Notice to Candidates
IELTS test terms and conditions
IELTS test terms and conditions
You must …
• provide proof of your identity (passport or national identity card) atregistration. This identity document must contain a number, a signature, adate of birth and a photograph. You should refer to the China IELTS CandidateRules on which type of identity document is accepted. Candidates taking thetest outside their own country must produce a passport.
• provide one recent passport-sized photograph on test day.
Photographs must:
• be in colour
• be no more than 6 months old
• be taken against a plain background so that featuresare clearly distinguishable
• be undamaged
• be in sharp focus and clear
• be print quality of professional standard
• be a close-up of the head and shoulders
• show the candidate looking straight at the camera
• show the candidate with a neutral expression
• show the candidate with mouth closed
• show the candidate with eyes open and clearly visible
• show the candidate without glasses
• not show any shadows
• not show anything covering the face, the outlines of theeyes, nose or mouth
• be signed on the back with candidate’s full name and candidate number
• inform the Exams Unit of the British Council (operating in China as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy/Consulates-General) of any changes to your identity document before the testdate. If you do not do this you will not be allowed to take the test and you willnot be eligible for a refund or transfer
• bring the same identity document on the test day as the one recorded onyour Application Form. If you do not do this you will not be allowed to take
the test and you will not be eligible for a refund or transfer.
• arrive at the test centre before the scheduled test start time. If you arrive late:
– you will not be admitted to the test room.
– you will not be allowed to take any of the test components.
– you will not be eligible for a refund or transfer.
• leave personal belongings outside the test room. The following items maynot be taken into the test room: bags, correction fluid, highlighter pens andelectronic devices such as mobile phones, pagers, recorders, mp3 playersand dictionaries. Candidates must ensure that mobile phones and pagerswhich are left outside the test room are switched off. Any candidate whodoes not switch off their phone or pager, or takes any electronic device intothe test room, will not be allowed to complete the test and will not receive anIELTS test result or be eligible for a refund or transfer. Mandatory medicines and drink can be brought into test rooms after being confirmed and approved by the invigilator. The invigilator may ask to inspect candidates’ personal belongs if deemed necessary. Candidates may not have access to their personal belongings during the test. Candidates must notbring valuables to the test centre as the test centre cannot be responsible forthese.While there will be an area where candidates can leave personal items, neither the British Council (operating in China as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy/Consulates-General) nor NEEA or the local Test Centre assumes any responsibility for candidates’ personal belongings.Items left in the personal belongings area are left there at the candidate’s own risk unless the loss of the personal belongings under safekeeping is due to the British Council’s (operating in China as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy/Consulates-General) or the local Test Centre’swilful wrongdoing or serious fault.
• consent for your identity to be verified either at test registration or on test
day. This may include:
– having your photograph taken.You will be required to temporarily remove any covering from your face, take off your glasses, reveal your ears and look straight at the camera with a neutral expression. Any candidate who refuses to have a photograph taken will not bepermitted to sit the test and will not be entitled to a refund. Thephotograph taken by the test centre will appear on your Test Report Form.
– providing a sample of your signature.
• keep only the following items on your desk: your identity document, pen(s),pencil(s) and eraser(s).
• tell the test supervisor or invigilator at once:
– if you think you have not been given the correct question paper.
– if the question paper is incomplete or illegible.
• raise your hand to attract attention if you are in doubt about what you shoulddo. An invigilator will come to your assistance. Candidates may not ask for,and will not be given, any explanation of the test questions.
• inform the test supervisor or invigilator on the day of the test, if you believethat your performance may be affected by ill health, by the way in whichthe test is delivered at the centre or for any other reason. If you have acomplaint relating to the delivery of the test, you must submit your complaintto the test supervisor before you leave the centre on test day. The IELTS TestPartners will not accept complaints relating to the delivery of the test aftertest day.
• when leaving the test room at the end of the test, leave behind all testmaterials. The test materials include, but are not limited to, question papers,
Speaking tasks, answer sheets/booklets and any paper used for rough work.
Any candidate who attempts to remove test materials from the test room willbe disqualified and will not receive an IELTS test result.
You must not …
• talk to or disturb other candidates once the test has started.
