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 percent growth in the number of tests taken in the last 12 months and marks the eighteenth year of consecutive growth in IELTS test numbers. The growth in test numbers also reflects the strong growth in the number of organisations 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 US.
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, Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Turkey 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.
Peter Upton, Country Director British Council, Pakistan says, " IELTS is more than just a test -simply by the numbers of people taking it more than 2 million - its geographical spread and its partners, IELTS is helping to shape the future of a new more mobile generation. IELTS act as gateway to opportunity, to new partnerships and to meeting the aspirations of a networked generation. Two million IELTS is more than a just a number; it is a milestone for opportunity for all." IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English Language Assessment.-PR