This week, Sujata Stead, Ielts’ Global Marketing Manager, writes,

“I sometimes get asked, “Why should agents care about Ielts?” Of course, there are many English language tests out there, and students coming to you may have their own ideas about what they need to do to get into their chosen educational course. There are plenty of reasons it’s worth you finding out more about the features of Ielts that can help you in your daily work.

For example, you may be interested to know that more than one million candidates took the Ielts test this year – a significant milestone for us as we continue to lead the field of English language testing. These candidates take the tests in more than 120 countries, with most of them taking it for higher education purposes. We are delighted that Ielts – often through the recommendation of you and your colleagues – was able to play a crucial part in their pathway to higher education.

We know that the Ielts band scoring system can sometimes seem difficult to understand, but it’s really not as complicated as you might think! Our exciting Ielts Band Scores Explained DVD has been specifically designed to ensure that institutions, agents, teachers and others who need to give expert advice on Ielts understand the band scoring system. This is crucial to ensuring that students know what’s expected of them and are equipped with the right level of English to be able to study and make the most of their chosen destination. For your own personal copy visit the Ielts website www.ielts.org.

With all these extra candidates taking the test there’s a lot more work for us to do! As the summer is fading fast, the focus now is on gearing up for the busy exhibition season and building on these successes for continued growth.”