• lend anything to, or borrow anything from, another candidate during the test.
• eat or smoke in the test room.
• leave the test room without the permission of the test supervisor orinvigilator.
• leave your seat until all test materials have been collected and you havebeen told you can leave.
• show any verbal and/or physical offence and/or threat to the test day staff
• engage in any form of malpractice which may damage the integrity andsecurity of the IELTS test. Malpractice includes, but is not limited to:
– attempting to cheat or assisting others to cheat in any way.
– impersonating another candidate or having another personimpersonate you.
– copying the work of another candidate.
– disrupting the test in any way.
– reproducing any part of the test in any medium.
– attempting to alter the data on the Test Report Form.
– removing, or attempting to remove any materials from the test room
– damaging examination papers or answer sheets intentionally
–passing or attempting to pass test-related information to other people
–opening a test booklet before being instructed to do so
– failing to stop writing when instructed to do so
– other behaviours regarded as breach of test rules by the invigilator
• Candidates engaging in malpractice will not be allowed to complete thetest and will not receive an IELTS test result. Candidates who are found tohave engaged in malpractice on test day after their result has been issuedwill have their result cancelled. Candidates engaging in malpractice will not be eligible for a refund or transfer, may beprohibited from taking the IELTS tests on future occasions and liable to legal action.
Your IELTS test result
IELTS test result
• Results are issued by the Exams Unit of the British Council (operating in China as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy/Consulates-General), usually 13 days after the test.
• You will receive only one copy of your Test Report Form. The test centre is
not permitted to issue a replacement copy in the event of loss or damage.
• The Test Report Form will be issued in your name as it appears on the identitydocument used at registration. If you find that your personal details areincorrect on the Test Report Form, please contact the Exams Unit of the British Council (operating in China as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy/Consulates-General)to request changes. Documentation must be provided to verify thecorrect details.
• If you change your name after receiving your Test Report Form, the namewill not be changed on the Test Report Form. In the unusual event thata replacement Test Report Form is approved centrally by the IELTS TestPartners, it will be issued with the name provided on the original Test Report
Form.
• Your result may not be issued 13 days after the test if any of the IELTS TestPartners deem it necessary to review any matter associated with your test.In exceptional circumstances you may be required to re-take one or moreIELTS components.
• The Test Report Form may be cancelled after it has been issued if anyirregularity is identified. You may be required to re-take one or more IELTScomponents.
• Your result will be disclosed by the IELTS Test Partners to the RecognisingOrganisations which you nominated on your Application Form,for thepurpose of allowing those organisations to verify the result or to carry outany enquiries in relation to suspected malpractice.
• If any of the data on the Test Report Form provided by you or your agent to
Recognising Organisations has been altered in any way, your original test
result may be cancelled by the IELTS Test Partners.
• You will not be permitted access to the work you produce in the IELTS test.
The IELTS Test Partners will retain the work you produce to assess your testperformance, and it may be used for quality control purposes and researchactivities.
Cancelling your IELTS test or requesting a transfer
• You can cancel your test or request a transfer before the registration cut-off date on the NEEA IELTSregistration website by yourself. You can transfer after payingthe transfer fee on-line, or cancel the test and receive a partial refund (i.e. the full test fee paid less an administrative fee). You will be charged an administration fee of up to 25% ofthe total test fee.
• You cannot transfer your tests after the registration cut-off date.Only under certain special circumstances may candidates be allowed to cancel their tests after the registration cut-off date, given they apply to cancel their test with the Exams Unit of the British Council (operating in China as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy/Consulates-General) before the written test day and by providing appropriate and sufficient supporting documentswithin the required deadline. The Exams Unit of the British Council (operating in China as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy/Consulates-General) reserves the right to check the supporting documents and to decide whether to approve the cancellation application or not. Cancellation application will not be accepted after the written test day. For example, if you cancelyour test after the registration cut-off date for medicalreasons, you must provide supporting medical evidence within the required deadline. Only evidence of serious illness will be considered.Only original medical certificates will be accepted and must state inability toappear for the test on the scheduled test date.
How IELTS uses your information
How IELTS uses your information
• The IELTS Test Partners recognise and support the right of genuine IELTS
test candidates to privacy.
