IDP approved to resume IELTS exams starting Thursday

The decision said the IDP is allowed to cooperate with the IELTS Australia Pty Ltd to organize IELTS examination.

The Ministry of Education and Training said parties need to abide by Vietnamese regulations. The test themselves, testing procedures, infrastructure and equipment regarding the exam, as well as security and safety requirements, need to abide by regulations of IELTS Australia and the law.

The IDP is requested to inform People’s Committees at provincial and municipal levels about exam schedules at least five days beforehand, and is required to report its operation every six months, before June 25 and December 25, to the education ministry.

Last week, the IDP, the British Council and other units that provide exams for foreign language certificates in Vietnam announced a suspension to those exams until further announcements. Affected exams include the IELTS for English, as well as those from other languages like the Nat-test for Japanese.

Deputy education minister Nguyen Huu Do said the reason for the suspension was due to units failing to complete documents for approval, amid the fact that the quality of these exams could not be properly managed.

The IELTS certificate is now recognized in over 11,000 education institutions in 140 countries and territories. In Vietnam, the IELTS exam had been present since the mid-90s, mainly for students to study and work abroad and for teachers to teach English. In recent years, Vietnamese universities have begun to accept IELTS scores among criteria for admission.