IELTS in Jamaica — the fee in JMD, Kingston and Montego Bay centres and when you need a test at all

Both venues are British Council listings run with the Overseas Examinations Commission: 6 Manhattan Road, Kingston 5, and 18 Queen's Drive, Praise Concourse Plaza, Montego Bay. Both offer IELTS on computer with One Skill Retake. The finder also lists IELTS Online for this country, an Academic test taken at home. Check that your target accepts it before you book: the University of Toronto does, but McGill's graduate programmes, UNSW and Nazarbayev University do not.

Jamaica is on the UK government's list of countries whose nationals do not need to prove their English for a Student visa, so you may not need a UK visa English test at all. UK universities can still set their own English requirement, so check the course page. Canada is different: Express Entry still needs a test (IELTS General Training, CELPIP or PTE Core), and Australia's Competent English rule exempts only UK, US, Canadian, New Zealand and Irish passport holders from testing.

Australia's Proficient English (IELTS 7.0 each) adds 10 points and Superior (8.0 each) adds 20, achieved within three years of the visa application. Canada accepts only IELTS General Training for Express Entry, and the result must be under two years old. UK universities usually ask 6.0 to 6.5 for undergraduate and 6.5 to 7.0 for postgraduate study.

Canadian universities may not need a test at all from Jamaica: McGill's undergraduate office lists Jamaica among countries where English is the primary language (four consecutive years of school or university there exempt you), and the University of Toronto accepts CSEC English at grade I or II. If you do need a test:

Toronto accepts IELTS Online and UKVI sittings but not One Skill Retake, and wants every score from a single test date. McGill accepts IELTS only when sent electronically by the test centre, and does not accept One Skill Retake. McGill does not accept PTE or IELTS Online for graduate admission.