Immigrating to the UK, IELTS has become the stepping stone: For those studying in English-speaking countries, many applicants are familiar with an international examination known as IELTS (an abbreviation for the International English Language Testing System). "IELTS" is the nickname given to it by Chinese candidates. IELTS has always been the top choice for studying in the UK; it is not only recognized by 100% of UK institutions but is also the preferred choice for prestigious British universities to assess an applicant's language proficiency. In the United States, more than 3,000 institutions recognize IELTS, including all Ivy League schools. Increasingly, more institutions globally are adopting IELTS scores as one of the language requirements for degree applications.
Between 2012 and 2013, the number of annual global IELTS test-takers exceeded two million. The number of candidates in mainland China continued to maintain double-digit growth. However, this examination, developed by the British Council in the 1980s, did not initially receive much attention, with only 4,000 people taking the test in 1981. Liu Huan, an examination market officer at the Cultural and Education Section of the British Consulate-General in Chongqing, shared the little-known development history of IELTS with reporters.
Only 4,000 people took the test in the 1980s
“IELTS” is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia, and Cambridge Assessment English. It is an international English proficiency test used to assess the comprehensive English language skills of candidates. As the most well-known English language testing system today, it underwent a little-known developmental journey in its early years.
From an initial 4,000 candidates in 1981 to 10,000 in 1985, the market did not seem to embrace this new testing system, which was considered too long and involved complex administrative work.
43,000 annual candidates in 1995
To change this situation, the British Council and Cambridge Assessment English commissioned the University of Edinburgh in 1987 to conduct a validity study of the ELTS. Based on this, a project team led by Professor Charles Alderson from Lancaster University was established to carry out a comprehensive revision. At this time, IDP: IELTS Australia joined the project with great foresight, forming a close tripartite partnership with the British Council and Cambridge Assessment English, and appointed Professor David Ingram from Griffith University to participate in the test development. The research and development team subsequently proposed simplifying the test modules and shortening the duration, reducing the original 6 modules to 3, and renaming the non-academic test as the General Training test. In 1989, a brand-new examination —— IELTS, was born.
Early IELTS tests carried a strong influence of the ELTS. For example, every candidate had to take non-specialized listening and speaking tests, but still had to choose their reading and writing test modules from three professional fields: Physical Sciences and Technology, Life Sciences and Medicine, and Business and Humanities. Following these changes, the market response was enthusiastic, and the number of IELTS candidates began to grow at an annual rate of 15%. By 1995, 43,000 people were taking this young and dynamic test annually across 210 test centers worldwide.
