Please note: Although we are currently offering tests with special arrangements in Berlin (on paper only), this cannot be booked online via our booking system. Therefore, if you require special arrangements and wish to take the test in Berlin, please email special.arrangements@britishcouncil.de with your desired test date(s), medical evidence and details of your requirements. We will then contact you with further details of how to proceed with your test booking. 

Our official IELTS test centres can help if you have visual, hearing, speaking or learning difficulties. If you need a modified version of IELTS, please give the test centre three months’ notice. 

Should you require extra time in the test, or a separate room, we can offer these arrangements in Berlin and Cologne and possibly also Hamburg.

Your English language ability will be assessed objectively, regardless of any disability or special needs that you may have.

Please note that candidates who require special arrangements such as extra time or modified question paper material must be registered for the test on paper and not the test on computer.

What do special arrangements include?

  • braille papers
  • special Listening CD with necessary stops and pauses
  • lip-reading version of the Listening test
  • enlarged print or Speaking task cards in Braille.

What sort of help can I get?

If you have a visual impairment, we can provide:

  • enlarged print
  • Braille test papers
  • an amanuensis to write the answers for you.

If you have hearing difficulties, we can offer:

  • headphones for the listening module
  • a lip-reading version of the Listening module.

If you have dyslexia, we can arrange:

  • extra time for the Reading and Writing tests.

What medical evidence do I have to submit?

The medical evidence should meet the following criteria:

  • The medical evidence should be legible and either in English or in German.
  • The medical evidence should be an original document on headed paper and bearing the name, relevant qualification(s) and signature of a recognised practitioner.
  • The medical evidence should give a clear statement of the candidate's disability.
  • The medical evidence should make it clear how the disability justifies Special Arrangements.

Additional criteria apply in the case of applications for special arrangements with candidates with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia:

  • The report must include details of the degree of the disability.
  • The report must include an assurance that the evidence of the specific difficulties was obtained through the result of appropriate and recognised tests.
  • The report must be provided by a fully qualified educational, clinical or chartered psychologist.
  • The medical evidence must be in the form of a report prepared when you were 13 years of age or older.
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