The paper-delivered IELTS will be eliminated worldwide in mid-2026. The IELTS Official team has announced that “…after careful review, from mid-2026, we will no longer offer IELTS as a paper-based test. All IELTS tests will be delivered on computer. Exact timelines will vary by market.”
This will not come as a surprise for regular readers of this space. Announcements about the elimination of the paper option in individual markets have trickled in one at a time over the past year.
Why are they doing this? Well, according to the announcement this is due to “higher satisfaction” among people who take the test on computer. But savvy test waters will already be aware that this will significantly improve the overall security of the IELTS test.
As a concession to people who like writing on paper, a special “writing on paper” option will be offered in certain markets. Says IELTS:
“[w]e are aware that some test takers like handwriting answers, so we are introducing a new option. In selected markets, we will introduce ‘Writing on Paper’. This update will allow test takers to personalise their test experience by handwriting their answers to the ‘Writing’ component on paper if they choose.”
Which markets will get the “writing on paper” option? That isn’t stated. But India will probably get it. Most readers already know that paper-delivered testing is still pretty popular there. I suppose China might get it as well. Many readers probably aren’t aware of how popular paper-based testing still is in that country.