On October 10, 2026, the IELTS exams in various parts of China were abruptly canceled. Some candidates were informed to leave halfway through the exam, while others broke down in tears outside the exam venue due to the urgent need to confirm their language scores for admission eligibility. Customer service from the exam organizers mentioned that the exams scheduled for the 11th have also been canceled.
According to a report from the “New Beijing News” on October 10, many candidates received text messages notifying them of the exam cancellation due to technical issues, with exam fees set to be fully refunded to their registered accounts within one working day.
The British Council, known as BC, confirmed through their service center that the IELTS full exam and individual subject retests scheduled for the 10th and 11th by the organization had been canceled across multiple locations in China. Candidates in urgent need of taking the exam were advised to register for the nearest available session, with exams scheduled to proceed normally after the 13th.
Staff from the IELTS exam registration hotline stated that candidates who had already taken the speaking test would not have their results disclosed.
As reported by the “Cover News,” a candidate named Xiao Zhang from Shanghai mentioned that around 9:30 AM after completing the listening test, exam staff entered the room and announced the cancellation, instructing candidates to remove their headphones and leave the premises. Xiao Zhang discovered upon retrieving his phone that a cancellation message had been sent by the exam organizers at 9:29 AM.
Xiao Zhang, a university senior student who had prepared for the exam for two months and had taken a day off for it, expressed that on-site staff assured a full refund but did not provide a clear plan for rescheduling the exam, leaving candidates to arrange their own follow-up exam appointments.
According to accounts from interviewed candidates, the sudden exam cancellation notices caught many off guard, with some initially suspecting it as a scam until verifying with the exam centers to confirm the cancellations.
A candidate from Lanzhou, Xiao Ren, shared that she received the notification right before leaving home, while the exam center staff initially seemed unaware. She had planned to apply to Hong Kong universities on October 15 and now needs to find an available exam seat. Local seat availability is limited, and if seats fill up, she would have to travel to another city for the test.
Another candidate from Zhuhai mentioned the anguish of discovering the exam cancellation only after completing the speaking section. One candidate urgently needed the language scores to confirm their admission eligibility and broke down in tears upon hearing the news. The remaining exam slots in Zhuhai are now scheduled into November.
Interviewed candidate Xiao Niu mentioned that most examinees at her exam center were preparing for the fall 2027 university admissions, urgently requiring the IELTS scores to align with their application schedules. The abrupt cancellation left many students in despair.
Xiao Zhang expressed that a refund of the registration fee does not cover the expenses incurred for preparation, taking time off, and travel. He suggested that the exam organizers increase the available exam slots or offer fee waivers and discounts.
Candidates interviewed from Wuhan and Shenzhen also voiced their discontent, mentioning that some had traveled from other cities for the exam, bearing the costs of transportation and accommodation, thus finding it hard to accept only a refund of the exam fee, and calling for additional exam sessions.
A Weibo user questioned, “Is a refund enough?” indicating that candidates traveling across regions also face costs related to transportation, accommodation, and taking time off work.
When interviewed in the afternoon of October 10, staff from the IELTS registration website mentioned that they, too, had received last-minute notices of the exam cancellations from the exam organizers. As for the specific reasons behind the technical failures, compensatory measures, and potential additional exam slots, the staff stated that details were not clear at the moment.
As per the introduction on the IELTS website, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a trusted language assessment system by governments, employers, and thousands of universities worldwide. IELTS has long been considered a benchmark for English language evaluations, aiding individuals in achieving professional, personal, and academic goals.