IELTS rules relaxed
R. RAVIKANTH REDDY
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Candidates who do not make it will not have to wait 90 days to take the test again. They can repeat the very next test in the schedule.
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Photo: p. v. sivakumar
EASY DOES IT: Candidates who wish to take the IELTS can take the test repeatedly without any restrictions hereafter.
Here's good news for students taking the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
From May 1, 2006 the restriction on re-taking IELTS within 90 days will be removed and candidates will be able to repeat the test whenever they wish.
The IELTS scores not only decide the fate of admission in universities in Australia and Europe but also influence the all-important financial aid.
According to changes brought in recently, the policy on candidates re-taking IELTS will be amended from May 1, 2006. The proposed changes will allow the candidates to repeat the next available test, regardless of the date of their previous test, a media release put up on the IELTS website said.
Till April
However, the current restriction on repeating the test within 90 days at any centre will remain for all candidates until the end of April 2006. It is possible for candidates to attain an overall band score but fail to achieve a specific module score in a particular skill area. As a result they are required to re-take the test but at present have to wait 90 days and this can result in hardship and distress.
No significant gains
It is in the nature of tests that scores on individual components may vary to some extent from occasion to occasion and a candidate may be able to make limited improvements in their performance when repeating the test. "In consideration of this, the decision was made to remove the re-take restrictions," the release explained.
It is, however, made clear that IELTS scores are not substantially improved merely by taking the test on multiple occasions.
To significantly improve a score, it is necessary to engage in further study of a serious nature. Gain score studies carried out under the IELTS funded research programme indicate that scores are unlikely to improve dramatically without extensive English language tuition in the interim.
Candidates will still be asked to indicate on their application form whether they have taken the test before.
This information will appear on the Test Report Form and will only be used for monitoring purposes.
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