Chinese IELTS (International English Language Testing System) takers can now expect their first tailor-made dictionary, co-published by HarperCollins and New Oriental Educational & Technology Group. IELTS has become China’s most widely taken exam for students studying abroad.

Combining Collins’ tradition in dictionaries and New Oriental’s experience of English training, the dictionary will be a fresh attempt of localizing an ever-increasing demand in China.

Rob Scriven, managing-director of Collins Language Division, said at the press conference Thursday that he hopes it will benefit more Chinese English students, as the two share much in common in helping to improve English learning and test-taking skills.

“They deserve it," he said, adding that the number of Chinese IELTS candidates enjoys two-digit growth each year, exceeding 300,000, among over 1.5 million people in 125 countries.

Pioneering dictionary compiling with advanced theory and technology, Collins owns the Bank of English, the world’s largest English corpus, while New Oriental trains over two million learners each year.

The content is based on statistical analysis to ensure the data retrieved is concrete, simple and effective, going deeply into the weak points of Chinese candidates.

Yu Minhong, Chairman of New Oriental Group, the country’s largest private English education provider from 1993, said he also intended to establish an integrated teaching and exam system from the collaboration. 

“One day our textbooks will be available for Chinese students to have a choice other than New Concept," he added.  

The dictionary will be published in summer 2013, with both printed and electronic editions available about the same time.