IELTS will officially celebrate its 35th anniversary with a series of ‘birthday’ activities at a major higher education conference in Toulouse, France. The team behind the test is inviting universities and other delegates at this year’s EAIE to come and share their stories and experiences of using IELTS for admissions purposes over the last 35 years.
IELTS sets people up for success
Since the late 1980s, the international English test has helped tens of millions of test takers prove their English language ability. Reflecting on the milestone, an expert from Cambridge says the benefits are far-reaching with over 4 million tests taken in 2023 and more than 12,500 organisations now recognising the test.
Speaking in the run-up to September’s EAIE, Pamela Baxter, Managing Director for IELTS at Cambridge University Press & Assessment, said that the test is a true success story of growth and opportunity. She commented:
"IELTS has helped a huge number of universities across Europe, North America, and around the world to find applicants who have the right English language skills to thrive. Our research shows that IELTS sets students up for academic success because it covers the English skills that students need to have a positive experience of higher education.
"We’re so pleased we’ve been able to support millions of test takers to prove their English and access new adventures and opportunities."
We are the standard for a reason
Since 1989, IELTS has gone from strength to strength and has empowered people all over the world to access their dreams to live, work, or study abroad.
The tests have been taken over 30 million times since IELTS was founded. Figures also show that every week an average of 60,000 people choose IELTS. Test takers representing over 140 languages in addition to English took their tests in more than 100 countries worldwide.
Recent innovations include IELTS One Skill Retake which allows test takers to reattempt one of the four skills from each complete IELTS test: Listening, Reading, Writing, or Speaking. IELTS is the only major test providing test takers with the ability to take one section of the test again, if required, and update their overall test result.
Join the celebrations at EAIE
As part of the 35th anniversary celebrations, experts from Cambridge University Press & Assessment and the British Council will take part in roundtable discussions at EAIE on GenAI and fraud detection.
Ethical intelligence: Discussing the ethical use of Generative AI in higher education
18 September | 13:30–14:30 | MEETT Room 14, Level 0| Roundtable session
Presenters:
- Carla Pastorino-Campos, Cambridge University Press & Assessment;
- Hans van Hemert, Utrecht University;
- Gillian Simmons, The University of Edinburgh
Paths to discovery: What is your institutional response plan for averting and alleviating fraud?
20 September | 09:00–10:00 | MEETT Room 6, Level 1 | Roundtable session
Presenters:
- Stephen Carey, British Council;
- Marybeth Gruenewald, Educational Credential Evaluators;
- Stephanie Lie Sam Foek, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Pamela Baxter said:
"IELTS has both a rich history and is always looking to the future. Through our research we’re looking at the big questions, such as the impact of GenAI, and how we continue to remain the first choice for our customers.
"We are deeply committed to continued improvement to our products and services. We continue to work closely with organisations and institutions, helping them to use IELTS scores effectively in their decision-making processes."
At this year’s EAIE, ‘birthday’ activities include a prize draw, a joint party with Cambridge English, and a birthday-themed celebration on the stand.
Come and see us at stand C01 and follow us on LinkedIn for the latest updates.
