Korean students bewildered by English test registration fuss
Korean students are furious Friday (April 13) over an American testing institute's decision to exclude Korea and Japan from a session of its new Internet-based English proficiency test.
The U.S.-based Educational Testing Service (ETS) recently announced on its Web site that its Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (iBT) would not be available in Korea and Japan in July this year.
Korean students who hoped to take the test in July complained on the Internet that they were being treated unfairly by ETS and demanded an explanation.
In a related development, local reports claimed that registration for the July session was briefly made available through a test-registering site earlier in the day but closed shortly afterward from a lack of registrants.
Students were quoted by the reports as saying the incident belies the official ETS notice and offends them, as they would have registered had they known about it.
Tens of thousands of Korean students take English proficiency tests by ETS each year before they apply to study in English-speaking countries or work for business and government organizations.
DISCUSSION POINTS :
1. Did you hear about this news? How did you react when you heard it?
2. What do you know about ETS?
3. What do you think are the reasons why ETS excluded Korea and Japan from a
session of its new internet-based English proficiency test?
4. Have you taken an internet-based English proficiency exam?
If so, please tell me about it.
5. Do you think internet-based English proficiency exams are an effective tool in
checking a person's English ability? Explain your answer.
6. According to the article, local reports claimed that registration for the July
session was briefly made available through a test-registering site earlier in the
day but closed shortly afterward from lack of registrants. Do you think this
action is appropriate?