Guide · UK nursing
IELTS for nurses: what the NMC asks for
Last checked 2 October 2026
If you are registering as a nurse or midwife in the UK, the English requirement is specific, and one part of it — the rule about combining two sittings — is worth understanding properly before you book anything.
IELTS for nurses: what the NMC asks for — on the @ieltscomputer channel. Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play.
The short answer
The Nursing and Midwifery Council accepts IELTS Academic, with:
| Skill | In one sitting | Floor, if you combine two sittings |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | 7.0 | 6.5 |
| Reading | 7.0 | 6.5 |
| Speaking | 7.0 | 6.5 |
| Writing | 6.5 | 6.0 |
Note what is not there: an overall band requirement. The NMC's page sets a figure for each skill and does not state an overall score, which is a different shape of target from most university offers.
The two-sitting rule, properly
This is the part that saves people money, and it is also the part that gets misread.
You may combine results from two test sittings. To do that you need, across the two, one reading at 7 or above, one listening at 7 or above, one speaking at 7 or above and one writing at 6.5 or above. So far, so obvious.
The condition people miss is the floor: every score in both sittings has to be at or above 6.5 for listening, reading and speaking, and 6.0 for writing. A single 6.0 in Speaking anywhere across the two tests breaks the combination, even if your other sitting has a 7.5 in it.
What that means in practice
- Do not treat a sitting as a throwaway. There is no such thing as a practice attempt once you are combining. A weak score in one skill contaminates the pair.
- A near miss is usually worth a second sitting, not a rethink. If you landed 7 / 7 / 6.5 / 6.5 and only Writing was short of 6.5 — one more sitting that produces a single 6.5 in Writing can complete the set, provided everything else stayed above the floor.
- Writing is the one with room in it. It is the only skill asking 6.5 rather than 7, which makes Reading, Listening and Speaking the three that need the work.
What is not accepted
- IELTS One Skill Retake. The NMC is explicit: you must be tested in all four domains at the same time, so a retake of one domain cannot be used as evidence. If a skill is short, you resit the whole test.
- IELTS Indicator and IELTS Online. Neither is accepted. It has to be a test centre sitting.
- IELTS General Training. This requirement is for the Academic version — which is the opposite of what Canadian immigration asks for, so if you are weighing up more than one destination, check each one separately rather than assuming one test covers both.
UKVI tests are accepted, which matters if your visa route needs one anyway.
Validity
The NMC says both IELTS and OET are valid for two years from the test date, and that the validity has to still hold when your application reaches the assessment queue — not merely when you send it. Build in that gap rather than discovering it.
The NMC's IELTS page does not state a maximum time between the two combined sittings. Rather than guess at one, plan around the two-year validity and check your own application guidance, because that is the rule the NMC actually publishes.
Where the marks are in the three 7s
Three skills at 7 and one at 6.5 is a particular shape, and it points the preparation somewhere specific.
- Listening at 7 is where the computer-delivered format shows up most. The recording plays once, you type the answer live, and spelling errors are marked incorrect with nothing on screen to catch them. For a clinical vocabulary this matters — the words are long and the endings are unforgiving.
- Reading at 7 on Academic means dense text under time. Sixty minutes, forty questions, and on screen the passage sits beside the questions behind a divider you can drag.
- Writing at 6.5 is the lowest bar of the four, and it is still two tasks in sixty minutes with Task 2 counting twice as much as Task 1. If time runs out, it is Task 1 that gets the shorter treatment.
- Speaking at 7 is a face-to-face interview with an examiner in every IELTS format, so it is the one part of this that practice software cannot rehearse for you.
Before you book
Two practical things. First, check the NMC's own page rather than this one before you pay for anything — the requirement has changed before and the figures here are what it said on the date at the foot of this page. Second, if you want to handwrite your essay, IELTS on computer with Writing on Paper exists in selected countries, but it is not available for IELTS for UKVI, which is worth knowing if your visa route requires a UKVI test.
Practise it here
Reading about the screen only gets you so far. These run in the computer-delivered interface, in your browser:
- IELTS Academic Writing tests — Task 1 and Task 2 in the test-day editor
- IELTS Academic Reading tests, in the computer-delivered interface
- IELTS Listening tests — the recording plays once, as on the day
- The band score calculator — the rounding rule, if you want the arithmetic
Questions people ask
What IELTS score do nurses need for the NMC?
IELTS Academic with at least 7 in reading, listening and speaking, and at least 6.5 in writing. The NMC does not state an overall band requirement.
Do I need IELTS Academic or General Training for the NMC?
Academic. Note that this is the opposite of what Canadian immigration asks for, so check each destination's requirement separately.
Can I combine two IELTS sittings for the NMC?
Yes, across two sittings, as long as between them you have one reading, listening and speaking at 7 or above and one writing at 6.5 or above — and every score in both sittings is at least 6.5 for listening, reading and speaking and at least 6 for writing.
Does the NMC accept IELTS One Skill Retake?
No. The NMC says you must be tested in all four domains at the same time, so a single-domain retake cannot be used.
Does the NMC accept IELTS Online or IELTS Indicator?
No. Neither is accepted; it has to be a test centre sitting. UKVI tests are accepted.
How long are my results valid?
The NMC says IELTS and OET are valid for two years from the test date, and the validity has to still hold when your application reaches the assessment queue.
IELTS Academic, at least 7 in reading, listening and speaking and at least 6.5 in writing; the two-sitting combination and its floor scores (6.5 for listening, reading and speaking, 6 for writing); IELTS One Skill Retake not accepted because “you must be tested in all four domains at the same time”; IELTS Indicator and IELTS Online not accepted, UKVI accepted: NMC — IELTS Academic, checked 2 October 2026. That page states it was last updated 08/03/2024. “Both IELTS and OET are valid for two years from the test date”, and the validity needing to hold when the application reaches the assessment queue: NMC — Provide language evidence, checked 2 October 2026. Two tasks in 60 minutes with Task 2 contributing twice as much as Task 1, and 60 minutes with 40 questions in Reading: IELTS Academic Writing format and the IELTS Academic Reading format page, checked 2 October 2026. The rounding rule behind any overall band: IELTS scoring in detail, checked 2 October 2026. Writing on Paper not being available for IELTS for UKVI: IELTS on computer with Writing on Paper, checked 2 October 2026. Not asserted: a maximum gap between the two combined sittings. Other sites give twelve months; the NMC’s own IELTS page does not state one, so this guide does not either. This page is not affiliated with the NMC and is not advice about your registration — read the NMC’s own pages before acting on it. IELTS Computer is not affiliated with IDP, British Council or Cambridge.
Other guides
- IELTS on computer vs on paper — The same test, two rooms. What actually changes, what does not, and the one difference that catches people out.
- Computer-delivered IELTS tips — Fourteen things about the screen itself. Not advice about English — advice about the thing between you and the marks.
- IELTS on computer with Writing on Paper — Type Listening and Reading, handwrite the essay. Who it is for, where it exists, and the one group it is not available to.
- IELTS in India is on computer now — Paper is gone, so the question is no longer which format — it is what the screen changes, and what it gives you back.