I last sat for my IELTS (Academic) English test in 2017 and even then, it cost an exploitative 22k. I remember saving up most of that year to raise the amount.

I’m booking a test for my sister-in-law and it literally costs double what I paid 9 years ago. WTF!

A hack that my Nigerian and Bangladeshi postgraduate colleagues taught me is that you could ask your university alma mata to write you an *academic reference letter.* That letter should _explicitly_ read that you conducted your undergraduate studies entirely in British English. This letter is accepted by most Commonwealth universities in lieu of the IELTS tests, but you need to check with your prospective university first.

It’s such a shame and exceedingly racist that our colonial masters should demand that we pay to prove that we comprehend the language that they made official in our country.