Welcome to IELTS

Statement regarding ABC Radio program ‘Background Briefing’ - May 2011

The program found no evidence that attempts to cheat had been successful. This is despite a promotional trailer for the program implying that ways to cheat had been uncovered.

IELTS actively participated in the program to send a message to candidates who may be considering attempts to cheat.  During the course of the full radio program it becomes clear that the varied attempts to cheat will be foiled by the IELTS security systems.

The program highlighted many of the features of IELTS, including rigorous systems for recruiting, training and managing IELTS examiners and the close working relationships with the government departments and other organisations that use and rely on IELTS scores.

IELTS clearly states:

• IELTS has highly effective security and quality control systems to prevent and detect attempted fraud and cheating. Security screening and procedures before, on and following test days are designed to take account of a full range of techniques that could be applied as part of a fraud attempt. 

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• Fraudsters claim to be able to help candidates to achieve better results, or will try to sell fake question papers.  This is an attempt to exploit innocent candidates, leaving them vulnerable to serious legal consequences.  IELTS collaborates actively with public authorities in many countries to counter this criminal activity.

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• The development of IELTS tests is based on extensive research to ensure that each test is a valid and reliable measure of English language proficiency for education, migration or professional accreditation purposes.  The test continues to be effectively used for immigration purposes in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK.

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• The test is of consistent difficulty wherever and whenever it is taken – IELTS is not an easy test however it is designed to be fair.

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• Candidates cannot improve their scores simply by taking the test over and over again within a short time period.  To improve their scores, candidates must improve their English language skills.  Improving language skills is a slow and intensive process. This is important information that was not addressed in Background Briefing.

IELTS is a high stakes test and life-changing opportunities can depend on results gained in the test. Security is a matter that IELTS takes very seriously. Participation in stories such as Background Briefing is demonstration of the commitment of IELTS to quality, integrity and transparency. 

IELTS Professional Development Workshop in New Orleans

LOS ANGELES, February 1, 2011 – Join IELTS International for an ESL teacher workshop on March 15, 2011 in New Orleans, LA. As the world’s leading English language proficiency test, IELTS is used to provide evidence that non-native speakers have the English skills required for academic success. IELTS is trusted by over 6,000 organizations around the world, including over 3,000 institutions and programs in the U.S. IELTS tested over 1.5 million candidates globally in 2010. Registration for the workshop is free.

The IELTS professional development workshop will be held on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 from 1:00 - 5:00 pm at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, one day prior to the opening of the TESOL 2011 Annual Convention. The free workshop will provide an introductory overview for ESL teachers who are interested in developing an IELTS test preparation course, and offer complimentary copies of IELTS resource and preparation materials. Participants will examine the basic test format, task types, writing and speaking test samples, and learn how to integrate IELTS preparation into academic course curricula.  

“More and more international ESL students studying in the U.S. want to take IELTS and are asking their teachers for information,” said Richard Halstead, U.S. Regional Manager for IELTS International. “We hope the information and resources provided will allow teachers to advise students about IELTS and successfully prepare them to do well on the test.”

Participation, refreshments and resources are complimentary. Due to limited space, interested teachers are asked to RSVP their name, title, institution, phone number and email to ielts@ieltsintl.org on or before March 1, 2011.

For more information on IELTS, please visit www.ielts.org/usa.  

IELTS breaks the 1.5 million tests mark - 9 March 2011

IELTS has cemented its position as the world’s most popular high stakes English language test with latest figures revealing a record 1.5 million tests were taken around the world in 2010.

Representing over 15 consecutive years of global growth, the number of tests taken has increased year-on-year annually since 1995.

North America followed by the Philippines and Hong Kong experienced the largest growth over the year, whilst China, Australia and India continue to retain their positions as the largest markets for IELTS.

Tony Pollock, Chief Executive of IDP: IELTS Australia, speaking on behalf of the three IELTS partners said, “We believe the increase in the number of IELTS tests taken can be attributed to two key factors.  Firstly, we have seen greater test accessibility with 800 locations in 130 countries now available.

“There are also over 6,000 institutions globally that rely on the rigour and reliability of the IELTS test to make informed decisions where English language skills are a key requirement, including universities, employers, professional bodies and immigration authorities,” he continued.

IELTS provides a reliable measure of a candidate’s ability across the four skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking.

Candidates cited the number one reason for taking the test in 2010 was in pursuit of entry into an academic institution, followed by migration purposes.

