If your IELTS score is close to the requirement but weak in one module (e.g., Reading), a few things to check:
- Confirm which IELTS type your institution requires. Academic IELTS is what's generally accepted for study permit / admission purposes; General Training IELTS is mainly used for immigration (PR) purposes such as Express Entry, not for college/university admission.
- Check each institution's specific minimums directly on their website. Requirements vary — some colleges accept an overall 6.5 with no band below 6, others are more lenient and accept an overall 6.5 with a band as low as 5 or 5.5 in one module. There's no single universal cutoff across all institutions.
- A below-minimum module score is primarily an admissions issue, not automatically a visa refusal issue — if the institution admits you despite a lower module score (because their policy allows it), that acceptance is what IRCC will see, so the institution's own requirement is the gate to clear first.
Always verify current admission requirements on the specific college/university's official page, since band requirements differ by institution and can change between intakes.