Fairness Test

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is proved to be a fairness test that measures the language proficiency of people who want to study or work in environments where English is used as a language of communication (IELTS Guide, 2013). IELTS has taken on a position of dominance as the most commonly graduation exit requirement exam for non-native speakers of English who wishes to study in an English-medium setting over the past two decades in tertiary institutions around the world. (IELTS, 2013). A formal examination is one of the methods of evaluating students' ability widely used in most educational systems. Some people are of the opinion that how well a student does in an examination is a clear reflection of his or her

Under the new 3-3-4 academic structure, most students of full-time undergraduates programmes admitted from September 2012 are required to attain a minimum overall band of 6.0 or 7.0 in IELTS. (HKIEd Equips Future Educators, 2012). IELTS is the test that sets the standard and it is a standardized worldwide test with strong recognition and reputation. Some people would argue that there is alternative testing system that is able to test students’ English proficiency such as Test of English as foreign language (TOFEL). Nevertheless, IELTS is a global standard test and the result standards are strictly maintained all over the world. (IELTS Guide, 2013).The IELTS nine band score system grades scores consistently. The IELTS test serves as a perfect medium to evaluate students’ language benchmark and gives the applicants a polished employment chances. The IELTS score is required to get admission into many renowned universities across the world and applicants are demanded by a majority of immigration destination to take IELTS test in order to qualify for the eligibility criteria. Therefore, IELTS should be set as one of the graduation exit requirements for higher education students in

IELTS is a widespread test that is recognized by a number of countries as the test gives someone an approval to study in the English speaking countries once they passed the test. Yet, some candidates may think it is quite time consuming to practice lots of sample papers. Although the amount of time that the candidates are going to spend on practicing well for IELTS seems long, it is worth taking the test as it attains certain level of proficiency in using English which will widely recognized by organizations. Research states that IELTS motivates test takers to develop real and well-rounded English rather than learning by rote. (Dooey et al., 2002). It indicates that students’ understanding of English is improved and valid for real life in an English speaking country. Hence, IELTS is one of the most reliable indicators to reflect a graduate’s English proficiency upon