“IELTS continues to help change people’s lives as they look for opportunities around the world – whether that be in education, for migration or employment.  That’s why IELTS is a high stakes test and also why it’s so critical that the test continue to be a robust and rigorous measure of English language proficiency.

“With 1.5 million tests delivered last year, it is clear that the effectiveness of IELTS in this regard is acknowledged by both candidates and those who use and rely on the test alike,” Mr Pollock concluded.

IELTS calls for applications for its research grants

IELTS, the world’s most popular high stakes English language test, is now accepting applications for 2011/2012 Research Grants. Qualified individuals and education institutions can apply for funding to undertake applied research projects in relation to IELTS and English language testing. Selected papers are published in IELTS Research Reports.

IELTS is jointly owned by British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL). British Council and IDP: IELTS Australia contribute up to AUD$36,000 / GBP£22,000 per research project, to a select number of projects each year. A total of approximately AUD$215,000 / GBP£130,000 is made available annually.

Applications must be submitted by 30 June 2011 with research to commence by January 2012.

“Ongoing research has been a hallmark of the continuous development of IELTS since its inception more than 20 years ago,” said Tony Pollock, Chief Executive of IDP: IELTS Australia.

“Research projects undertaken as part of the IELTS joint-funded research program have included subject areas such as applied linguistics, language pedagogy and language assessment,” continued John Gildea, Head of IELTS with the British Council.

“These studies complement internal research and validation projects conducted or commissioned by Cambridge ESOL,” explained Dr Mike Milanovic, Chief Executive of Cambridge ESOL.  “Since 1995, more than 90 external studies by over 130 unique researchers from around the world have received grants under this jointly-funded scheme promoted by the IELTS partners.”

Volumes 1 to 11 of IELTS Research Reports are now available online, free of charge. This page also provides links to other IELTS publications such as Studies in Language Testing and CESOL Research Notes.

For more information about IELTS Research Grants can be found here.

University Grants Committee announces 2010/2011 IELTS results 

Hong Kong (HKSAR) - The following is issued on behalf of the University Grants Committee:

The University Grants Committee (UGC) has announced the results of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) taken by final year students of UGC-funded undergraduate degree programmes under the 2010/11 Common English Proficiency Assessment Scheme (CEPAS).

About 12,400 final year students, or about 68 per cent of all full-time and part-time final year undergraduate students, participated in the 2010/11 round of CEPAS. This represents an increase of about 3 per cent in terms of the number of participants as compared with last year, and is a record high.

The average overall score attained by the students is 6.69 on a nine-point scale. About 84.8 per cent of the students attained a score in the 6-7.5 range, which means they are "competent" or "good" users of the English language in terms of the IELTS scoring system.

Among the four modules of the test, students did better in "reading" and "listening", scoring overall 7.31 and 7.19 respectively. Their average scores in "writing" and "speaking" are 5.99 and 6.04 respectively. Institutions are encouraged to utilise the CEPAS results with regard to their English language enhancement strategies and programmes.

CEPAS is a voluntary assessment scheme intended to encourage students to be more aware of the importance of English proficiency, and to provide a common framework for assessing and documenting graduating students' English proficiency. IELTS has been adopted by the UGC as the main testing tool under CEPAS since 2002/03. Test fees are reimbursed once if students agree to reflect their participation in CEPAS in their transcript. The actual test score however will not be shown.

An overall Band of 6.5 or above with no subtest score below Band 6 obtained in the same sitting in the Academic Module of IELTS within the two-year validity period is accepted as equivalent to a "Level 2" result in the Use of English paper in the Government's Common Recruitment Examination.

Source: HKSAR Government

IELTS welcomes sentencing of offenders - 9 August 2011

The IELTS partners today welcomed the sentencing of four individuals convicted of offences related to conspiring to obtain false IELTS scores at the Curtin English Language Centre (CELC) at Curtin University.

“The sentences handed down in the District Court of Western Australia are clear demonstration of what IELTS has been saying for some time – that any attempt to cheat or commit fraud at an IELTS test will be identified and sanctions will be imposed,” John Belleville, Director of IELTS for IELTS Australia said.

IELTS security systems originally detected the anomalous results at CELC, leading IELTS to brief the findings to Curtin University for immediate attention. The charges followed an extensive investigation supported by IELTS that was led by the Corruption and Crime Commission of Western Australia (CCC) due to the university’s status as a public institution.

“As evidenced in this matter, IELTS has sophisticated security procedures in place to protect legitimate test candidates and the organisations that use IELTS results,” Mr Belleville continued.

