IELTS Annual Review 2006 v6

Annual Review 2006

1

IELTS Annual Review 2006

Contents

Overview 2

Highlights for 2006 3

Band score information 7

IELTS research 14

© IELTS 2007

Introduction

2006 was another hugely successful year for IELTS, with entries growing to unprecedented

levels and excellent prospects for further growth over the coming years. At the same time,

recognition of IELTS – especially in the USA – has increased substantially, and IELTS is fast

becoming the test of choice for immigration and higher education in English speaking

countries.

Many factors contribute to the success of IELTS, including the quality of the test and the

outstanding support provided by the network of IELTS centres around the world, but there

are four key characteristics that make IELTS especially appealing to test takers and

recognising organisations alike:

• IELTS is SECURE

• IELTS is GLOBAL

• IELTS is AUTHENTIC

• IELTS CARES

The three IELTS partners – British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and University of Cambridge

ESOL Examinations – strive to maintain these characteristics, while continually enhancing the

usability of the tests, the service to candidates and recognising organisations, and the

information and support available to stakeholders.

This Review looks at some of the most important developments that took place during 2006.

It also presents some detailed statistics on how candidates performed, and the research

programme that backs up every aspect of the IELTS tests. Together, this information points

to a fifth key characteristic that underpins all of the others:

• IELTS is FAIR


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Highlights for 2006

Entries

During 2006, more than 700,000 people took IELTS tests, in around 120 countries throughout

the world. This represents a significant increase in entries from previous years and looks set

to continue over the coming years.

The growing candidature for IELTS means that it is fast becoming the test of choice for

immigration, professional and higher education purposes worldwide.

Massive growth in recognition

2006 has seen continuing growth in the number of universities, colleges, professional bodies

and employers that accept IELTS scores as reliable evidence of relevant English language

skills. By the end of the year, the list of institutions that accept IELTS scores had grown to

close to 4000, with more confirmations every week.

Key employers such as Coca Cola Amatil (Vietnam), Shell Corporation (Netherlands) and

nursing and medical associations use IELTS for English proficiency testing.

Associations such as the ACCA (Association of Certified Charted Accountants) and CPA

(Certified Practicing Accountants) recognised IELTS for their international members, reflecting

a greater awareness of the need for proficient English language skills in modern business

communication.

In the United Kingdom, the Nursing and Midwifery Council now requires all nurses who

qualified outside the European Union to achieve specified IELTS scores before they can apply

for registration. Following extensive consultation, carried out with the support of the IELTS

partners, the NMC has announced that this requirement will be extended to include midwives

in 2007.

Potential candidates and their tutors can get an immediate

picture of where an IELTS score can take them by logging

onto the Global Recognition System on the IELTS website –

a database of score requirements worldwide.

Significantly, the United States Citizenship and Immigration

Services (USCIS) also posted IELTS as one of the accepted

tests for health care workers applying for green cards in

the USA.

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4

USA says ‘yes’ to IELTS

The United States of America is one of the key destinations for students wishing to study

outside their countries and regions of origin, and IELTS is increasingly recognised by

universities and schools throughout the country.

IELTS International, the IELTS partners’ representative in the USA, has been working closely

with educators and professional bodies to encourage institutions to accept IELTS. Around

1000 US universities, schools and faculties now accept IELTS scores, including almost all Ivy

League schools and a majority of other top institutions.

Simplifying access to IELTS tests

From May 2006, the rule that prevented candidates from re-taking IELTS within 90 days was

removed, and candidates can now repeat the test as often as they wish.

IELTS is now used by a very wide range of organisations across the world and many of them

require candidates to demonstrate adequate performance overall, as well as by individual

skill. It is possible for candidates to attain their required overall band score but fail to achieve

a specific module score in a particular skill area. 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

within a short timeframe. In consideration of this, the decision was made to remove the re-

take restrictions.

This change of policy makes booking and sitting a test easier for some candidates, but it is

important to remember that IELTS scores are not substantially improved merely by taking the

test on multiple occasions. Studies carried out under the IELTS funded research programme

demonstrate that scores are unlikely to improve dramatically without extensive English

language tuition in the interim.

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Enhanced service for institutions accepting IELTS scores

Over the last three years, many of the organisations that recognise IELTS have come to rely

on the online TRF verification service, which enables them to confirm the authenticity of

scores presented to them by applicants. In 2006, this service was enhanced by a new

electronic bulk download facility which allows them to download IELTS results for all IELTS

candidates who want the organisation to recognise their result.

Candidates registering for IELTS can specify up to five organisations to whom their IELTS test

scores should be sent. This information is recorded by the centre in their local administration

systems and subsequently uploaded to the central IELTS processing systems and websites.

Users from organisations which have registered for the electronic download facility can log

onto the existing IELTS TRF verification service and navigate to a new section from which the

scores can be downloaded in a variety of formats. This service is provided free of charge.

