Category: Blog

More on IELTS Administration Failures

Posted on by TOEFL Resources

The IELTS partners have set up a Zendesk page to deal with current events.  In case you missed my post earlier today, a significant number of IELTS results have been adjusted for reasons that are not immediately clear.  But here’s what we know:

  1. The results of certain IELTS tests administered between August 2023 and September 2025 have been retroactively adjusted. The tests were administered around the globe.
  2. The email sent to test takers indicates that reading and listening scores have been impacted, though social media posts by test takers suggest that it is mostly reading scores that have been changed.
  3. According to the IELTS partners, the adjustment is because “IELTS identified a technical issue that led to a small proportion of test takers – less than 1% – receiving incorrect results.”
  4. Some scores have gone up, some have gone down.
  5. Impacted test takers are being offered refunds and free retakes.
  6. Results from both IELTS-Academic and IELTS-General administrations are affected, but only those done on computer, at test centers.  Results from paper-delivered tests and tests taken at home are not affected.

What is the nature of the “technical issue” that led to this problem?  That is not stated.

The IELTS partners stress that “over 99%” of tests were administered without any problems.  That sounds nice, but remember that over the course of 25 months 1% of IELTS tests amounts to more than seventy thousand administrations.  Perhaps greater clarity on the number of impacted tests is required from the partners.

Obviously, this is not good. Consider the consequences of an IELTS score that is too low. Many test takers will have missed out on educational and professional opportunities.  Some may have failed to meet requirements related to immigration and residency requirements.  This is why I’m so hard on test companies in much of what I write.  When they mess up, the consequences can be far-reaching and profound.

Update:  Here is the email sent to test takers.

 

IELTS Administrations Messed Up?

Posted on by TOEFL Resources

The IELTS partners have been contacting test takers from around the world to inform them of changes to their test results.  As a result of some apparent abnormalities, test results from as far back as 2024 have been adjusted.  The British Council IELTS website has crashed under the strain of users attempting to log in to see their updated results.

It seems that reading scores are mostly affected.  Indeed, they may be the only scores affected, as far as I can tell.

More on this story as it develops.

ETS Warn Notice, California

Posted on by TOEFL Resources

Here’s the WARN notice which ETS filed with California’s EDD regarding the termination of 757 employees working as raters on the CAASPP-ELPAC contract (earlier story here). I put on my fake journalist cap and requested a copy last week.

It confirms that the 757 laid off employees are from around the United States, not just California.

I suppose these raters have been treated a bit better than the TOEFL raters who saw their work offshored to India earlier this year. If reporting in The PIE is any indication, those workers have seen their shifts dry up, but have not received official termination notices.

It is unclear how many American workers were used to rate the TOEFL, but taken together these changes may amount to more than 1000 jobs lost. Hard times.

 

 

On Notetaking

Posted on by TOEFL Resources

Some English tests allow test takers to take notes in a little widget on the screen, instead of on paper or on a white board.  I like this. A few thoughts come to mind:

  1. Taking notes on a whiteboard is not fun, especially at home when you are using whatever board and marker (probably way too thick) that you were able to scrounge up locally.  And God help the poor souls who try to take notes using the “sheet of paper in a page protector” method.
  2. The widget approach allows the test maker to control which sections the test taker is able to take notes.  Obviously, there are parts of a test where test makers might not want the test taker to take notes.  Indeed, some observers have expressed concern that the “listen and repeat” task on the TOEFL might be gameable by test takers who are able to write down the sentences as they are played.
  3. One imagines that test makers could gather some useful data by capturing notes written in a widget.
  4. The kids today aren’t great at cursive.  And the thought of taking lecture notes using non-cursive writing gives me the shakes.
  5. I’ve read that note-taking on a test makes it more “fit for purpose” since it simulates what students do in classes. If so, it is important to keep that simulation up to date.

That said, a few bad things come to mind:

  1. The kids aren’t great at touch typing either.  Maybe they wouldn’t like it.  Perhaps it is best to just go the “no notes” route like on the DET and the new Pearson test.
  2. On the other hand, geriatric millennials like myself could probably transcribe an entire 5-minute lecture in real time with few errors, potentially breaking the test.  Would you believe I took an entire year-long high school course about how to type?

LanguageCert Mailer

Posted on by TOEFL Resources

Speaking of paper score reports, I took the LANGUAGECERT academic test while working on a project last month.  This week I got my score report in the mail. As you can see, it is dispatched in a nice cardboard mailer.  Inside the mailer is a sealed paper envelope containing the score report itself, along with another sheet of cardboard to provide a little more protection.  The score report is a single page, with the score on one side and explanations on the reverse.

This is provided at no extra charge.  Test takers are not required to opt in.  How nice.

