China launches official IELTS mock test system — ECNS
China has launched an official IELTS mock test system offering practice tasks covering all four language skills, as well as separate assessments of speaking and writing. This was reported by ECNS, citing the British Council.
Assessment using AI
The system was developed under the leadership of the British Council team in China. It uses artificial intelligence to provide more detailed feedback on users’ language abilities and help them identify areas for improvement.
Tiffany Yu, Director of English and Examinations China, said that assessment should not only confirm learning outcomes but also serve as a starting point for further learning and development.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Criteria for writing and speaking
The platform provides more detailed assessment of productive skills, including speaking and writing, which are of particular interest to Chinese IELTS candidates. Written work is assessed based on task achievement, coherence and cohesion, vocabulary, as well as grammatical range and accuracy. These criteria are divided into 16 subcategories.
Speaking assessment covers fluency and coherence, vocabulary, grammatical range and accuracy, as well as pronunciation. It includes 14 subcategories. The British Council noted that China is becoming an important platform for innovation in English language learning and assessment, and that experience from the Chinese market is expected to be taken into account in the further development of products worldwide.
