Experts predict that if the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) doesn't make changes to attract more people, it will be replaced by the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

IELTS, sponsored by the British Council, the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate and International Development Program (IDP)Education Australia, is gaining in popularity.

In the past couple of years, the number of people taking the test has doubled in China. Statistics from the British Council hold that the number increased from 20,000 in 2000 to 40,000 last year, and it is expected to reach 80,000 this year.

This forecast is echoed by Hu Min, president of the Beijing New Oriental School, an English training school that trains high-score examinees in tests like TOEFL and Graduate Record Examinations (GRE). Hu said nearly 10,000 people took the school's IELTS training courses during this year's winter vocation.

He said that because IELTS consists of four parts - listening, reading, writing and speaking - it reflects one's true capacity for mastering the language, something TOEFL lacks.

The difficulty of enrolling in US universities, in addition to TOEFL's lack of credibility and recognition by immigration offices in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, contributed to IELTS' popularity, he said.

But the GRE is not likely to be influenced because it is still a necessary test for those who want to attend US graduate schools, Hu said.

The domestic English-training market has been lucrative in recent years because many people want to improve their language skills regardless of whether they study abroad or immigrate. Enthusiasm about learning English increased last year after China became a World Trade Organization member and it won the bid to host the 2008 Olympics, Hu said.

Feng Xiaoli, 30, who used to work at an IT company in Beijing, took an English-speaking course at the Beijing 21st Century English Training Center and said it was worthwhile. "It will make me more competitive, so that I can land a better job," she said.

The demanding market has caused many English training centers to spring up.

(China Daily March 28, 2002)