IELTS candidate's score unexpectedly changed due to 'technical problem', what does IELTS say?

Many Vietnamese candidates taking the IELTS test at the British Council and IDP were informed that their old test scores had been adjusted upwards or downwards, and this is a common situation globally, recorded late at night on November 12.

From the afternoon of November 12 until late at night of the same day, many cases of candidates having their IELTS scores corrected in previous exams they had attended were recorded.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Some candidates had their IELTS scores changed from 2023

According to Thanh Nien 's preliminary statistics, at least dozens of Vietnamese candidates reported that they had received emails from the British Council and IDP, with the title: "Important update on your IELTS test results". In the letter, the exam partners informed that due to a "technical problem", some IELTS tests were affected. This problem resulted in the candidates' scores in one or both listening and reading skills being changed compared to the previously issued results.

"We regret that your original test score was not calculated accurately and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused," the statement said, noting that the candidate's old score report would no longer be valid.

Meanwhile, IELTS partners have proposed two solutions for affected candidates, including refunds of test fees or free retesting at another date. The deadline for confirmation is before 1 May 2026.

Speaking to Thanh Nien , the candidates whose scores were revised all said they had taken the IELTS test on a computer and had not witnessed any unusual signs during the test. Some candidates in this group also chose to retake the test because their previous scores were not as expected.

NMH, 19, who took the exam in December 2023, shared that at 3:33 p.m. on November 12, he suddenly received an email from the British Council, informing him that the exam results were available, even though he last took the exam nearly 2 years ago. After 12 minutes, he received another email from the British Council, which mentioned a "technical problem" that caused H. to "lose" 0.5 points in the reading section. The score correction, therefore, helped H.'s reading score and total score increase compared to before.

"But this score increase did not help anymore, because I then retook the exam and used the new results to apply for university," H. shared. He also commented that the exam organizers were "unprofessional" because they waited nearly 2 years to send the exam results that matched the candidates' abilities, while this certificate is only valid for 2 years from the exam date.

"This makes the contest very discredited," said the male student.

However, H. said that IELTS's handling of the situation was "satisfactory", as candidates were supported with a new certificate, a refund of fees, or a free retake of the test.

Notice sent by IELTS partners to Vietnamese candidates, in which the earliest affected test is from 2023

PHOTO: NVCC

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Anh, an English teacher in Ho Chi Minh City, was also a candidate who was affected when choosing to take the exam at the British Council. The male teacher said he took the exam in mid-May 2024 and at that time was sure that the writing score would be at 8.5 or 9.0. But when he received the score, the result at that time was only 7.0, 1.5 points lower than the result that the organizing unit had just sent to him.

"At that time, I planned to re-examine the test, but then I thought about how the reading skill could be graded incorrectly on the computer test. It must have been because I forgot to fill in the answers, so in the end, I gave up," Mr. Hoang Anh shared. A short time later, in August, the male teacher continued to retake the test and this time achieved a full 9.0 IELTS in the reading section as expected.

According to Mr. Hoang Anh, this incident has more or less affected the reputation of the IELTS exam, especially for students who use IELTS certificates for university admission or studying abroad. "Many students can only take the exam once and if they get lower results due to this technical problem, they may have missed their opportunity," the male teacher regretted.

A teacher who had just graduated in the UK also recently received news that his reading test result at IDP last September had increased by 1.0, to 9.0 IELTS. "At that time, I was just a little sad because I didn't know what I did wrong. After this incident, I lost half of my confidence in the IELTS test," he shared.

However, the male teacher also believes that the current plan is the best solution that IELTS can implement. He also calls on candidates not to reject the entire test because of one incident, because in reality, IELTS test organizers are "transparent in their announcements, because if they don't say anything, no one will know". "The IELTS test is still reliable, creating opportunities for candidates to think and is always invested in research to improve", the male teacher said.

In particular, after the scores were corrected, a candidate's overall score was raised from 8.5 to 9.0. That was the case of male teacher Le Ngoc Quan, who currently teaches science in English and IELTS, and who took the test at IDP at the end of February. Before that, because he did not achieve the desired score, the male teacher shared that he had to re-register for a skill (One Skill Retake) as well as take the test a few more times.

"Overall, I think IELTS's handling of the situation is quite civilized, because I myself did not know about the error mentioned, but they still honestly informed me and had a solution to refund the exam fee," Mr. Quan shared.

Internal incidents account for less than 1% of all exams globally

In a letter to affected candidates, IELTS partners included a link to a website that answers questions about the “technical issue.” On the page, IELTS said it had identified a “technical issue” that caused some candidates to receive incorrect results, but that this group accounted for less than 1% of all test takers globally.

"The incident has been fully resolved and additional safeguards have been put in place to prevent this from happening again," IELTS said, adding that it was an "internal technical issue within the system" and was not related to any cyber-attack. "Your personal data remains secure and protected from unauthorized access or use," it said.

A large number of candidates attended the IELTS festival held in 2024 in Ho Chi Minh City.

PHOTO: NGOC LONG

IELTS also said that as soon as the error was discovered, the organization conducted a comprehensive investigation to determine the cause and extent of the impact in order to remedy the consequences and ensure that no one will be negatively impacted from now on. IELTS added that it had sent official notices to universities, employers, and immigration agencies where affected candidates submitted their old IELTS scores.

The organization is also willing to provide additional supporting documentation or a letter explaining the incident to the educational institution or authority.

"We adhere to strict quality control processes and transparent management practices to ensure that IELTS tests are fair and accurate. This includes checking for any errors in test processing or marking, which is how we discovered this issue. Please be assured that we have addressed this issue with the utmost care and priority...", the website said.

According to Thanh Nien 's research, IELTS test scores being adjusted does not only happen in Vietnam. Like the social networking platform Reddit, the r/IELTS topic, which has attracted 97,000 members in the past few hours, has recorded many posts from users around the world about test scores being adjusted.

Michael Goodine, an English language testing expert based in South Korea, also wrote on the social network Linkedin: "IELTS partners spent the evening contacting candidates around the world to inform them of the change in test results... It seems that the reading section is the most affected - maybe even the only section - from what I understand at the moment."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thi-sinh-ielts-bat-ngo-bi-sua-diem-vi-su-co-ky-thuat-ielts-noi-gi-185251113050921861.htm