UK government assures Chinese students that English test ban won't affect their visa applications

British authorities' decision to suspend English language proficiency tests organised by the US-based Educational Testing Service (ETS) over alleged fraud has raised doubts among many Chinese students hoping to study in Britain.

Since the British government's move was announced earlier this month, reports suggested that many Chinese students were reconsidering Britain as a study destination.

Britain has long been one of the most popular countries for Chinese students - traditionally from Hong Kong but today also from the mainland. In 2011-2012 they numbered 83,000, the largest group of foreign students in Britain, according to the Institute of International Education.

The suspended ETS examinations are the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

According to ETS, TOEIC is a test of everyday English skills of people working in an international environment. Its scores are used by corporations and government agencies in 120 countries, and its main rival test is the Cambridge-designed International English Language Testing System (IELTS). TOEFL is the main English skills test for foreign students applying to universities in the United States.

The British government suspended the ETS tests after the BBC's investigative news programme Panorama exposed the test scandal in London on February 10. Undercover video showed a number of agents helping overseas students cheat on their TOEIC exams. The agency had charged Panorama's undercover researcher a "guaranteed pass fee" of £500 (HK$6,500), three times the usual test fee.