IELTS exams cancelled across mainland China due to system failure

The British Council has confirmed that widespread IELTS examinations in mainland China were cancelled due to a technical system failure originating in the United Kingdom. The disruption affected multiple test centers, with some candidates receiving cancellation notices after arriving at their venues and others being told to stop mid-exam after completing the listening section.

To address the issue, the British Council announced the cancellation of relevant sessions from October 10 to October 13. Affected candidates will receive full refunds of their registration fees. Additionally, the organization will host free special makeup exam sessions on October 19 and 20. Candidates traveling from other cities may also apply for reimbursement of reasonable transportation and accommodation expenses.

The timing of the failure is particularly critical as many students are currently in the peak application season for universities in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, and Singapore, often requiring language scores to meet conditional admission requirements.