New look and feel

In June 2006, the IELTS partners introduced a new look and feel for IELTS, designed to make

our communications fresher and more appealing, and to make the benefits of the IELTS tests

clearer to candidates, tutors and the many institutions that use IELTS scores.

The new identity is built around a new logo and a motif based on overlapping coloured circles

carrying key messages about what makes IELTS special. It has been applied to all IELTS

publications and to the new-look website www.IELTS.org, and has attracted very positive

feedback from stakeholders, candidates and staff.

In order to support centres in communicating more effectively with their customers, a new

online service provides IELTS administrators with templates, draft texts and other resources

for use in their own publications.


6

Customer support

The IELTS partners are committed to providing the best possible level of support for

candidates, tutors, administrators, recognising organisations and other stakeholders.

As part of this commitment, we provide a wide range of information in print, on the IELTS

website and in the online IELTS Teaching Resources. During 2006, the IELTS partners

introduced a new range of information leaflets, FAQ sheets and other documents which are

available through IELTS centres worldwide.

Two other key publications were also issued in 2006:

‘Ensuring quality and fairness in international language testing’

– a booklet designed for staff in educational institutions, government

and commercial organisations and for language teachers, describing

some of the main features of IELTS and how these contribute to

language assessment that is reliable, fair and relevant.

IELTS Scores Explained – a DVD aimed at organisations that wish to set

appropriate standards of language proficiency for entry to academic

courses, employment and migration, and for course designers, teachers,

candidates and anyone else who needs to understand what IELTS scores

actually mean in terms of English language ability.

Research and publishing

IELTS is backed by an extensive programme of academic and practical research covering all

aspects of the test and its delivery, and this research is regularly reported in publications

produced by the IELTS partners and in independent journals. A summary of the research

carried out in 2006 and key publications produced during the year is given on page 16.


7

Band Score information –

how the candidates performedIELTS is assessed on a nine-band scale and reports scores both overall and by individual

skill. Overall band scores for Academic and General Training candidates in 2006 are shown

here together with scores for the individual skills, according to a variety of classifications.

These figures are in line with statistics for previous years, and support claims that IELTS is fair

to all candidates regardless of their gender, place of origin and first language.

NB: for Place of Origin and First Language the tables show the top twenty places and

languages, listed alphabetically, not in order of the size of the candidature.

Academic and General Training

General Training candidates achieved higher scores in Listening and Speaking relative to

their performance in Reading and Writing. On average, mean scores for Academic

candidates showed less variation across the skills, but the Writing module was the most

challenging.

Almost four-fifths of candidates took the Academic Reading and Writing modules with just

over a fifth taking the General Training Reading and Writing modules. Both Academic and

General Training candidates take the same Listening and Speaking modules. This is in line

with previous years.

The following table shows the percentage split between the Academic and General Training

candidature in 2006.

2006

Academic 74.4%

General Training 23.6%

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Gender

The following table shows the percentage of male and female candidates taking IELTS

in 2006.

2006 Female Male

Overall Female 48.3% Male 51.7%

Academic Female 51.3% Male 48.7%

General Training Female 38.5% Male 61.5%

Mean band scores for female candidates

Listening Reading Writing Speaking OVERALL

Academic 6.11 6.04 5.73 6.11 6.06

General Training 6.02 5.70 5.83 6.15 5.99

Mean band scores for male candidates

Listening Reading Writing Speaking OVERALL

Academic 5.98 5.90 5.55 5.89 5.89

General Training 5.96 5.66 5.70 6.13 5.93


9

Reason for taking IELTSThe following table shows how candidates performed according to the reason for taking

the test, according to the information which they gave on their registration forms.

Below 4 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9

For higher education 1 2 7 15 21 21 15 9 5 3 1 0extended course

For other education 1 2 7 14 21 22 15 10 5 2 1 0purposes

For registration as 0 1 2 6 17 28 24 13 6 2 1 0a nurse

For employment 0 0 2 7 18 29 24 13 5 2 0 0

For immigration 0 1 2 5 14 25 2 3 15 8 5 2 0

Below 4 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9

For higher education 5 8 15 20 18 15 10 5 3 1 0 0extended course

For other education 4 8 14 19 19 16 11 6 2 1 0 0purposes

For personal reasons 2 4 8 16 20 20 16 9 3 2 0 0

For employment 4 6 13 18 18 6 12 7 4 2 0 0

For immigration 1 3 6 12 17 20 17 12 7 4 1 0


10

Place of originThese figures show the mean overall and individual Band Scores achieved by Academic and

General Training candidates according to their place of origin.

