IELTS promo codes and coupons in Canada: what exists

IDP says you will not normally find direct discounts on IELTS prices in Canada, and gives free online preparation with bookings at participating test centres only instead. The British Council shows a banner for up to $35 off at participating venues for a limited time, with codes beside individual venues on its booking page. Get any code only from that booking page.

That is IDP's own answer to the question "Is there any discount available for IELTS in Canada?" We found no promo code or coupon for the test fee on its pages. Its fee page gives a range instead: the cost of an IELTS test in Canada ranges between CAD $335 and $361 before tax, the same for General Training and Academic. It says there is no separate registration fee, no payment processing fee and no late payment fee, and that in some locations the fee may be slightly higher. It also says fees can change and vary by test centre, city and province.

What IDP offers in place of a discount is the extras that come with the fee. The fee covers assessing four skills, test administration, venue fees, examiner marking, one copy of the Test Report Form and access to preparatory material. If you book with IDP at a participating test centre, IDP also gives free online preparation courses for all four skills; IDP's terms say the offer is valid with bookings at participating test centres only. Our IELTS courses page explains what the free course contains.

The British Council runs IELTS at ielts.ca. Its Canadian home page carries a banner, and its booking page shows notices beside individual venues. They read like this:

We have left the codes out on purpose. They sit under particular venues on the British Council's booking page and can change, so the booking page is the only place to get a current one. Search it for the venue you want and look under the venue's name. If the venue has no notice, there is nothing to apply.

Three points. First, the offer is not for every venue: the banner says "participating venue" and "a limited time". Second, the page does not say what the full fee is at each venue, so you will see the final price when you book. Third, the British Council's free offer is its preparation: booking with it gives free access to IELTS Ready Premium.

Coupon sites can list IELTS codes that have expired, do not exist, or lead to a page that is not the test owner's. Here is a safe routine:

1. Go to the test owner's booking page: the British Council's at ielts.ca, or IDP's at its Canada booking page.
2. If you want a code, use only one that appears there, beside your venue.
3. Enter it in the code box on the booking page and check that the price drops before you pay.
4. Pay only on that page.
5. Never pay a person or a third-party site for a voucher, and never send passport details to anyone but the test owner.

On IDP's Canadian booking page, IDP says you can pay by debit or credit card (Visa, Mastercard, or American Express) or Interac online.

We did not find a scam page on IDP's Canadian site. IDP Australia's page warns:

The same IDP Australia page says anyone claiming to sell you an IELTS certificate is trying to scam you, and asks you to report suspicious offers to [email protected]. The scam warning is not about discount codes as such. It is a reminder that fake sellers exist, and that the booking page is the safe place to pay.

The biggest saving is not paying twice. These are the things the owners say you already get, and one that needs care:

• Free preparation. IDP gives free online courses with bookings at participating test centres only. The British Council gives free access to IELTS Ready Premium when you book with it. Use them before you sit.
• Test Report Form copies. IDP says the fee includes one copy. It says you can request copies sent to 5 additional institutions at registration, but its cost page does not say whether that is free, and other IDP pages say postage may be extra and that a fee may apply if courier is chosen. It adds that any request for more TRFs may require an additional fee, so ask about extra copies at registration.
• One Skill Retake. IDP's cost page shows it at about $253.00 plus tax, against about $361.00 for a full test, but IDP's One Skill Retake page says it costs between $199 and $229 without HST depending on the centre, so use the price on your booking page. The British Council offers it too. But IRCC says it does not accept IELTS One Skill Retake for Express Entry, so only use it where your organisation accepts it.
• Prepare so you pass the first time. A full retake costs the full fee again.

IDP's fee table shows these amounts in Canadian dollars, before taxes and GST. This page is not immigration advice. IRCC decides which results count for Express Entry. Our Academic vs General Training page explains which version to book.

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