The delivery originates in Germany, which regular readers know has competitive rates for overseas shipping.

Might just be my pack-rat sensibilities kicking in, but maybe they should toss in an inspirational bookmark or collectable postcard.  Or stickers.  Kids love stickers.

 

Duolingo Q3 2025 Results

Posted on by TOEFL Resources

Duolingo published Q3 results last week.  Revenue from the Duolingo English Test amounted to $9,649,000 for the quarter.  If we divide that number by the cost of taking the test ($70) we get a total of 137,842 tests for the quarter.  That’s a decline of 17% compared to the same quarter last year.  This figure tracks with what we’ve seen so far this year:  Q1 was down 17% and Q2 was down 12%.

Just keep in mind that this is a rough estimate, as some people pay less for the test by purchasing a bundle and others pay more for the test by purchasing express scoring.  Others pay nothing at all by using a waiver from the Duolingo Access program (25k waivers were distributed last year).

How does this compare to the industry as a whole?  By my data, PTE volumes were down 10% in the first half of 2025, while IELTS volumes at IDP were down 11% for the first half of 2025.

IDP will publish a new half-year report in February.

We might learn about IELTS volumes at the British Council if they publish their annual return in January, as required (but they probably won’t).  ETS doesn’t publish TOEFL test volumes, but keep an eye out for the release of the organization’s annual audit in early January.

Where is my TOEFL Registration Number?

Posted on by TOEFL Resources

People often ask where they can find their TOEFL Registration Number.  This is usually because the school they are applying to has asked for it.

Sadly, there is no TOEFL Registration Number.  It doesn’t exist.

The schools are probably asking for your TOEFL appointment number.  To find it you should log in to your TOEFL account and then click on “My Scores.”  Then click on “View Scores.”  Your appointment number will be displayed below you name, like in the screenshot:

 

It is also found in your PDF score report, and in your paper score report, if you’ve got on.

 

Janet Garcia Confirmed as ETS President

Posted on by TOEFL Resources

ETS has finally confirmed the appointment of Janet Garcia as president of ETS. Garcia currently serves as CEO of PSI Services, a position she will continue to hold as she takes the reins at ETS.

CEO Amit Sevak will remain with ETS, perhaps with more time to devote to his work as a globe-trotting public intellectual.

It may be worth keeping an eye on the masthead over on the ETS website to see if any other roles change hands in the days ahead.

ETS to Lay Off 757 More Employees

Posted on by TOEFL Resources

The Educational Testing Service will lay off 757 employees in California at the end of the year. According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, this comes as Measurement, Inc takes over the scoring of several tests included in ETS’s longstanding CAASPP-ELPAC contract.

That contract, which runs through 2027, is quite lucrative for ETS, though it is surprising how much of the work appears to be carried out by subcontractors. For instance, for the fiscal year ending September 2023, Cambium Assessment was paid 26.8 million dollars for subcontracted services associated with the contract.

I suppose these workers are getting slightly better treatment than TOEFL raters, who (according to reports) have seen their shifts dry up without getting actual termination notices.  Combined, though, it seems like something close to a thousand jobs cut, with little more than a peep from the higher-ed press.

I’ve requested a copy of the relevant WARN notice from California.  Will share it here if I get it.

British Council Seoul

Posted on by TOEFL Resources

Speaking of the British Council, on Monday I visited their office near Seoul City Hall to donate to the Poppy Appeal (and pick up some literature about the benefits of a UK education).

BC has a moderate presence in this country. The main offices host language learning programs for young learners and an IELTS test center. Programs for adults are at a separate office a few blocks away. Occasionally they support cultural programs.

There are additional IELTS test centers scattered across the country.

IDP Education: Takeover Target?

Posted on by TOEFL Resources

A new research brief from Macquarie Analysts places IDP Education at the top of a list of 16 likely takeover targets.  As noted in the Australian, “private equity firms have been on the march this year in terms of privatisations of ASX-listed companies.” IDP is mentioned as a likely target due to steep declines in its share price over the past year (though they aren’t actually as steep as indicated in the article).

Over the years, many test watchers have observed the IELTS Official partnership, and wondered how its dysfunction might be increased.  To me, handing one third of the partnership over to a private equity fund could be the best possible approach.  An American fund would be the most efficient choice, of course, but a domestic fund would certainly do in a pinch.

Oxford Not Accepting New TOEFL (For Now)

Posted on by TOEFL Resources

Officials at the University of Oxford have posted the following note on the school’s website:

“Changes to the TOEFL iBT test are being introduced on 21 January 2026. The University will not accept TOEFL tests taken from that date to meet the English language condition until a review of the revised test has been completed.”

It is unclear when this review will be completed.