Mean band score by places of origin (Academic)

Listening Reading Writing Speaking Overall

Bangladesh 5.58 5.38 5.38 5.62 5.55

China 5.47 5.80 5.23 5.39 5.53

Germany 7.44 7.23 6.75 7.26 7.23

Hong Kong 6.70 6.75 5.91 6.06 6.42

India 6.30 5.82 5.79 6.10 6.07

Indonesia 6.10 6.27 5.43 5.83 5.97

Iran 6.04 5.96 5.81 6.31 6.09

Japan 5.87 5.86 5.33 5.80 5.78

Korea 5.87 5.87 5.36 5.72 5.77

Malaysia 6.93 6.85 6.13 6.41 6.64

Nepal 6.34 5.79 5.71 5.88 5.99

Nigeria 5.65 5.84 6.22 6.93 6.22

Pakistan 5.83 5.58 5.49 5.86 5.75

Philippines 6.68 6.27 6.18 6.74 6.53

Russia 6.49 6.48 5.98 6.68 6.47

Sri Lanka 6.27 5.97 5.93 6.39 6.21

Taiwan 5.52 5.81 5.23 5.66 5.62

Thailand 5.82 5.89 5.28 5.70 5.74

United Arab 4.99 5.10 4.86 5.43 5.16Emirates

Vietnam 5.59 6.01 5.56 5.70 5.78


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Mean band score by places of origin (General Training)

Listening Reading Writing Speaking Overall

Bangladesh 5.78 5.30 5.63 6.14 5.77

China 5.82 5.85 5.61 5.77 5.83

Egypt 5.90 5.67 5.73 6.23 5.95

Germany 6.65 6.41 6.33 6.88 6.63

Hong Kong 6.23 6.14 5.76 6.05 6.11

India 6.17 5.54 5.83 6.20 6.00

Indonesia 6.61 6.34 5.95 6.38 6.38

Iran 5.42 5.19 5.54 5.82 5.56

Japan 5.66 5.48 5.24 5.76 5.59

Korea 5.39 5.29 5.03 5.31 5.31

Malaysia 7.08 6.74 6.54 6.98 6.90

Pakistan 5.83 5.38 5.79 6.26 5.88

Philippines 6.27 5.69 6.08 6.43 6.18

Russia 5.80 5.93 5.76 6.13 5.96

Singapore 7.22 6.74 6.58 7.24 7.01

South Africa 7.20 6.71 7.19 8.16 7.38

Sri Lanka 5.77 5.39 5.69 6.14 5.81

Taiwan 5.61 5.60 5.47 5.93 5.72

Thailand 5.42 5.30 5.14 5.59 5.42

United Arab 4.64 4.07 4.58 5.39 4.73

Emirates


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First languageThese figures show the mean overall and individual Band Scores achieved by Academic and

General Training candidates from the top 20 first language backgrounds.

Mean band score by first language (Academic)

FIRST LANGUAGE Listening Reading Writing Speaking Overall

Arabic 5.53 5.52 5.23 5.93 5.62

Bengali 5.68 5.46 5.45 5.70 5.63

Chinese 5.66 5.95 5.33 5.51 5.67

Farsi 6.04 5.96 5.81 6.31 6.09

German 7.45 7.25 6.75 7.27 7.24

Gujarati 5.99 5.56 5.52 5.73 5.76

Hindi 6.64 6.08 6.00 6.39 6.34

Indonesian 6.09 6.27 5.43 5.83 5.97

Japanese 5.87 5.86 5.33 5.80 5.78

Korean 5.87 5.87 5.36 5.72 5.77

Malayalam 6.23 5.82 5.85 6.14 6.07

Nepali 6.35 5.79 5.72 5.89 5.99

Punjabi 5.93 5.52 5.47 5.71 5.72

Spanish 6.44 6.68 5.96 6.65 6.49

Tagalog 6.68 6.27 6.18 6.74 6.53

Tamil 6.44 5.97 5.89 6.32 6.22

Telugu 6.33 5.75 5.75 6.05 6.03

Thai 5.82 5.89 5.27 5.69 5.73

Urdu 5.93 5.61 5.52 5.90 5.81

Vietnamese 5.59 6.01 5.56 5.70 5.78


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Mean band score by first language (General Training)

FIRST LANGUAGE Listening Reading Writing Speaking Overall

Arabic 5.44 5.10 5.30 6.00 5.52

Bengali 5.86 5.38 5.69 6.21 5.85

Chinese 5.89 5.89 5.65 5.84 5.88

Farsi 5.42 5.20 5.55 5.82 5.56

German 6.56 6.24 6.16 6.77 6.49

Gujarati 5.88 5.23 5.55 5.84 5.69

Hindi 6.49 5.87 6.09 6.61 6.33

Indonesian 6.60 6.34 5.94 6.37 6.38

Japanese 5.66 5.48 5.24 5.76 5.59

Korean 5.39 5.28 5.03 5.30 5.31

Malayalam 6.18 5.69 5.97 6.23 6.08

Punjabi 5.86 5.20 5.60 5.86 5.70

Russian 5.80 5.88 5.77 6.13 5.96

Singhalese 5.74 5.36 5.68 6.12 5.79

Spanish 5.89 6.14 5.85 6.39 6.13

Tagalog 6.26 5.68 6.07 6.41 6.17

Tamil 5.91 5.46 5.56 5.99 5.79

Telugu 6.42 5.71 5.89 6.40 6.17

Thai 5.42 5.30 5.14 5.59 5.42

Urdu 5.95 5.45 5.83 6.32 5.95

IELTS research

IELTS is backed by a long-term research programme, as well as extensive ongoing monitoring

