IELTS for professional registration
What the regulators require
| Who asks | For what | Test | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Medical Council (GMC)United Kingdom | doctors | IELTS Academic | overall 7.5at least 7.0 in each part, in one sitting |
| Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)United Kingdom | nurses and midwives | IELTS Academic | Listening 7, Reading 7, Writing 6.5, Speaking 7 |
| General Dental Council (GDC)United Kingdom | dentists | IELTS Academic | overall 7.0at least 6.5 in each part |
| Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)United Kingdom | physiotherapists, radiographers and other health professions | Academic or General Training | overall 7.0no element below 6.5; speech and language therapists 8.0 with no element below 7.5 |
| Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI)Ireland | nurses and midwives | IELTS Academic | overall 7.0Listening 7.0, Reading 7.0, Writing 6.5, Speaking 7.0 |
| CORUIreland | health and social care professions | IELTS Academic | overall 7.0no element below 6.5 (higher for some professions) |
| AhpraAustralia | health professions | IELTS Academic | overall 7.0Listening 7, Reading 7, Writing 6.5, Speaking 7 |
Examples from the institutions’ own pages, read on 13 October 2026. Requirements change: the institution’s page, linked from its name, is the one that counts.
What to watch out for
- Version of the test. The regulators in the table, apart from the Health and Care Professions Council, require IELTS Academic. The General Medical Council accepts IELTS Academic in both the standard version and the UKVI version.
- One sitting or more. The General Medical Council requires all scores to come from the same sitting. The Nursing and Midwifery Council allows scores from two sittings to be combined, on its own conditions. Read the rules on the regulator’s page.
- One Skill Retake. The General Medical Council and Ahpra state that they accept it. For the other regulators, check before you book.
- IELTS Online. The regulators differ: Ahpra does not accept tests taken at home, while the General Medical Council does accept IELTS Online. Check on your regulator’s page before you book.
- The visa is a separate process. Registration with a regulator and a visa each have their own requirements. For the UK Health and Care Worker visa, doctors, dentists, nurses and midwives who have already passed an English test for their regulator do not have to prove their knowledge of English again.
Seafarers
For a Flag State Endorsement, the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency accepts, among its forms of evidence of English, an IELTS Test Report Form with an overall band score of at least 6. Read the requirements on its page before you book a test.
Start with a level check
The regulators in the table require at least 6.5 in each part of the test, and some require more. If you don’t know what level you are at, start with the free level check, then look at the ways to prepare. If after the test you are short in only one part, and the regulator accepts it, you can retake that part with One Skill Retake.
Questions about registration
As a doctor from Croatia, do I need IELTS for Ireland?
The Irish Medical Council states that European Union citizens and graduates of medical schools in the EU and EEA currently do not have to provide evidence of English, and that this is likely to change. Before you book a test, check on its page whether this still applies: Medical Council, English language.
Will a regulator accept a General Training result?
The regulators in the table require IELTS Academic. The exception is the Health and Care Professions Council, which states that it accepts both Academic and General Training.
How old a result do the regulators accept?
Each regulator sets this itself. NMBI, for example, requires a result less than two years old. Check your regulator’s time limit before you choose a test date.