Australia ends 10-year IELTS monopoly - The PIE News

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) monopoly of the testing of student visa applicants in Australia ended last month, as the government now accepts scores from a range of other tests for the first time in 10 years. Share this: Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Twitter Email to a friend About Dan Thomas Dan Thomas previously worked as a freelance finance and culture journalist. He has also worked in communications in the international education industry. "These additional English language test options will help to create competition in the English language testing market" Previously, Australia only used the IELTS test (which is co-owned by the British Council, IDP and Cambridge ESOL), to gauge the English language proficiency of student visa applicants from all but 14 countries.







But since last month, test scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), Pearson’s PTE Academic test and the Cambridge English Advanced test have also been accepted, opening the lucrative testing market to competition. “These additional English language test options will help to create competition in the English language testing market, while creating more test places for student visa applicants,” said Chris Bowen, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, last May when the idea was first proposed. “They will also provide candidates with greater choice and enable them to more quickly obtain test results needed for visa applications.”