sample Response 3: I recently gave a personalized cookbook to my sister, who has recently discovered a passion for cooking. The cookbook was filled with recipes from our family, friends, and some of her favorite chefs, each one annotated with personal notes and tips. I chose this gift because I wanted to support her newfound interest and also provide something that would be a unique treasure. Compiling the recipes and adding personal touches made the gift even more special. When she received it, her reaction was one of surprise and delight, and I felt thrilled to have found the perfect gift that reflected her personality and passion. Explore Various IELTS Speaking Part 2 Cue Card Questions and Answers. Recommended Vocabulary: Handcrafted: Made by hand or by using only simple, non-mechanized tools. Example: The handcrafted wooden frame added a personal and artistic touch to the gift. Intricate Carvings: Complex and detailed designs cut into a surface. Example: The intricate carvings on the frame made it a beautiful piece of art. Heartfelt Gesture: A gesture done with genuine feeling or emotion. Example: The gift was a heartfelt gesture, symbolizing our close friendship. Newfound Interest: A recently discovered hobby or passion. Example: The cookbook was perfect for my sister’s newfound interest in cooking. Annotated: Provided with explanatory notes or comments. Example: Each recipe in the cookbook was annotated with personal notes and tips. Aligned with His Interests: Consistent or matching with someone’s likes or preferences. Example: The golf clubs were aligned with my father’s interests and hobbies. Priceless Reaction: A reaction that is so precious or valuable that its value cannot be determined. Example: My friend’s priceless reaction to the gift made all the effort worthwhile. Unique Treasure: Something very valuable and unlike anything else. Example: The personalized cookbook was a unique treasure that my sister could keep forever. Reflect Her Personality: Represents or embodies someone’s character or traits. Example: The gift was chosen to reflect her personality and her passion for cooking. Deep Satisfaction: A feeling of fulfillment or contentment. Example: The joy in my father’s eyes gave me a deep satisfaction in choosing the perfect gift for him. Different Cue Card Topics Personal Experiences: IELTS Cue Card TopicsPeople and Personalities: IELTS Cue Card TopicsPlaces: IELTS Cue Card TopicsObjects: IELTS Cue Card TopicsEvents: IELTS Cue Card TopicsExperiences and Achievements: IELTS Cue Card TopicsHobbies and Interests: IELTS Cue Card TopicsPlans and Dreams: IELTS Cue Card TopicsNature and Environment: IELTS Cue Card TopicsEducation: IELTS Cue Card TopicsWork and Careers: IELTS Cue Card TopicsTechnology: IELTS Cue Card TopicsHealth and Fitness: IELTS Cue Card TopicsFood and Drinks: IELTS Cue Card Topics
Comprehensive guide covering essential IELTS preparation strategies and techniques to help you achieve your target band score.
Originally published May 2021. Last reviewed 3 July 2026.
“To err is Human”, which simply means human beings are prone to errors and mistakes in their work, no matter how precise and accurate they plan to be. And when it comes to writing, even the best in the business depends on proofreaders and editors to critique their work.
Since the most experienced writers with a strong grasp of grammar and punctuations cannot prevent some of these inadvertent errors from creeping in. Well, it’s a great thing if you as a writer can afford to hire experts for proofreading but not everyone can do that.
This is where tools such as Grammarly come to the rescue, which does all the nitty and gritty grammar rectification for your work. In the end, you can focus on the major task, Writing.
This article will take you on a journey when you will get familiar with Grammarly. Furthermore, you can decide whether to use it or not.
What is this Grammarly everyone is so hyped about?
Grammarly is an amazing spelling and grammar checker tool that can integrate with any place or platform you write and does the job in real-time for you as you go on writing.
For instance, this platform can be your email, a text editor, a WordPress blog, word processors like Google doc or MS word. Grammarly not only tackles bad grammar and punctuation but also deals with other aspects of writing like flow, delivery, tone, conciseness, and even plagiarism.
It takes such a huge load off the back of writers who don't wish to piggyback human proofreaders and editors. Indeed, it saves time and relatively money and boosts productivity on the way.
Features of Grammarly: A comprehensive pathway
Grammarly offers two choices: a free version and a premium version.
The free version has limited capability but can get a great amount of job done. Importantly, it can perform grammar checks, spelling checks, punctuation errors, conciseness, and tone-detection. All these features alone can turn the face of your writing. Thus the Free version offers Correctness and Clarity to some extent.
The premium version focuses on correctness, clarity, engagement, delivery, and plagiarism check. Here we will discuss in detail the features offered in the Premium version which packs features you may not think about lacking until you use them.
CORRECTNESS
Spelling checker: Once Grammarly has been integrated with your browser (Chrome/ Firefox), it checks and suggests correct spellings every time you write something. For example, when you’re writing an email or a blog, Grammarly quickly highlights the errors and you can correct them with a click. The spell-check offered by Grammarly is not hard rule-bound but a contextual one. It tries to understand and correct errors like your vs you’re, where vs were, there vs their kind of errors.
Grammar and Punctuation checker: Grammarly can quickly detect the smallest of grammar and punctuation errors like tenses, fragmented sentences, alliteration errors, extra punctuations etcetera. It can detect the most basic to most advanced errors and provide suggestions about correcting them. Along with the suggestions, it also tells you what is the reason behind the suggested correction thus working as a guide along the path.
Fluency: At times we often use fancy words in our sentences to increase the profoundness of it but it backfires. It rather renders the sentence unnatural and difficult to understand. Well, Grammarly makes sure your choice of words is natural and the flow of the piece is as smooth as possible.