to ensure the fairness of the tests.

All IELTS research activities are co-ordinated as part of a comprehensive and coherent

framework for research and validation of the test. A major component of this framework is the

IELTS Joint-funded Research Program which is sponsored jointly by British Council and IELTS

Australia with support from University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations.

The following projects were awarded grant funding in 2006.

Round 12 2006

John Read, Rosemary Wette, The University of

Auckland, New Zealand

Peter Mickan, The University of Adelaide, Australia

Roger Hawkey, Cyril Weir; The University of

Bedfordshire, UK

Richard Badger, Oscar Yan; The University of Leeds,

UK

David Hyatt, Greg Brooks, The University of

Sheffield, UK

Katherine Golder, Kenneth Reeder and Sarah

Fleming, The British Columbia Institute of

Technology, Canada

Assessing the English proficiency of medical

professionals using IELTS and other means

Learners’ experiences preparing for the IELTS

examinations

The cognitive processes underlying the academic

reading construct as measured by IELTS

The use of tactics and strategies by Chinese

students in the listening component of IELTS

Investigating stakeholders’ perceptions of IELTS as

an entry requirement for higher education in the UK

Determination of the appropriate IELTS band score

for the admission into a program at a post-

secondary polytechnic institution

Cambridge ESOL conducted research activities in the following areas during 2006:

• Work towards mapping IELTS to the Common European Framework of Reference

for Languages for the UK Qualifications and Curriculum Authority

• Ongoing entry of IELTS scripts into Cambridge Learner Corpus

• Work on marking policy proposals including options for Digital Audio


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15

Published researchTwo major publications in 2006 cover academic research in relation to IELTS:

IELTS Research Reports Volume 6

Volume 6 of the series IELTS Research Reports includes reports of research

conducted under the IELTS joint-funded research program, sponsored by IDP:

IELTS Australia and the British Council.

Papers 1, 2, 3 and 7 were funded by IDP: IELTS Australia and Papers 4, 5, and 6

were funded by the British Council.

• Paper 1: An investigation of the effectiveness and validity of planning time in

Part 2 of the IELTS Speaking Test

• Paper 2: An examination of the rating process in the revised IELTS Speaking Test

• Paper 3: Candidate discourse in the revised IELTS Speaking Test

• Paper 4: The impact on candidate language of examiner deviation from a set

interlocutor frame in the IELTS Speaking Test

• Paper 5: Exploring difficulty in Speaking tasks: an intra-task perspective

• Paper 6: The interactional organisation of the IELTS Speaking Test

• Paper 7: An investigation of the lexical dimension of the IELTS Speaking Test

Information on how to order IELTS Research Reports is available from www.IELTS.org

Impact Theory and Practice: Studies of the IELTS test and

Progetto Lingue 2000

by Roger Hawkey (2006)

Volume 22 in the series Studies in Language Testing describes two recent case

studies to investigate test impact in specific educational contexts: one analyses the

impact of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), while the

second focuses on a major national language teaching reform programme introduced

by the Ministry of Education in Italy. With its combination of theoretical overview and

practical advice, this volume is a useful manual on how to conduct impact studies and

will be of particular interest to language test researchers and students of language

testing. It will also be relevant to those who are concerned with the process of

curriculum and examination reform.

Studies in Language Testing is published jointly by University of Cambridge ESOL

Examinations and Cambridge University Press.


16

IELTS Master’s Award winner

Each year the IELTS partners sponsor an award of £1000 for the Master’s

level dissertation which makes the most significant contribution to the field

of language testing.

The winner of the IELTS Masters Award 2006 is Youn-Hee Kim from McGill

University, Montreal Canada, for a thesis entitled: ‘An investigation into

variability of tasks and teacher-judges in second language oral

performance assessment’

The winner of the 2005 Award was Fumiyo Nakatsuhara

(University of Essex, UK). Fumiyo received her award at the

28th Annual Language Testing Research Colloquium (LTRC) in

July 2006 at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

© IELTS 2007

EMC/4426/7Y09 © UCLES 2007

University of Cambridge

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www.ielts.org

IELTS Annual Review 2006 v6

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