Starting from October 10, the IELTS test was temporarily canceled for four consecutive days, involving all-subject exams and single-subject retakes, affecting candidates in many places. Yesterday (13th) afternoon, the organizer, the British Council, released follow-up arrangements and announced that it would add free special examinations.
For candidates who are preparing to study abroad, IELTS scores are an unavoidable part of the application materials. It is now an intensive period for overseas college applications, and many schools are about to close the deadline for collecting scores. Once the exam is stopped, it is not just an exam that is stuck, it may also be a school or an opportunity. In the past few days, the mood of the candidates can be said to be suffering. Some are worried about the subsequent examination seats, and some are worried about the progress of the application. Everyone is paying close attention to the follow-up remedial measures.
Now, the plan is in place, but has the stone in the hearts of the candidates really fallen into place? Can this official solution truly respond to the needs of candidates and solve their urgent needs?
The IELTS test, which has been suspended for four consecutive days, saw a turn for the better yesterday (13th) afternoon. The organizer, British Council BC IELTS, issued an announcement on its website that the exam will be fully resumed from today, and explained the follow-up arrangements for the temporary cancellation of the exam. Some candidates expressed satisfaction with the solution proposed by the official, saying that not only would they be able to retake the exam for free, but they would also be reimbursed for travel and accommodation expenses; some candidates said that the solution was more complicated and they did not know how to apply for subsequent free special exams.
Shanghai candidate Dan's IELTS test on the 10th was temporarily canceled. Because the deadline for submitting language scores when applying to colleges was approaching, she re-applied for the exam on the 21st. After learning about the official IELTS handling measures, she believed that this was the obligation of the test organizers. After logging into her personal account on the registration website, she found that the registration fee for her exam had been refunded in full.
But students: Because of the inconvenience caused by IELTS official technical reasons, they should indeed have some compensation. This is what they should do. I registered for the test on the 21st. After registration, my account balance should be 0, but now there is an official IELTS test fee on the account, so the money has indeed been refunded. As for the special performances on the 19th and 20th, if they are close to my home, I may participate; if they are far away, I will not participate.
For candidates in all subjects affected by the IELTS suspension crisis, the British Council has added two free special exams on the 19th and 20th for candidates to choose from. Like Mr. Dan, candidates who have already registered for other IELTS exams on their own, the association’s plan is to retain their qualifications and refund the exam fee in full, or they can choose to transfer to a special exam for free. Candidates who have not yet registered for other exams will be issued a free exam coupon. They can choose either a special exam or other exams before the end of December.
For candidates whose IELTS single subject retake is temporarily canceled, the association also adopts a "free retake" compensation plan. However, due to the strict 60-day time limit for taking a single subject retake, many candidates who had previously pressed the deadline to register have now missed the retake deadline. Jiangsu candidate Zhao believes that this is an obvious flaw in this processing plan.
Student Zhao: Today’s compensation attitude is generally good, but there is a special situation for candidates like me. Our single-subject retake exam was registered with the deadline stuck. It temporarily canceled the exam. The previous time limit for the general exam has expired, so we have no way to re-take the single-subject exam. Even if you give us a free exam coupon, we won’t be able to use it. I think for candidates like us, there is still a loophole in compensation, which does not fully cover our losses.
Zhao decided to lodge his appeal through the official service email, hoping to fight for the rights of candidates whose retakes were overdue due to the suspension of exams.
Student Zhao: I am writing an email today, and I think there are two options. The first one is that we can apply for an extension individually. Our 60-day period is best extended by about 15 to 20 days; then we can directly retake a single subject, or we can use the free exam coupons it provides. The second option is to compensate us with a free exam coupon for a general re-examination. If it is not willing to compensate because there is a difference in the fee, can it reduce some of the fee for us? Overall I hope there will be a wider coverage of compensation for us.
IELTS exams have been canceled one after another, and inquiries for help from study abroad institutions have also increased in recent days. You Yang, a teacher at a study abroad institution in Beijing, told Voice of China that the overall impact of the cancellation of IELTS on candidates is multi-faceted. On the one hand, candidates who have not yet taken the exam are faced with the dilemma of being unable to get a seat for subsequent exams; on the other hand, candidates who took the exam on October 9, the day before the exam was suspended, reported that they were suspected of being affected by the suspension and delayed their scores, which directly affected the progress of subsequent school applications.
Youyang: I am responsible for Hong Kong and New Zealand's applications. Whether it is a master's or undergraduate application in Hong Kong, the principle is to come early, get early. If you submit your application too late, it may be more difficult later. The cancellation of IELTS this time may have a certain drag on many students who applied. There is another question. I recently discovered that one of my students has not received his score. He took the test on the 9th. Normally, his score will be released in three days. He still took the test on a computer. When I checked his score in the morning (13th), it was still waiting to be announced.
From a legal perspective, how do you view this public response from the British Council? Sun Lin, a member of the two-level foreign-related lawyer talent pool in Guangdong Province and Shenzhen City, believes that the official response has been positive and relatively comprehensive, but there is still room for consideration. The plan proposes reimbursement of related expenses for candidates from other places, but it does not fully cover the different levels of losses. In particular, the actual costs of transportation, accommodation, etc. incurred by local candidates due to exam cancellation are ignored. The plan proposes to provide situation explanations and assist candidates in applying to overseas institutions, which is not a substantial remedial measure.
Sun Lin: If you look carefully, you will find that it clearly talks about candidates from other places. It ignores the problems of local candidates who may have transportation to and from the test site and book hotels around the test site. The official said that it can issue a similar situation statement and provide it to overseas universities or embassies and consulates. But as a legal professional, it is not actually substantive compensation. It can be understood as a kind of cooperation measure after a problem occurs, and it is an incidental cooperation obligation after a breach of contract. It’s really hard to say whether schools will buy it.
In this response from the British Council, there has never been a detailed explanation or reasonable explanation of the reasons for the suspension. "Technical reasons" have previously triggered multiple rounds of speculation and confusion among the public about the suspension of exams. Fan Xiudi, director of the Education Policy Research Center of Tongji University, analyzed that the decision to unilaterally cancel exams due to technical reasons is not tenable.
Fan Xiudi: Because this is a long-term cooperation, there must be a cooperation agreement, and this actually involves the interests of both the school and the students. If it is just a technical reason, there must be an alternative under normal circumstances, and it cannot be completely impossible. There is a problem of "how to judge the interests of Chinese candidates". It is necessary to notify in advance and quickly add exams, and an alternative plan should be issued.
Fan Xiudi further stated that this incident reminds candidates, relevant institutions and competent authorities to make daily preparations, strengthen communication, and enhance their awareness of safeguarding their own rights and interests.
Fan Xiudi: Today's Chinese students have actually integrated into the general trend of globalization. Our learning, growth, and development are also carried out under the global operating system. Therefore, our students, school teachers, or education authorities must also have a sense of rights in this regard, and do not wait for things to come out and rush to deal with them. Perhaps in the future, we need to look at our education and our talent growth issues more from a global perspective.
Producer丨Liu Li Li Xingjian
Reporters丨Sun Xin Jiang Xiaochen Han Xueying