• Test Report Forms will only be sent to those Recognising Organisationsnominated by the IELTS candidate on their Application Form or at therequest of the candidate after the issue of results.
• The IELTS Test Partners or their authorised representatives may sharecandidate personal data including without limitation test performance orscore data or photographs taken by the IELTS test centre with educationalinstitutions, governments (including visa processing authorities), professionalbodies and commercial organisations that recognise IELTS scores(‘Recognising Organisations’) or law enforcement agencies and appropriateregulatory authorities where required for verification purposes or otherpurposes to protect the IELTS test and its stakeholders against any form ofmalpractice.
• The IELTS Test Partners may use IELTS test score data and test responses,in an anonymous form, for informational, research, statistical or trainingpurposes.
China IELTSCandidate Rules
The China IELTS Candidate Rulesconstitutes an integral part of the rules and regulations stipulated in the online IELTS Application Form and Notice to Candidates.IELTS candidates must read and understand these rules before completing the online application. Please contact the Exams Unit of the British Council (operating in China as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy/Consulates-General) for further enquiries. The completion of registration means that candidates have already carefully read and accepted the China IELTS Candidate Rules. The China IELTS Candidate Rules is legally binding on all candidatesimmediately upon completion of registration for the test.
Identification Document Requirements
IELTSon-line registration will only accept the following identification documents:
Chinese nationals from mainland Chinacan register with a valid and current 2nd-generation national ID Card or passport
Chinese nationals from Hong Kong and Macao can register with a valid and current ID Card or passport
Chinese candidates from Taiwan can only register with a valid and current Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents
Chinese military service personnel can register with a valid and current military service personnel document or national ID Card
Foreign nationals can register with a valid and current passport
Unacceptable Identification
The non-acceptable identity documents include but are not limited to: 1st-generation national ID Card, household book, household certificate, driving license, student ID, work ID, Hong Kong / Macao Travel Permit for Chinese Citizens, Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macau Residents, social security card, and any expired ID documents.
Identification Information Confirmation
Candidates must ensure that the personal details used during online registration for IELTS are the same as the personal details on the identity document. If the personal details provided by candidates during online registration do not match the details on their identity documents at any time during the written and speaking test session, or the identity documents presented at the test contains personal information different from that provided upon registration, candidates might not be admitted to the test and might not be eligible for transfer, cancellation or refund of any kind. Their test results might be voided.
If a candidates’ identity document is changed, lost or expired before the test date, or unavailable on the test day as a result of reasons beyond the candidates’ control, candidates should contact the Exams Unit of the British Council (operating in China as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy/Consulates-General) immediately and follow the relevant instructions and arrangements.
Test Day Identification
Candidates should bring their identity documents, photographs, and IELTS Test Admission Ticket to gain entry to the test centre. On the day of the test, candidates must present the same genuine and valid identity document used for online registration at both the written test and the speaking test.
Identification Confirmation
The Exams Unit of the British Council (operating in China as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy/Consulates-General) reserves the right to establish the genuineness of a candidates’ identity before, during, or after the test. The measures include but are not limited to:
- Questions related to candidates’ personal information, and the record of the interview for the purpose of identification confirmation
- Request for submission of additional proof of identity within a given timeframe
- The collect of candidates’ signature and handwriting sample or other forms of biometric identification confirmation
- Take actions to verify candidates’ identities to protect the IELTS test and its stakeholders against any form of malpractice, including but not limited to involving relevant government regulatory authorities, law enforcement agencies, public security bureaus, candidates’ schools/companies/work units/communities, score recognizing organizations, embassies and consulates-generals, other test partners and test centers
In cases where a dispute regarding candidate identity cannot be settled on the day of the test, or if a candidate refuses to participate or is unable to satisfactorily establishing their identity, the IELTS Test Supervisor reserves the right not to admit the candidate to the test. The candidate will not be eligible for transfer, cancellation or refund of any kind, and may be prohibited from taking the IELTS test on future occasions The candidates may contact the Exam Unit of the British Council (operating in China as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy/Consulates-General) on the following Monday afternoon to make an appointment for a full identity check. If the identity document is found to be genuine and valid, and the candidate’s identity is verified, a free test will be arranged for the candidate at a later date.