According to arrangements by the Ministry of Education of China for the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus, the National Education Examinations Authority (NEEA) and the British Council will cancel all kinds of IELTS tests on the Chinese mainland in April 2020 with immediate effect. Test fees will be fully refunded to the candidate's personal registration account, IELTS' official Weibo account announced on Friday.

Ensuring the health and safety of candidates and test staff is the top priority, according to the IETLS official's announcement. Given the uncertainty surrounding the spread of the coronavirus epidemic, the British Council will continue to follow the instructions of the Chinese government on epidemic prevention and maintain close communication with the relevant departments.

In addition, IETLS will ensure that the tests are resumed as soon as conditions permit, and will increase the number of seats available for the computer-based and paper-based tests to meet the needs of candidates.

(Cover image from VCG)