Claims that a small number of IELTS candidates from China are seeking to use imposters to sit their IELTS test in order to obtain their desired result has met with a harsh warning from the IELTS partners. IELTS warned test candidates that if they attempt to present fraudulent identities to any IELTS test centre, they will be identified and action will be taken, James Shipton, Director of IELTS for China, said today.
Reports surface from time to time of fraudsters from mainland China seeking to make money from students who will pay an imposter. “Students who pay large sums of money are attracted by exaggerated promises of IELTS results, yet they end up without results and are no more advanced in the process of developing the English language skills to ultimately succeed in a university or workplace where English is used,” James Shipton said.
Most IELTS candidates study hard to improve their English language skills, achieve the best possible result in their IELTS test and then pursue education, immigration or professional accreditation outcomes.
There will always be a small minority of people who seek to attain results that they haven’t earned. IELTS test centres are on constant alert to identify people presenting a false identity before, during and after the test day.
“Cheating attempts are not widespread. However IELTS vigorously pursues instances of alleged cheating or other fraudulent activity, to protect the integrity of the IELTS test and the interests of legitimate test candidates.
James Shipton warned those students tempted to pay money to someone offering to be an imposter to be very mindful of the consequences of such actions.
“Around the world, IELTS works closely with relevant authorities, including immigration and law enforcement agencies, to prevent, identify and report any fraud attempts. In China, for example, IELTS issues life bans on any candidate identified as attempting to present a fraudulent identity” confirmed James Shipton.
With more than 20 years experience, the IELTS partners continually evolve security systems and procedures in order to ensure that multi-layered protocols address security risk across all test stages. Given the sensitive nature of these measures, they are not disclosed publicly in detail.
IELTS is the world’s most popular high stakes English-language test for study, work and migration, recognised by 6,000 organisations in over 135 countries. In 2010, more than 1.5 million IELTS tests were sat worldwide.
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