CLARITY
Conciseness: Grammarly makes sure you don’t get lost while framing a sentence because we often take a long path to convey the simplest things. So, it actively suggests alternative ways to deliver a sentence.
Clarity-focused rephrasing and formatting: Several writers have great content but are lousy and ambiguous with their writing. For them, Grammarly offers restructured sentences and formatted constants wherever deemed necessary.
ENGAGEMENT
Writing Style of the author: Grammarly shows a readability score on the sidebar which helps the writer to self-edit their content for higher legibility. Moreover, it suggests sentence length and word placement that could improve the score and crux of the sentence at the same time. This helps a budding writer to get comfortable with his/her genre and niche.
You can set goals about how your writing should be and Grammarly tries its best to help you with that. For instance, you can choose your style to be formal/informal and intent to inform or describe a topic and Grammarly caters to your needs efficiently.
Vocabulary enhancement: This is another exciting feature provided by Grammarly. I believe this was always needed as there are only so many words that we can memorize along with their meaning. This undoubtedly adds crispness and vibrance to the article.
DELIVERY
Tone Detector: There are times when our mood influences our writing. For instance, while sending out an email one might use a harsh or direct tone because of the frustration and stress driving the writing. Surely, this might bring devastating outcomes. Grammarly has this feature that senses the tone of your writing and suggests what you need to do to dial down a particular tone. Isn’t this a lifesaver?
Politeness, Formality level, and Inclusive language: Grammarly checks the harsh language used and suggests more polite options. And at times when you’re in a hurry and use acronyms in a formal letter, Grammarly even rectifies that thus ensuring you don’t face backlash. Finally, it makes sure your language is respectful and doesn't ooze any kind of unwanted sentiments.
Confident Writing: Grammarly eliminates words that stop you from showing off your go-getter attitude. For that, it suggests words and phrases as a replacement that will give a greater sense of confidence and formidability to your audience.
PLAGIARISM CHECKER
This is one feature that I am personally excited to use. Before Grammarly offered plagiarism checks, it was a hassle out there with a limited amount of software and soaring prices of those. Now that it is here, it saves a huge amount of time and money that it takes to ensure the originality of your content. Grammarly checks against over 16 billion online resources to provide you with plagiarism scores for your work. This is an especially great addition for researchers and students who are writing their first paper and cite heavily from the references and previous works.
Target users: Who is Grammarly for?
In a broad sense, Grammarly for everyone who writes. But if we talk about productivity and monetization of written works, we need to converge this target.
Content writers and developers
Independent authors and bloggers
Business writers and professionals
Students
Academicians and researchers
Different options you can choose from to use Grammarly
Web Application: This is the most preferred option to use Grammarly because it’s hassle-free and intuitive. To be sure, all you need to do is copy your content or article from your editor and paste it on the Grammarly website and check for errors. Furthermore, once the errors are corrected and you are satisfied with the result you can copy it again and paste it or publish it on the targeted platform. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!!
It is redundant to mention that you must sign up and create a free account first before you proceed with your task.
Google Chrome Extension: You can add Grammarly as a browser extension to your chrome and let it automatically check for errors every time you write anywhere. You can find the link to the extension on Grammarly’s homepage or search for it in the Chrome app store. This is particularly useful while writing emails or contents and getting them corrected simultaneously.
Desktop Application: This is rather useful if you prefer working offline or at times when there is a strain on the network connectivity. All you need is to download the desktop application and install it. Additionally, it works with both Windows and macOS. The rest of the steps are the same as you would proceed with the web application.
Microsoft Office Plugin: For Windows users, things couldn’t get better with Grammarly. To elaborate, you can add a Grammarly word as a plugin in the MS word add-in page by following the instructions mentioned there. Again, it should be kept in mind that MS word should have access to the internet to work with this feature.
Mobile platform: Grammarly offers smooth and intuitive keyboards for both Android and IOS users. They can download it from their respective app store.
Should you start using Grammarly right away?
I would suggest you try the free version of Grammarly first and get a taste of the ease and comfort it offers. With the free version, you can do most of the basic corrections such as grammar, spelling, and punctuation. These three features can improve the readability and crux of your content to a great level.
Once you get all cozy with it and genuinely feel the premium features will be an asset to you, go for it. For bloggers and authors who write for a living, you won’t regret owning the paid version at all. Rather, you will see right away how it gets the job done more elegantly and faster.
DeliveryTone detectionConfident writingPolitenessFormality levelInclusive language
✅
✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Number of users per License
1 user
1 user
3+ users
Price
Free
$12.00/ month
$12.50/member/month
If you are a blogger and write on a greater range of topics, you would want to spend most of your time doing research on the content rather than skimming through your work for grammar and language corrections. Moreover, it’s tedious and impossible to get everything correct with human vigilance. So, I would personally recommend the Individual premium license for you. It costs too little for what it offers. With this, you can multiply your productivity and volume of work to many folds.
Word of Caution: Not everything Grammarly suggests is acceptable
Grammarly follows an algorithm to do what it does. To add, sometimes there might be certain things you want to present in your way which may not be understood by the underlying algorithm. So, it is important to see carefully all the corrections it is suggesting and accept them consciously. You have to make sure it is not altering your organic ways or the meaning you want to convey.
Grammarly is an AI tech and it has been trained by billions of datasets to achieve the level of efficiency it has today. But again, there are always outliers and your writing or content might be one of them. So, just keep your eyes and brain open when you are correcting your piece using Grammarly.
