IELTS requirements for PLAB, and the OET option

What are the IELTS requirements for PLAB?

The GMC accepts IELTS Academic, including IELTS for UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), taken in person, as IELTS Online or with a One Skill Retake. It doesn’t accept IELTS Indicator.

Your scores must come from the same test and from your most recent sitting, and you need the test report form (TRF) number and the original stamp. A One Skill Retake counts once, for one section, if your full test was IELTS on computer at a centre that offers it and you sat the retake within 60 days.

The GMC also lists other kinds of English evidence: your primary medical qualification, an employer reference, a UK job offer and other types. It says the evidence you need to apply for PLAB may differ from what registration needs.

How long your English scores last

IELTS and OET certificates are valid for two years. For PLAB, yours must be valid on the day you sit PLAB 1, and for registration, when the GMC approves your application.

If your IELTS certificate is more than two years old, you can submit it with references covering at least three months of full-time study or employment within the last two years, in a country where English is the first and native language. A reference comes from a tutor or lecturer on a postgraduate course, or from an employer.

For registration, a certificate may be accepted for longer: if it’s less than three years old when the GMC receives your application and you passed PLAB 2 less than three months before. This isn’t available on the sponsorship route.

English evidence expiring in early 2027

With no international February sitting in 2027, the GMC said it may extend English evidence that expired between 1 February and 31 May 2027, so affected candidates could sit PLAB 1 in May 2027. Requests had to reach plab@gmc-uk.org by 19 March 2027.