Two million IELTS tests last year and still growing!

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) reinforces its position as the world’s most popular English proficiency test for higher education and global migration, with a record of two million tests taken around the world in the last 12 months.

The two million test figure represents 11% growth in the number of tests taken in the last 12 months and marks the eighteenth year of consecutive growth in IELTS test number.

The growth in test numbers also reflects the strong growth in the number of organizations turning to IELTS to meet their needs for language proficiency assessment. IELTS is now accepted by more than 8,000 educational institutions, employers, professional associations and governments in 135 countries around the world – including over 3,000 institutions and programs in the USA.

Making the announcement from the IELTS booth at the NAFSA conference in St. Louis, Missouri–Zach Johnson, CEO at IELTS USA said “of the two million tests, the numbers of people taking IELTS to go to the US continues to grow and all of the Top 25 US universities accepting foreign students accept IELTS as proof of English proficiency.”

Globally, the demand for IELTS in countries such as China, India, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Bangladesh has remained high, with students taking the test for entry to educational institutions in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and USA, among many other destinations.

John Gildea, Head of IELTS at the British Council says “the phenomenal growth we’ve seen around the world is testament to the popularity of the test with test takers–and the organizations that trust IELTS scores as an accurate indicator of a person’s ability to communicate in English.”

Rosemary Arnott, Director, British Council Bangladesh commented ‘It is fabulous that British Council Bangladesh has been able to make a really strong contribution to achieving this global figure. The IELTS test is very popular in Bangladesh. This development shows that our Bangladeshi exams candidates have excellent taste and are aiming for the highest global standards. We reach IELTS candidates in Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet and Khulna, offering at least three test dates every month to ensure maximum flexibility for candidates. We ensure the highest possible standards in our exams sittings as well as the latest technology. We provide wireless headphone and send out IELTS results quickly by SMS. In response to demand from our growing number of candidates, we also run IELTS Consultation Programmes (ICP), and
workshops in order to give our Bangladeshi candidates the best possible chance of success in the test’.

IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English Language Assessment.