Candidate drops out of studying abroad, loses 14 million because IELTS test score 'detained' for nearly 2 months

Because his IELTS test score was "held" for many weeks, a candidate said he gave up his plan to study abroad, transferred to a domestic school and accepted losing nearly 14 million VND for multiple tests.

Email from IDP to GB candidates, announcing that IELTS test scores will be temporarily held for investigation

No specific reason given?

Reporting to Thanh Nien , GB, a 12th grader in Ho Chi Minh City, said that his IELTS test score has been "held" for nearly 7 weeks now. Specifically, the male student took the IELTS test for the first time at the British Council on September 14 with an average score of 6.0 in all four skills. Then, B. continued to take the test at IDP on October 5 to improve his score, and was surprised to receive news that his test results would be held for investigation.

"IDP only informed me that they would temporarily hold my test scores for investigation and recommended that I submit an additional letter of explanation to support the investigation, without explaining specifically the reason for the temporary hold. IDP also said that they would announce the results within 8 weeks from the date of sending the email (October 18), but it could be sooner if the candidate requested. Since the deadline for submitting the application for a study abroad scholarship is October 25, I contacted IDP twice to explain my situation, but to no avail," B. said sadly.

"I plan to use this IELTS test result to apply early to an American university because this is the time when the admission rate is high. Everything is ready, but this unexpected incident forced me to give up my study abroad plan," the male student said.

Accessing the email exchange between the male candidate and IDP, we learned that IDP cited two clauses 4.2 and 4.3 in the regulations, which clearly state that IELTS co-organizers have the right to temporarily withhold or cancel test results if they consider the results "unreliable", and the investigation is to determine whether the candidate "violated the regulations or test rules" or not.

Despite having read the regulations before the exam, GB was still confused when his IELTS test results were withheld, "because this decision depends entirely on the test organizing board". And although there is no official information, B. said there are many speculations that if the average score increases by 1-1.5 in a short period of time, the candidate is likely to have his score withheld for investigation.

GB said he was confused because he did not know why his IELTS score was being held, and also did not know when he would get his score back.

"In the first exam, I had a high fever and a sore throat, which affected my reading and speaking skills, so my score was not as expected. In the next exam, when my health was more stable, I was able to demonstrate my true ability," B. confided. The male student added that in a handwritten letter to IDP, he explained that his low score in the previous exam was due to poor health, and shared his study process in the 3 weeks before the exam. Attached to this letter was a prescription proving his medical condition.

Currently, B. has switched to early admission to a private university in the country. He chose to take the IELTS test at the British Council at the end of November, and this was also the third time he took the test in less than two months. In total, B. spent 13,992,000 VND on the test fee. "I hope IDP will soon complete the investigation, because this incident has cost me a lot of money, time, and effort, greatly affecting my family's plans," the male student shared.

What is the response from the IELTS test organizer?

According to our records, cases of having test results withheld similar to GB are not uncommon. On social networks, many candidates shared that their scores were also withheld for unknown reasons, affecting their personal plans. The common point of some cases is that they took the IELTS exam twice in a short period of time, often less than a month apart.

Specifically, in the Facebook group about IELTS test preparation with more than 742,000 members, an account said that he had taken the IELTS test at IDP on April 6, but due to his unstable mentality, he "did not do well", and chose to retake the test at the end of the month. "But on the day of the results, I received an email notifying me that my score was held", this person worriedly said that he needed the results urgently and did not have the conditions to register for the test again.

In the comments section, many other accounts also expressed that they were or are in a similar situation. Some accounts said that it took about 4-5 months for candidates to get their scores back.

Meanwhile, an account named T. shared on the social network Threads that after taking the test twice in one month, her score was "detained" on the second test. "Maybe I took the test twice in one month, so they were suspicious. There were some cases where the skill scores were too different or the scores increased too quickly in a short period of time. After writing a 3-page presentation about the learning process, I got my score back after 5 months," this person wrote.

Many other candidates shared stories of having their IELTS scores "held" at IDP and the British Council in recent months.

Responding to Thanh Nien this afternoon (December 5), the IDP representative did not specify which cases would have their IELTS results temporarily withheld, only that test score information could be withheld and analyzed to ensure the integrity of the test, as well as fairness for all candidates.

"These are necessary measures to protect the validity of test results for three million IELTS test takers each year," the IDP representative emphasized.

"Results will not be released unless we are absolutely confident that they are accurate and valid," an IDP representative added. This means that test scores will only be released when the agency is certain that there were no problems with the test taker's performance. IDP also noted that the IELTS test terms and conditions explain that test results may be withheld.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thi-sinh-bo-du-hoc-mat-14-trieu-vi-bi-giam-diem-thi-ielts-gan-2-thang-185241205191232687.htm