Visitors consult staff in front of an exhibition booth for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) on May 7 at the China International Education Exhibition Tour 2016 in Beijing. Photo: CFP

 

IELTS China announced the cancelation of all its tests scheduled for March and will process the refund, a move to address concerns of safety and health of all the examinees in the wake of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia, said a statement on Friday. 

This cancelation restates the January 27 announcement to cancel tests scheduled in February. TOEFL, another major foreign university entrance language test, also announced to cancel its tests through the end of February on January 28. Although the cancelation of TOEFL tests scheduled in March in China hasn't been announced yet, it is highly likely to be postponed.

Li Junjie, the vice CEO of New Channel International Education Group Limited, a major language training and overseas study consultancy, told the Global Times on Saturday the cancelation of the language exams will not influence the Chinese students who want to study abroad.

US, Britain, and Australia are the three most popular study-abroad destinations among Chinese students. According to Li, the entrance application timeline for most US universities has concluded in January, so the language test cancelation won't impact the candidates who want to study in the US. Universities in Britain accept the language test results as far as July and students can wait until the test resumption . However, plans of the Chinese candidates aiming for admissions in Australian universities in July may be influenced as they are expected to attain the qualifications by May.

Some overseas universities are mulling an extension of their deadlines to help Chinese students who are influenced by the cancelation complete the due process. According to a letter from the University of Edinburgh, addressed to the Chinese student, the university is considering a flexible deadline if the test centers continue to remain closed.