Mr Belleville advised that investigations by the CCC into alleged misconduct at Curtin University have concluded. “Importantly, as part of this work, no instances of wrongdoing have been identified at other test centres by either IELTS or the CCC,” he said.

“Given the high stakes involved, IELTS recognises the significant responsibility we have to ensure that organisations are issued with a result that reliably reflects a candidate’s English language proficiency.

“Around the world, we work closely with relevant authorities, including immigration and law enforcement agencies, to prevent, identify and where appropriate prosecute any cheating or fraud attempt in accordance with local jurisdictions.

“IELTS will continue vigorously pursuing instances of alleged cheating or other fraudulent activity to protect the integrity of the IELTS test and the interests of legitimate test candidates,” Mr Belleville concluded.

IELTS Shows Support for International Educators at NAFSA 2011

LOS ANGELES - IELTS is proud to support NAFSA: Association of International Educators as Co-Sponsors of the Teacher Education Colloquium “Challenging Bias and Building World-mindedness in Teacher Education” and Platinum Sponsors of the Annual Conference & Expo in Vancouver, British Columbia, May 31-June 3, 2011.

The Teacher Colloquium is a two-day series of lectures, sessions and discussions that will address best practices in cross-cultural teacher education programs, and develop new strategies to internationalize curriculum and foster the development of teachers with global perspectives. The Colloquium will take place Wednesday, June 1, 12:30-5:00 pm and Thursday, June 2, 7:30 am-12:00 pm, during the NAFSA Annual Conference.

The NAFSA Annual Conference is an opportunity for professionals in international education and exchange, campus leaders, policy experts, industry partners, experienced practitioners, students and international colleagues to participate in more than 250 workshops, sessions, seminars and networking opportunities. NAFSA expects record-breaking attendance of more than 8,000 attendees in Vancouver.

“As NAFSA Global Advisors, we are pleased to support this key annual event, engage with our colleagues in all aspects of international education and learn from the thought leaders in our field,” said Beryl E. Meiron, Executive Director, IELTS International.

This year’s NAFSA Conference will include an IELTS presentation titled “Putting People First: IELTS Quality, Fairness and Service”, which will include an international panel of IELTS representatives discussing ways in which IELTS puts people first while achieving high standards of English language test quality, fairness, and customer service. The discussion will outline fundamentals and current IELTS best practices in research, validity, and reliability studies, and discuss test security measures and updates. The presentation is scheduled Wednesday, June 1 and Thursday, June 2 at 3:45 pm at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

For more information and to speak with international representatives from IELTS offices around the world, visit the IELTS booth #901 at the NAFSA Conference at the Vancouver Convention Centre next week.

Further details about NAFSA can be found at www.nafsa.org.

IELTS warns fraudsters - 31 May 2011

Claims that a small number of IELTS candidates from China are seeking to use imposters to sit their IELTS test in order to obtain their desired result has met with a harsh warning from the IELTS partners.  IELTS warned test candidates that if they attempt to present fraudulent identities to any IELTS test centre, they will be identified and action will be taken, James Shipton, Director of IELTS for China, said today.

Reports surface from time to time of fraudsters from mainland China seeking to make money from students who will pay an imposter.  “Students who pay large sums of money are attracted by exaggerated promises of IELTS results, yet they end up without results and are no more advanced in the process of developing the English language skills to ultimately succeed in a university or workplace where English is used,” James Shipton said.

Most IELTS candidates study hard to improve their English language skills, achieve the best possible result in their IELTS test and then pursue education, immigration or professional accreditation outcomes.

There will always be a small minority of people who seek to attain results that they haven’t earned.  IELTS test centres are on constant alert to identify people presenting a false identity before, during and after the test day.

“Cheating attempts are not widespread. However IELTS vigorously pursues instances of alleged cheating or other fraudulent activity, to protect the integrity of the IELTS test and the interests of legitimate test candidates.

James Shipton warned those students tempted to pay money to someone offering to be an imposter to be very mindful of the consequences of such actions.

“Around the world, IELTS works closely with relevant authorities, including immigration and law enforcement agencies, to prevent, identify and report any fraud attempts. In China, for example, IELTS issues life bans on any candidate identified as attempting to present a fraudulent identity” confirmed James Shipton.

With more than 20 years experience, the IELTS partners continually evolve security systems and procedures in order to ensure that multi-layered protocols address security risk across all test stages.  Given the sensitive nature of these measures, they are not disclosed publicly in detail.

IELTS is the most popular high stakes English language test in the world, recognised by 6,000 organisations in over 135 countries.  In 2010, more than 1.5 million IELTS tests were sat worldwide.