One of my students had an IELTS Speaking exam today. He travelled all the way from Faridabad to Gurugram to give the exam, which is almost 80 kilometers a day. I talked to him about the exam, and he said that the exam was conducted online with the help of video conferencing. This left me with a lot of questions, which are still unanswered.wikipedia.com
- The first one is when the IELTS Official can look for the convenience of the examiner, who can take the test from the comfort of their home or from a place that is convenient to him or her. Why can’t IELTS give this privilege to the test taker also? They can also join the test from home.
- When a student pays Rs. 18,200 for a simple test, why can’t IDP deploy examiners to take the test live? After all, in-person interviews are always more effective, and the test taker has better eye contact and interaction in one.
- My student also complained that he could not understand the few questions well, as the speech clarity was not there with the device they used or the volume of the system.
- Cutting costs and making the interview online is not a great choice. Someone who is not technology savvy or has a cam phobia will always be hesitant about doing it virtually. He chose a pen and paper test, unlike PTE, TOEFL, or Duolingo, for the simple reason that he is more familiar with the conventional test format.
- I would request that the IELTS Official look into this with immediate effect so that the test can be fairer and more transparent.