Will alternative English tests make a difference? From November, the Test of English Language as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) internet-based test and the Pearson Test of English Academia (PTE-A) will also be accepted by the DIBP for the purposes of immigration. Will the new tests make a difference? Have your say. One thing that comes to mind on this matter is why hasn’t Australia developed its own English Language testing standard that is acceptable to DIBP and the Universities? After all, Australia is the world’s most popular destination for an education in English and even immigration. Alternative tests of English have been available for some years now, but only for student visas. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Pearson Test of English Academic (Pearson) and the Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) from Cambridge ESOL (Cambridge) have been accepted tests for Student visa application purposes since 2011. However, the takeup rate of the alternative tests in students visas have been low indicating that the IELTs stranglehold may continue for a while yet. A DIBP report on the matter states that whilst, the introduction of alternative English language tests has delivered more choice to Student visa applicants who need to prove language proficiency, the take-up rate of alternative English language tests has been relatively modest with alternative English language tested Student visa applicants representing 3 per cent of all Student visa applicants who submitted an English language test during the first 12 months of operation. Perhaps advertising and promotion by the alternative testing agencies are required to boost the intake. Or perhaps, a new test by Australian Universities is needed to create a dent on the IELTS monopoly and really test English as spoken in Australia. Undoubtedly, regardless of the tests available, the key question that remains for employers and applicants alike is the pass standard required for the purposes of skilled migration: Will the scores required be lowered? Some academics have labelled Australia’s language testing rules for skilled migration as “linguistic apartheid” arguing that it has been set at standards well above community and workplace requirements for the main purpose of excluding people from the developing world, regardless of the superior skill sets they can bring to the economy. Summary of the tests. Heres a summary here is a brief background on the various tests gleaned from various websites: TOEFL tests are accepted for immigration purposes by the United Kingdom’s (UK) Border Agency and the United States of America’s (USA) US Citizenship and Immigration Services. The majority of tests delivered are internet based with less than 1 per cent of TOEFL tests being paper based. TOEFL is reportedly the most widely accepted English-language test in the world. There are claims that TOEFL is ‘US-centric’ and tends to be more time-based and computer-based thus giving applicants with quick typing skills a slight advantage. Its costs $240 and can be done within a week of booking. PTE-A The Pearson Australia Group delivers the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE), which is accepted by the UK Border Agency for immigration purposes. Pearson introduced their internet based tests in 2009 and all components are delivered in electronic format. The test marking is automated with human intervention only required for tests where confidence in automated marking level is not achieved or if anomalies are detected. Pearsons test is also UK-based, and recognised by more than 3000 institutions world-wide and approved for Australian and UK student visas. It involves a single 3 hour computer based exam which covers all skills areas. It costs $330 and Pearsons promise is that a test can be scheduled within 48 hours and the results reported within 5 days. IELTS: Clearly ‘UK-centric’, the IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English Language Assessment through more than 900 test centres. IELTS states that the test was taken by 2 million candidates in the last 12 months in 135 countries and that IELTS test scores are recognised by over 8,000 organisations worldwide. IELTS remains the most popular tests with fees at $330 and wait times of between 1-2 weeks with results returned in a similar time-frame. Posted by Jerry-Gomez on Friday, 23 May 2014 on Migration Alliance
Posted on: Fri, 23 May 2014 04:51:05 +0000