IELTS Photo: VCG

The British Council (BC), which administers IELTS tests, announced in a statement on Tuesday that it would arrange two additional days of free test sessions in the Chinese mainland for affected candidates after computer-delivered IELTS exams scheduled for Saturday and Sunday were canceled due to technical issues.

The council apologized for the inconvenience, saying the affected sessions had been canceled to safeguard the fairness, integrity and credibility of the exams, and that it has issued full refunds to all affected candidates, according to a statement sent to the Global Times. 

The cancellation of all IELTS test sessions across China for four consecutive days starting on Saturday has disrupted overseas application plans for students in the middle of the admissions season, the China Media Group reported on Tuesday.

The organizer will fully resume IELTS testing starting Wednesday, and arrange two additional days of free test sessions on October 19 and 20 for affected candidates. Candidates who traveled from other cities to take the affected exams may apply for reimbursement of reasonable travel and accommodation expenses incurred for the trip, with details on how to apply to be sent to eligible candidates by email, said the statement. 

In the Chinese mainland, IELTS exams are jointly administered by the BC and the National Education Examinations Authority (NEEA) under the Ministry of Education, with test sites in more than 40 cities nationwide, according to BC's official website. 

NEEA said earlier that the cancellation was caused by technical issues on the BC's side and was a unilateral decision by the organization, the China Media Group reported on Tuesday. 

A staff member with the BC's service line told the Global Times on Tuesday that candidates scheduled to take the IELTS test on Tuesday had been notified of the cancellation via text messages the previous day, and that test fees were being refunded to affected candidates. 

A student surnamed Zheng, whose scheduled test on Tuesday was canceled, told the Global Times that she was happy to get a free test opportunity. 

"I also received a 2,000-yuan ($299) refund, but IELTS exams must be taken at least three days apart, and I'm not sure whether this will affect my later test," said Zheng. 

Guo Yi, a Beijing-based senior education consultant with 17 years of experience in the overseas study industry, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the affected students applying to overseas universities may face some consequences.

For example, many US universities' Early Action (EA) and Early Decision (ED) applications require standardized test scores taken by October. If an exam is canceled, it can disrupt students' application timelines and even affect their choices of early application schools and the preparation of their application essays, Guo noted. 

Early application is an important part of the US college admissions process, and acceptance rates for EA and ED applicants are generally higher than those for Regular Decision, although this varies by institution and applicant pool, according to Guo. 

It is similar to a sports match. After warming up and getting ready to compete, having the event suddenly canceled can disrupt a person's rhythm and state of mind. When the exam is rescheduled, students may not be in the same frame of mind or perform at the same level. Such disruptions can also add to the pressure surrounding future exams, Guo said.