What did we do wrong? Chinese students demand explanation from British Council for nullifying language exam results

Scores of students in China have been told they will not receive their grades for a popular English language proficiency test for violating the rules – even though they were not told what rules they had supposedly broken.

The students, anxious that sanctions will jeopardise their future academic path, were urgently seeking an explanation from the British Council, the UK-government-funded cultural and education organisation that organises the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exams.

Wang Xin was hoping to take up post-graduate studies in Hong Kong when she sat for the IELTS test in August.

Although it usually takes 10 working days to receive the scores, Wang was told the delivery would be delayed while IELTS carried out a “routine inspection” soon after she took the exam, the Legal Evening News reported.

She received another note earlier in September to day her scores would not be announced because of rules she had violated during the exam, without elaborating.

“There was surveillance throughout the exam. I didn’t do anything wrong,” said Wang, who insisted the organisers should be more specific about why her scores were nullified.