You should register for IELTS at least 5 weeks before the test date by submitting (by post or personally to the British Council in Skopje):

			a filled-in application form with two recent photos attached (passport size, with clear background)
			a copy of the fee payment slip
			photocopy of the personal documents stated in the application form (passport and an ID card).

The IELTS test fee is 8300 denars (British Council bank account: 300000001838574 at Komercijalna Banka).

If you pay from outside Macedonia, the fee is 145 euros net plus local bank charges payable at Komercijalna Banka AD Skopje, Kej "Dimitar Vlahov" 4, 1000 Skopje, Macedonia, KOBSMK2X, Britanski sovet; IBAN: MK07300701001041165

If you come from Kosovo, please contact the British Council office in Prishtina regarding the payment.

You will be informed of the time and place of the test, by e-mail or phone one week before the test date.

If places for the exam are still available, you can register for the exam up until five days before the test.

Entries cannot be transferred from one examination session to a future one. Absent candidates cannot transfer or claim a refund. Refunds (80% of the total fee) can only be made in cases of medical emergency or bereavement. In such cases, relevant documents need to be submitted within 5 working days after the test date.

			25 October 2008
			8 November 2008
			6 December 2008
			13 December 2008
			17 January 2009

All dates are valid for both versions of the test.

It is not necessary to attend an IELTS preparation course though it is, of course, a good idea to prepare thoroughly for the test at one of the language schools. You can prepare yourself by using self-study materials, the IELTS Specimen Materials Packs with CD. They have been produced according to Cambridge ESOL's Question Paper Production cycle and are the only preparation resources that are endorsed by all three IELTS partners. They include a full practice test with answer key so you can gain experience in the format of the test and get an idea of your level. You can purchase these materials for 750 denars, payable to our bank account: 300000001838574 at Komercijalna banka.

Other preparation materials (course books and audio tapes) can also be borrowed from our Library by becoming a library member. You can check the IELTS preparation books list.
You may also access helpful IELTS practice section on British council website Learn English professionals which includes IELTS practice materials and IELTS test information classroom activities on the  Cambridge ESOL Teaching Resources website.

The test starts at 9 a.m. on the date you registered for. You need to be present at the venue (American College Skopje, address: Treta Makedonska Brigada bb) no later than 8:30. You must bring your passport and identity card and you will also need a pencil, a pen and an eraser.

			Registration		08:30 – 08:50
			Instructions and Questions		08:50 - 09:00
			Listening		09:00 – 09:40
			Reading		09:45 – 10:45
			Writing		11:00 – 12:00
			Speaking		13–15 minute interviews Same day from 12:30 onwards (for candidates who live outside Skopje) and for candidates who live in Skopje, day before or the day after the exam.

For security reasons, candidates must stay in the test room until the end of the Writing exam.

Results are issued on the 13th day after the test date. Scores are issued on a Test Report Form (TRF), showing overall ability as well as performance in each sub-test. Only one TRF will be issued per candidate: this can be collected personally or sent by registered mail to your address as stated on your application form. Results cannot be given by phone or e-mail.
Candidates can check their result online on the 13th day after the test date, after 18:00hrs. The system will not display results older than 28 days.
Up to 5 additional copies of the test report form can be sent to institutions listed in your application form free of charge. The British Council reserves the right not to send additional copies to recipients who are private contacts.

If you ask for additional Test Report Forms (TRF) to be sent to an institution in the period of 2 years after the test date, you will need to fill in a form and pay 400 denars to our bank account no.:300000001838574 at Komercijalna banka.

You can compare your IELTS results to the Common European Framework levels issued by the Council of Europe and to the Cambridge ESOL exams:

	Council of Europe Level			Cambridge ESOL exams			IELTS bands
	C2 Good User			CPE			7.5+
	C1 Competent User			CAE			6.5; 7.0
	B2 Independent User			FCE			5.0; 5.5; 6.0
	B1 Threshold User			PET			3.5; 4.0; 4.5
	A2 Waystage User			KET			3.0
	A1 Breakthrough						2.0; 1.0

Candidates may apply for an Enquiry on Results within six weeks of the test date. The fee for this service is 5,500 denars which will be refunded should the score on any module is increased. Enquiry on Results can take up to six weeks to complete.

IELTS is specified as fulfilling English language requirements for entry to academic courses by the majority of institutions of Further and Higher Education in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom and currently by over 380 universities and colleges in the USA.  It is also used by a number of professional bodies and governments world-wide, including the Ministry of Defence and the General Medical Council in the UK, the Australian Medical Council and the Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, the Medical Council of Ireland, the New Zealand Immigration Service, the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools in the USA and Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

In addition it is used for screening and recruitment purposes in-country by universities, business schools and professional bodies in the private sector in a number of overseas countries, including Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Columbia, Cyprus, Denmark, Italy, Lithuania, Malaysia, Myanmar, Poland, Turkey and Vietnam.

You can also search the IELTS website to check if some specific organisation recognises this test.

If you would like to receive additional information about the IELTS exam, please contact our Examinations Assistant Olga Paunčeva-Markoviќ on:

	Telephone:			02/3135 035 ext.110
	Fax:			02/3135 036
	E-mail:			olga.paunceva@britishcouncil.org.mk.