The British Council has just filed its 2023-24 annual report (56 days late). I believe this covers the 12 months ending March 2024.
A few details are worth highlighting here:
- Income was £989 million (an increase of £26 million).
- Expenditures were £1.05 billion.
- The BC is “implementing a Transformation programme that is projected to generate savings of almost £185 million by 2024–25 and are considering ways to further reduce our costs and become more efficient…”. When this programme is complete, it will have reduced the BC’s headcount by 15-20 percent.
- The BC delivered 2.3 million IELTS tests in 2023-24, up from 1.8 million the year before.
- The report indicates that the BC “delivered the majority of the UK’s Secure English Language Tests overseas.”
- Regarding that big loan from the FCDO during the pandemic? They are still working on it. The report notes that it has been extended, on existing terms, until 30 September 2026. The BC has mapped out its financial obligations ’till then and the trustees “are working constructively with the FCDO to secure a longer-term funding model and together have appointed a transformation advisor to support delivery of a financial transformation and turnaround plan.”
If we combine the most recent 12 months of reporting from IDP with this reporting from BC, we get a worldwide total of 3.58 million IELTS tests. But that’s sketchy math as the reporting years in Australia and UK don’t totally line up. Keep an eye out for a new estimate from IDP in the summer.