What is an IELTS Test Report Form (TRF)?
The IELTS TRF (Test form report) is a document that contains the IELTS band score. It is required in various scenarios where proof of English proficiency is needed.
The major key areas where IELTS TRF reports are required are:
- Visa purposes: The immigration departments of various English-speaking countries require the IELTS TRF to check whether the applicant meets the minimum required language requirements.
- Universities and colleges: Many educational institutions have set a minimum language requirement for candidates. The universities will validate the candidates' eligibility using the TRF scores.
- Job opportunities: Many global companies require a minimum level of English proficiency to ensure that the job applicant can understand and communicate in the language desired by the employer.
Each candidate is given a TRF score, which remains valid for 2 years. In special cases, such as when applying for Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) or the United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA), two scores are given.
You can also post up to 5 TRFs to the relevant institutions listed in your application. It is also possible to send more than the 5 TRFs to the respective colleges and universities where you wish to apply. In such cases, you will be required to pay the processing fees of INR 250 per university.
What does an IELTS TRF Contain?
The IELTS TRF document contains unique details about the candidate and the score achieved, which can help the validating authorities verify the authenticity of the TRF online.
This is the important information which the IELTS TRF contains:
- Basic information includes the candidate's full name, date of birth, gender, nationality, and photograph.
- Test details include the test dates, test centre number, and module (whether it's academic or general training).
- A unique test report form number for each TRF issued by the authority.
- Band scores range from 0 to 9 from four sections: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. The average of all these individual scores is shown as the final IELTS band score.
Upon submission of the TRF document, the authority will be able to validate your score online and approve your application process.
How to send IELTS scores to Universities?
The IELTS makes the process of sending the IELTS exam score hassle-free. You can send your IELTS TRF to up to 5 universities free of cost within a month of your exam date.
In cases where you exceed the timeline, you will be required to pay INR 250 as a processing fee for sending TRF scores to each institution.
The process to follow for sending IELTS scores to universities:
- Login to the IDP IELTS India website using your credentials.
- Click on the ‘Add TRF’ section.
- Then, fill out the details and select the university where you want to send the score.
- Choose the method (either electronic or physical) through which you want to send your TRF score.
- You can then click on the submit button.
Upon submitting the request to send the TRF scores, the authority will most likely send them within 5-10 business days.
What is an Additional IELTS Test Report Form (ATRF)?
An Additional test report form is an additional form requested from the IELTS after passing the 5 free TRFs or 1 month after the exam dates. An extra INR 250 is charged for every request that you place.
Here’s how additional TRF can be useful for you:
- ATRF for IELTS can be used to apply to more universities, which will increase your chances of getting admission to the more prestigious universities.
- You can request extra copies at a minimal cost of Rs. 250, which is much more affordable than giving up the IELTS exam again.
- Like the TRFs, ATRFs also officially recognise test scores that reflect the IELTS test.
- The procedure for applying for the additional TRF is the same as that for the TRF. The only difference is that you must follow a payment procedure, which involves paying Rs—250 as the processing fee.
You can apply online to 5 universities in a day. If you want to apply for more, you must wait until the next day to apply for additional universities.
IELTS TRF Verification
Once you submit your TRF, the concerned institution/company can verify it online. The exam authorities introduced this verification process to verify the legitimacy of the score submitted by the candidate.
You should note that only the recognised organisations can check and verify your score using the verification process. This process simply requires entering the TRF number and then automatically downloading your results.
