23 February 2004 - The British Council and the National Education Examinations Authority (NEEA) signed an agreement today to co-operate on the delivery of the IELTS examination in China.

　　IELTS is owned and developed by the British Council, the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, and IDP Education Australia. IELTS has become a standard English assessment for candidates who want to immigrate and study abroad. IELTS is well-known by embassies, universities, professional bodies and companies worldwide, as well as candidates, as a comprehensive test of English skills.

　　According to the agreement, NEEA and the British Council will co-operate to deliver the IELTS examination in China (except in HongKong, Macao and Taiwan). NEEA will be responsible for IELTS registration, answering candidate enquiries, and setting up and managing test centres. As a representative of the IELTS network, the British Council will be responsible for providing test materials, test invigilating and test marking throughout China. The British Council operates in China as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy in Beijing and the Cultural and Education Section of the British Consulates-General in Chongqing, Guangzhou and Shanghai. This agreement will enable the high quality of IELTS delivery to be maintained. The co-operation between NEEA and the British Council will greatly improve customer service delivery for IELTS throughout China. There will be no changes to the test itself.

　　For further information, please contact Tracy Driscoll on 6590 6903 Ext. 248 or e-mail tracy.driscoll@britishcouncil.org.cn or Liu Jia on 6590 6903 Ext. 323 or e-mail liu.jia@britishcouncil.org.cn