IELTS celebrates 20 years

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) celebrates its proud history of certifying English language skills for two decades

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is proud to celebrate its twentieth anniversary in 2009, marking its unprecedented international growth and success in setting the standard of English language proficiency for Higher Education and migration. Since IELTS was introduced in 1989, it has developed into a global leader, with annual candidate numbers rising to well over one million in 2008, and accepted by over 6,000 organisations worldwide.

Carl Rhymer, Head of IELTS at The British Council says: "IELTS is proud of its rich heritage as the leading English language test and we are committed to building on our vast experience, to continue to develop IELTS and ensure it remains a secure and reliable indicator of English language ability that meets the demands of the modern student."

Speaking of IELTS' phenomenal growth over the last twenty years, Dr Michael Milanovic, Chief Executive of Cambridge ESOL said: "Over the last two decades IELTS has become the leading and most widely accepted international English language test in the world. Whether for work or study, millions of ambitious candidates have benefited from the life-changing opportunities that IELTS enables".

"Our success has been driven by a continual focus on strong, expert-led research and innovation, along with a commitment to test language ability in a practical, real and relevant way. IELTS is uniquely fit for purpose, as it covers all of the key skills - speaking, writing, reading and listening abilities.

Indeed our face-to-face speaking test is the only true-to-life oral test available. Ultimately, IELTS is not just about giving students a certificate, but proving that they have the language skills needed to get the most from learning and working in another country."

Well over 17,000 candidate sat IELTS in Sri Lanka during 2008 and in the main they performed well - the average score for Sri Lankan candidates was 6.14 for the Academic module (which assesses whether a candidate is ready to study or train in English at an undergraduate or postgraduate level) and 6.04 for the General Training module.

With over 6,000 organisations worldwide accepting IELTS scores, it is opening doors for candidates throughout the English-speaking world and beyond. IELTS' globalisation has been powered by its extensive network of excellent test centres - it is available up to four times a month in over 125 countries.

Truly global and cosmopolitan in nature, IELTS is developed by an international team of writers.

The test content is internationally focused, thanks to our network of test materials writers in North America, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. All the standard varieties of English are accepted in candidates' responses.