IELTS exam score correction: Many candidates are worried because they do not know how the incident will be resolved

Many students are worried as universities review candidates' IELTS certificates for admission or graduation, after the IELTS score discrepancy incident.

IELTS test takers - AI illustration

After many candidates received notice that their IELTS test scores were adjusted due to "internal technical problems" of the test organization (British Council, IDP), many universities are also urgently reviewing candidates who used their IELTS scores for admission or graduation and waiting for instructions from the Ministry of Education and Training .

The reason for the score adjustment was confirmed by the IELTS test organization as being due to an "internal technical system error", not any wrongdoing or cheating on the part of the test takers. The group of affected candidates is very small (less than 1%) compared to the total number of global test takers.

Several universities have said they will review the applications of candidates using IELTS in their regular university admissions. This is necessary to maintain transparency and fairness in admissions. However, at the same time, the schools also said it is difficult to act unilaterally without guidance from the Ministry of Education and Training.

In fact, many universities currently use IELTS scores for admission or conversion to entrance exam scores, and at the same time as a basis for considering foreign language output standards.

In admissions, determining admission scores is extremely complicated; even a small change in scores can disrupt the admission results of a large number of candidates.

With IELTS scores being changed, candidates with high scores will, in principle, not have enough points to pass the admission process; conversely, candidates with low scores being changed to high scores will be "unfairly rejected".

Requiring candidates to retake the exam due to technical errors from the exam organizers is also a sensitive matter: the cost, time, and psychological pressure that candidates have to endure cannot be underestimated.

The IELTS test organization is the one directly responsible to the candidates, because the error comes from the test system, not from the university admission process. This unprecedented incident raises many profound lessons in admissions and training.

When international certificates such as IELTS are widely used in university admissions, there should be clear regulations for cases where scores are adjusted after admission, for example, when schools can adjust admissions and when they must support candidates' rights.

TRAN HUYNH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ielts-sua-diem-bai-thi-nhieu-thi-sinh-lo-lang-vi-chua-biet-vu-viec-se-duoc-giai-quyet-ra-sao-20251115151811217.htm