Can I get provisional IELTS results before getting the TRF?

IELTS. Seal and imprint

IELTS  is designed to assess  English Language  skills  across  a wide range of levels. There is no such thing as a pass or fail in IELTS. Results  are reported as band scores on a scale  from 1 (the lowest) to 9 ( the highest). The  candidate  will receive  a result  which reports a  score for each of the  four skills ( listening, reading , writing and speaking), as an overall band score. The IELTS  result  is displayed after 13 days from an exam date. The provisional results are displayed at the respective websites of IDP ( International  Development  Progress) and British council which enables  the candidates to know their  scores  before the actual TRF ( Test  Report  Forms)  is received.

The Format  of the displayed  or provisional result remains same but the timings  of declaring  the results for both  the  organizations  vary. For IDP, a candidate has to login  details  such as  passport  number or date of birth, but for  British  Council, the reference   number , date of  birth  have to be logged in . The online preview of results  should not be used as an official confirmation  of the performance.

One personal copy of TRF is sent  to the exam centre or to the student, depending  upon the details filled by the student before the exam. Other wise , five copies of TRF are generated which are not directly given to the students, but are sent to the Universities or other institutions wherever required.

The content of the provisional result and TRF also varies. The provisional result will only be stating the band scores for all the four modules, (reading , writing, listening, speaking) as well as an overall received in exam. TRF will be an official document bearing the logos of IDP, British Council and the University of Cambridge along with the candidate’s photograph , candidate details, result and the centre and validation stamps.

The preview of the provisional result might be removed from the website after a prescribed number of days. IDP often displays the result of a candidate for 28 days and British  Council for 40 days.

So a candidate can get provisional IELTS  results before  TRF but  should not be used as an official confirmation of the performance.