Written by admin on May 23, 2010 – 6:32 am
Neither of them is going solo any more!
In a move that will add some much needed equity and competition to Australia’s English language testing market, Senator Chris Evans, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship has given in-principle approval for rival tests to IELTS to be used for checks of English proficiency when overseas students or workers seek visas.
“Last month, he wrote to TOEFL and other test providers to tell them of his in-principle support for the acceptance of more than one English language test under the migration regulations”, a department spokesman said.
“There is some more work to be done on the security of tests, and on the equivalence of scores between different tests, before a final decision”.
It is obvious that education broker IDP Australia Pty Ltd, which paid $28.7 million to become sole owner of IELTS Australia Pty Ltd, does not have the resources to cater to the huge demand for English language testing, with applicants reporting extensive waiting periods to sit the test and inequitable scoring between different test sites.
Hopefully, with the introduction of one or more additional test providers, such as TOEFL, with which Senator Evans has been in contact, potential visa applicants will benefit from shorter waiting times and a more equitable assessment process.