# UK Born and Bred - Do I need IELTS?



## aliwish83 (Nov 19, 2008)

Hi guys

I wonder if anyone would be able to give me advice on whether or not I need to do the IELTS exams. My immigration agent says I do but I just find this hard to believe. I am applying for a state sponsored skilled visa. I have never lived outside Scotland and completed my high school education here, my honours degree in Accountancy and my professional qualification is with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.

I dont mean to sound like I am blowing my own trumpet but does my educational history not negate the need to sit the IELTS. 

On the other hand, as a true pessimist, if I do have to sit it, is it very hard to get a 7?

Any advice would be much appreciated

Cheers

ali


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## weelee (Sep 15, 2008)

aliwish83 said:


> Hi guys
> 
> I wonder if anyone would be able to give me advice on whether or not I need to do the IELTS exams. My immigration agent says I do but I just find this hard to believe. I am applying for a state sponsored skilled visa. I have never lived outside Scotland and completed my high school education here, my honours degree in Accountancy and my professional qualification is with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.
> 
> ...


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## matjones (Jan 30, 2009)

aliwish83 said:


> Hi guys
> 
> I wonder if anyone would be able to give me advice on whether or not I need to do the IELTS exams. My immigration agent says I do but I just find this hard to believe. I am applying for a state sponsored skilled visa. I have never lived outside Scotland and completed my high school education here, my honours degree in Accountancy and my professional qualification is with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.
> 
> ...


It really depends if you need the points to pass the points test. As a British passport holder you automatically get 15 points (competent English). To qualify for the full 25 points for proficient, you will need to pass the IELTS exam. Remember, just because you hold a British passport doesn't mean you are fluent in English, for example an elderly parent of an Indian immigrant may hold a British passport, but never spoken a word of English in their lives.

The test is not all that difficult. I passed it, and I'm from Yorkshire  My only recommendation is purchase the official practice material. It will make things much easier for you.

Mat


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## amaslam (Sep 25, 2008)

You shouldn't need to sit unless you need the points. Your degree and schooling is all UK so that is exempt from IELTS requirements (similarly I have the same exemption as all my schooling is from the USA).



aliwish83 said:


> Hi guys
> 
> I wonder if anyone would be able to give me advice on whether or not I need to do the IELTS exams. My immigration agent says I do but I just find this hard to believe. I am applying for a state sponsored skilled visa. I have never lived outside Scotland and completed my high school education here, my honours degree in Accountancy and my professional qualification is with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.
> 
> ...


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## aliwish83 (Nov 19, 2008)

Thanks guys for your helpful (and speedy) response. I will check my points requirements and hopefully I will get out of it. If not, i'll just get my head down and do a bit of studying

thanks again

ali


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## sheilaB (Dec 3, 2008)

aliwish83 said:


> Thanks guys for your helpful (and speedy) response. I will check my points requirements and hopefully I will get out of it. If not, i'll just get my head down and do a bit of studying
> 
> thanks again
> 
> ali


HI

Same as the other guys say, we are British, - also from Yorkshire - and my husband is a secondary school teacher in England teaching maths day in day out, bu t we needed the point to get to the 120 as we were not sponsored. he looked at a few practice tests online, decided they were east, sat it and got a 9. It should be pretty straightforward for anyone whose firstlanguage is English and has had a formal education.


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## siandkim (Nov 27, 2008)

hey mate, your agent is right, i know it sucks as we are as you say born and bred in the uk and seems stupid that we have to sit a bloody english test but sometime last year the aussie gov changed the points for being english from something like 15 down to 10 so if you dont quite make that extras 5 or 10 points needed for either skilled or sponsored migration the IELTS test is required.
I had to do it to gain the extra 5 points needed and was so worried as didnt do to well at school but flew through it, i got 1 point over the average needed (7), so you will be fine.
I would advise to get a practice paper as it gives you an idea what to expect, and expect to be the only brit in the exam room ha ha, it really does take the michael.
Hope this helps and good luck with it.


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## matjones (Jan 30, 2009)

siandkim said:


> hey mate, your agent is right, i know it sucks as we are as you say born and bred in the uk and seems stupid that we have to sit a bloody english test but sometime last year the aussie gov changed the points for being english from something like 15 down to 10 so if you dont quite make that extras 5 or 10 points needed for either skilled or sponsored migration the IELTS test is required.
> I had to do it to gain the extra 5 points needed and was so worried as didnt do to well at school but flew through it, i got 1 point over the average needed (7), so you will be fine.
> I would advise to get a practice paper as it gives you an idea what to expect, and expect to be the only brit in the exam room ha ha, it really does take the michael.
> Hope this helps and good luck with it.


Yeah, don't be surprised to get funny looks while your at the testing station. Here in San Francisco it is usually only foreigners who take the exam. They actually asked me if I knew what I was doing there. I think my tester for the oral exam was a little stumped and became flustered herself at my fast and fluent responses.


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