By IANS
Chennai : An international English test attracted over 938,000 candidates world over in 2007, the British Council said here Thursday.
British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations and is active in 109 countries, including India.
“Entries for IELTS – the International English Testing System – have almost doubled in the last three years, driven by university entrance requirements, new immigration policies and professional recognition throughout the English-speaking world,” British Council said.
Educators in Britain and Australia conduct the test.
IELTS is recognised by educational institutions, employers, organisations and government agencies in over 68 countries, and is now used by over 6,000 organisations worldwide, with recognition in the US now topping 1,300 institutions.
“The feedback we get from universities and government agencies around the world is that IELTS is a particularly good test of how well a person knows English,” Beryl Meiron, executive director of IELTS International in the US said on the occasion.
“It gives a thorough picture of people’s skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing, in a way that’s relevant to how the language is actually used for work and study.
“This means that organisations can rely on IELTS scores when selecting candidates for courses or ensuring that potential immigrants have the language skills they need in order to succeed.”
IELTS tests are available up to 48 times a year at authorised test centres. In India, the British Council is one of the partner organisations that administer the IELTS test.