As the number of study abroad aspirants increase in India, students and experts are questioning the reason behind the validity period of scores.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently announced that Indian students applying through the Student Direct Stream (SDS) category for a Canadian study permit will not be required to achieve a minimum score of 6.0 bands in IELTS in all individual sections of the test from August. While experts welcomed this move, Indian students in Canada expressed concerns about a possible decline in the quality of students.
Moreover, Indian students in other parts of the world and experts have also agreed that English proficiency tests such as IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, DuoLingo etc are important but are questioning the limited validity period.
Increase in number of English test takers
The number of test takers has also seen an upward tick in several of these tests. In 2021, there was a 53 per cent growth in Indian test takers of TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) compared to the previous year. In 2022, the TOEFL test takers further increased to 59 per cent. Corresponding with this, in 2021, Indian test takers accounted for 7.5 per cent of the total test takers globally. In 2022, the percentage increased to 12.3 per cent among all global test takers of TOEFL.
Similarly, Pearson administered about 8.27 lakh PTE (Pearson Test of English) worldwide in 2022, showcasing a 90 per cent surge compared to the previous pandemic-impacted year of 2021. In India, it was found that 55 per cent of the test takers were men, while the remaining 45 per cent were women candidates.
While some students and experts believe that English proficiency tests are still relevant, what the majority agree on is that the validity period of these tests should either be cancelled or extended by at least a few years.
Is Indian schooling not enough?
At a time when English language is a compulsory subject in most Indian schools, some study abroad aspirants are starting to question the relevance of English proficiency tests, while others continue to believe that it is important because it ensures that students can communicate properly when they go to an English-speaking country.
Experts believe that proficiency tests are important to ensure that the English language that students learn at the school level translates well into their academic performance as well as social interactions.
