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IELTS and PTE preparation in Lahore, built around your target score.
Your English score decides both your offer and your visa. Northbound Education runs IELTS, PTE and other English test preparation for students across Lahore and Pakistan, starting with a free assessment that tells you where you actually stand, then a plan built backwards from the exact band your university and visa require.
How our classes work
We test you first. Then we build the class.
Most academies in Lahore put every student through the same syllabus regardless of level. That wastes the strong student's time and leaves the weaker one behind. We start the other way round.
Free initial assessment
A full diagnostic across all four skills under real test conditions. You leave knowing your current band, which skill is holding you back, and a realistic estimate of how many weeks it will take to close the gap.
Your target band, confirmed first
We check the actual requirement for your course and your visa route, including the per-skill minimums that students routinely miss. Everything after this is planned backwards from that number.
Teaching by question type
Not vague grammar revision. Each session targets the specific task types that move your score, Task 1 versus Task 2 writing, matching headings, Part 3 speaking, with the strategy each one rewards.
Mock tests and real feedback
Full timed mocks throughout, with written and spoken work marked against the official band descriptors and returned with specific corrections, not a score alone.
What it costs
Three ways to prepare, priced per month.
Every course begins with a free assessment across all four skills, so we can tell you your current level and how many weeks you realistically need before you pay for anything. Fees are per month and are the same whether you study in centre in Lahore or online.
IELTS preparation
PKR 25,000a month
For a student who has a test date, or needs a band score for a visa or an offer.
- Group classes across all four skills
- Mock tests under timed conditions, marked with feedback
- Band-by-band tracking so you see which skill is holding you back
- Guidance on which test to book and when
English language course
PKR 35,000a month
For a student who needs the language itself, not just the test technique. Often the right starting point if you are below the band you need.
- Grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, listening and speaking
- Small groups, graded by level after a free assessment
- Moves you toward test preparation once your level supports it
- Useful before departure even after a test is passed
One to one
PKR 50,000a month
For a student on a deadline, repeating a test, or stuck on one skill.
- Sessions built around your weakest skill
- Your own timing, in centre or online
- Fastest route to a band you have already missed once
- Direct feedback on every piece of writing and speaking
Test fees are paid to the test provider, not to us, and are separate from the figures above. The comparison table further down this page shows what each test costs.
The distinction that costs students money
SELT or non-SELT? Get this wrong and you lose the whole fee.
A SELT is a Secure English Language Test approved by the UK Home Office for visa purposes. A non-SELT test, sometimes sold under the same brand name, is accepted by universities directly, but not by the visa route that demands a SELT. The fee is not transferable between them.
Ask which one you needTypically for below-degree-level courses, pre-sessional English in some cases, and any visa route where the Home Office requires it rather than letting the university assess you.
For most degree-level courses at a licensed student sponsor, the university can assess your English itself and accept Duolingo, Oxford ELLT or an academic test result.
LanguageCert sells both a SELT and a non-SELT International ESOL exam. Several universities stopped accepting the non-SELT version during 2026. Booking the wrong one wastes the entire fee.
Before you book anything, your counsellor confirms in writing which test and which version your specific university and visa route will accept.
The six tests
Which English test should you take?
All six are used by Pakistani students. They differ in price, format, speed and, most importantly, in who accepts them.
IELTS
The safest default. Accepted essentially everywhere, and the only test many older or more conservative admissions offices will take without question.
Read the IELTS guide → SELT availablePTE Academic
Best when you are short on time or you speak more confidently to a machine than to a person. Test slots run daily in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad.
Read the PTE Academic guide → University acceptanceDuolingo English Test
Best for a fast, low-cost route to a university that explicitly accepts it, when no SELT is required for your visa.
Read the Duolingo English Test guide → University acceptanceOxford ELLT
A strong option for Pakistani students where the university accepts it: cheaper than IELTS and quicker to book.
Read the Oxford ELLT guide → SELT availableLanguageCert
Good where a university accepts it and you want a cheaper, faster SELT than IELTS for UKVI.
Read the LanguageCert guide → University acceptanceTOEFL iBT
Most relevant if you are also considering the United States, where TOEFL has the deepest acceptance.
Read the TOEFL iBT guide →Full comparison
Every test, side by side.
| Test | SELT for UK visa | Approximate fee | Format | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS | Yes, IELTS for UKVI is a UK Home Office approved SELT | Academic or General Training on computer about PKR 71,300 – 71,900 depending on city. IELTS for UKVI about PKR 72,000. IELTS Life Skills (A1/B1) about PKR 50,000. | Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. Speaking is a face-to-face interview with a real examiner. Paper-based or computer-delivered. | Computer-delivered results in roughly 3–5 days; paper-based around 13 days. |
| PTE Academic | Yes, PTE Academic UKVI is an approved SELT | PTE Academic about USD 230 – 250 (roughly PKR 64,000 – 80,000 depending on the rate on the day). PTE Academic UKVI about USD 275. Paid in dollars on the Pearson portal with an internationally enabled card. | Fully computer-based, about two hours, one sitting. Speaking is recorded and scored by AI, there is no human interviewer. | Typically within 48 hours, often faster. The quickest of the major tests. |
| Duolingo English Test | No. Not a SELT. University acceptance only, and not every university takes it. | About USD 70, roughly PKR 20,000, comfortably the cheapest of the major tests. | About one hour, taken at home on your own computer with a webcam. Adaptive: questions get harder or easier as you answer. | Usually within 2 days. |
| Oxford ELLT | No. University acceptance only, though it is accepted very widely by UK universities. | Confirm at booking, Oxford International runs periodic partner discounts, and your counsellor will tell you if one applies. | Two versions: ELLT Digital taken at home, and ELLT Global taken at an approved test centre. Pakistan has approved centres. | Fast, typically within days. |
| LanguageCert | Yes, but only the SELT version. LanguageCert also sells a non-SELT International ESOL test, and the two are not interchangeable. | Varies by level and centre; confirm at booking. Generally below IELTS for the equivalent level. | Written (Listening, Reading, Writing) and Spoken taken separately, on the same day or up to 14 days apart. SELT versions must be taken at an approved SELT centre. | Fast, often within days. |
| TOEFL iBT | Confirm for your specific visa route before booking, TOEFL's UK visa status has changed over the years and your counsellor will verify it against the current list. | Confirm at booking on the ETS portal; priced in US dollars and broadly comparable to IELTS and PTE. | Computer-based, roughly two hours. Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing, with speaking recorded rather than face-to-face. | Usually within 4–8 days. |
Scroll the table sideways on a narrow screen to see every column.
Straight answers
Which is better?
If you want the safest choice
Take IELTS. Nothing is accepted more widely, and no admissions office will query it. Take IELTS for UKVI if your visa route asks for a SELT.
If you are short on time
Take PTE Academic. Daily slots in Lahore, results usually inside 48 hours, and free unlimited score sending.
If budget is the constraint
Duolingo or Oxford ELLT cost far less, but only if your university accepts them and your visa route does not require a SELT. Confirm both before booking.
Start here
Book your free assessment.
Tell us your target university and we will test where you stand today, then tell you honestly how many weeks it should take to reach the score you need.
Or message us directly
+92 339 3666 886
official@northboundeducation.com