With an increasing number of Guangdong students opting to study abroad, International English Language Testing System (IELTS), a test of English language proficiency, is becoming extremely popular in South China.

A new test center will be added in Guangzhou and seats or tests increased in Shenzhen next year to meet the growing demand.

Jim Hollington, the cultural and education consul of the British Consulate General in Guangzhou, disclosed the expansion plan to the Shenzhen Daily at the China Education Expo on Saturday.

"We have to increase the capacity of IELTS test centers in South China. The number of Chinese students going to Britain has increased by 30 percent last year and we are expecting more this year," said Hollington, who is also a British Council director in Guangzhou.

IELTS is accepted by most Australian, British, Canadian, Irish, New Zealand and South African academic institutions. It is also being accepted by an increasing number of academic institutions in the United States.

The plan was confirmed by Hollington's colleague Qiu Shuang, who is in charge of IELTS management in the British Consulate General in Guangzhou. "Seats for IELTS have been booked up to February in Shenzhen," Qiu said in a telephone interview yesterday.

The expansion plan is subject to approval from the tests administration center under the Ministry of Education, the Chinese partner of IELTS in China, said Qiu.

The current test center in Shenzhen, which holds two IELTS tests each month, can accommodate 300 examinees, said Dou Jun of Shenzhen SEG Personnel Training Center, the sole testing center for IELTS in the city. To cater to the increasing demand, his center is considering adding seats or increasing the frequency of tests, said Dou.

By the end of October, the number of people in Shenzhen taking IELTS this year has increased by 60 percent compared to the same period of last year, according to the British Consulate General.

"Shenzhen used to have a very young population. Now the next generation of these 'young' people who came to work in Shenzhen have grown up, so the potentials of them in going abroad is huge," said Hollington.

Besides, Chinese students are becoming interested again in studying abroad after a slump that lasted several years. "People are getting smarter and choosey. They come to realize that an international background is still valuable as long as you choose carefully the most suitable university or field," he said.

Another reason behind the oversea study boom may be attributed to the halt in enrollment expansion by Chinese universities starting this school year, Hollington said.

China is now the largest exporter of students in the world with the number of students abroad reaching 114,700 in 2004 and 118,500 in 2005. To attract more Chinese students, the United States eased its visa policy in 2005 while Britain is actively competing with Australia to become the second-largest importer of Chinese students, according to analysts.

The lowering immigration requirements by Canada and Australia has also contributed to the IELTS boom, said Qiu. Indeed, the number of people attending the test for immigration purposes has grown very quickly recently, she said.

Editor: Donald