Hi guys,
There are many news channel reports about IELTS fraud overseas to get into Australian residency/jobs.
I know about a migrant did this to achieve higher score to get APHRA registration and working as a Registered Nurse based on his overseas Nursing Degree.
I have no evidence against this person , but I know his English language fluency is not a match for scores of 8 and 8.5. Instead of appearing IELTS exam in Australia he attended that overseas and came back with a score more than enough in each module for registration with APHRA. That was his very first IELTS exam !!!
Isn't this a dangerous trend ? Why there is no action from the government to stop this backdoor entry , especially into the health system? At least they should ask for the overseas applicants to appear IELTS in Australia, can't they ? After knowing personally about such a case , is there anything we could do ?
Please share your opinions.
IELTS Scores for Sale Overseas
Comments
You're off by 3000%.
https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/supporting/Pages/188/in…
Here. Be less ignorant.
Ignorant, is if I actually cared. Lol I dont care who they sell to nor what the figure is as chinese immigration doesn't impact my life nor any bodies I know. Good link, TL;DR.
I reckon that is a very serious allegation against the IELTS system.
Having taken the IELTS exam in three different countries with roughly the same results, I know for a fact that their standards are stringent and the examiners strive to work against the same standard. They also check ID multiple times, against the person appearing in the actual exam. Speaking tests are recorded and as such, there will be an avenue for complaints and scrutiny if required (voice matching etc). I mention speaking because it is the most obvious part of the assessment that we might see — in your case you state that you know the person and can attest that his proficiency is nowhere near. Bear in mind, though, that some accents may be difficult for us to understand and that IELTS does not place an importance on the accent because it is a worldwide exam.
If you really think the person obtained the IELTS results by fraud, I think you should gather evidence and contact IELTS rather than making disparaging comments about systemic failure (e.g., selling IELTS results).
Why there is no action from the government to stop this backdoor entry
As a concerned citizen, have you spoken to your local member of Parliament?
Did you not get the memo. OzB is the soapbox for all life's complaints.
Hi guys,
long time lurker first time poster.IELTS isn't the main test format nowadays. The government started accepting other English tests few years ago , Pearson Test of English (PTE) has taken over the #1 spot. The test is a total scam and i am saying this as a maximum scorer myself. I achieved max scores across all modules of the test.
Before PTE i sat IELTS test 3 times for various reasons and couldn't max out in any of the 4 modules. How PTE gave me highest scores is beyond my comprehension.
While IELTS test is marked by an examiner, PTE is totally computer based. With the introduction of PTE and their broken testing model anyone can get points for superior English by gaming the system. There is a certain PTE Preparation centre with tens of branches in Australia whose preparation model is based not on improving English skills but using tips and tricks to game the system, the founder himself and his tutors have sat hundreds of tests and spent tens of thousand dollars by taking these tests and finding loopholes in the system. He openly boasts about gaming the system on social media and also his business has grown from 1 centre to tens of centres in Australia & overseas.
Great first comment.
You just create the account to leave comment
Which company is this?
Which PTE Preparation centres that use tips and tricks to game the system? I need to increase my scores. Please help …
Here's 2 different perspectives on the topic:
1 - I came here on a student visa 10 years ago, where the minimum requirement was 6 in IELTS to enter the country to study. Half the international students in my class from Asian countries (China/Korea/Japan) had barely any English skills (I certainly don't blame them) and they said they got around 4-4.5 in IELTS. They still got the visa to enter the country and join the course, but they were also enrolled in English courses here which cost the same amount of money for a semester, because the universities and the immigration wanted their money. Question: If 6 is the bare minimum, why let them enrol in the university? I understand it is still the individual's choice by the end of the day, but I still think that when rules are set, immigration and universities shouldnt change the baseline because they want to make money. And personally, I have taken IELTS twice, once when I applied for my student visa and once for my Permanent Residency, and my scores were similar. I know for a fact that, taking IELTS overseas might get you a better score, especially Asian countries because it is evaluated by a native Non english speaker and I have friends who have gone overseas to do this. before anyone asks, I am from India and both my IELTS scores were 8+ and before anyone asks if I gamed the system, NO. I work in a client facing role and my wife is American and I often get asked how come my English skills are good for someone who has come from India. I can guarantee you that it is not easy to game the IELTS system as I have had friends who have taken the test atleast 4 times before they cleared it.
2 - My wife works at an International English school teaching students (ages 18 - 50) from various Asian/South American countries. Lets talk about what happens in this industry, students enrol in the course as a part of their visa and they get charged quite a bit of money, and they get upgraded to the next level quickly because there is more money made from it, when the students clearly don't have the english skills to be at that level and when it comes to the final exam time to get their certifications, most of them FAIL. and I feel sorry for these students because they pay about $6000-8000 for these courses where they should be put in the category that fits their english language skills and not be promoted just because the schools feel that there is more money in it for them.
At the end of the day, IELTS or any other international english standard of examinations are stringent in what they do and how they go about doing it. As someone who has gone through the process, I find it shocking to see how the universities and immigration charge students to let them in. Immigration can control it, but universities don't want it because of the $$$$'s. Same goes for the visa $$$'s that the immigration charges.
before anyone questions on that:
PR - $4000
Partnership Visa - $7000
Cost of medicals, police background check (12 month expiration), Temporary Resident Visa.
IELTS is roughly $400 I last checked.
English language schools charge about $6000-8000.
I know his English language fluency is not a match for scores of 8 and 8.5.
this doesn't mean that they can't pass knowledge exams. we had a student that couldn't communicate verbally in english. they still managed to pass knowledge exams with perfect grades even with their lack of verbal skills.
Google "India fake degrees". This story was featured a few years ago after substantial "tip-offs".
Document fraud is rife overseas. Legal, illegal and all shades in between, are a very big industry for migration into Australia.
It's a serious allegation mate.
While IELTS tests are not ideal and usually do not represent the true ability of one to communicate in English, it has been a defacto standard across the globe for a while now.
Bribing is not something you can do in order to pass your test these days, however the rumors are that it was possible 5-7 years ago in ex-soviet and middle eastern countries.
Getting great test scores through bribes is still easily possible in countries such as Turkey, Tunisia, Algeria etc. I know as because I know a lot of people who have done it and confirmed (and their English language ability is consistent with the fact that they paid for test scores). Plus I deal with a lot of people like that professionally in a pro bono capacity.
In fact, places in Sydney actaually advertise with the fact that they have worked out the algorithm for the PTE test and prepare you for it with keywords so you pass it.
A guy I used to help from Taiwan did the IELTS test 8 times(!) in Australia but always failed the writing module (despite also getting tutoring from IELTS examiners). He went to one of those prep centres in Sydney or Melbourne and passed the PTE first time. I will let anyone draw their own conclusions from that.Which PTE Preparation centre that has worked out the algorithm for the PTE test and prepare people for it with keywords? What is the name of the PTE preparation centre? I am in Melbourne. I need to increase my scores. Please help …
I do not know the name of it - I think it is run by Chinese people and hence the name will be on the Chinese forums on this topic - that's where the guy from Taiwain found it.
However, even if I did know I would not tell you as (a) I do not support dodgy businesses, (b) I am not helping people to circumvent immigration rules as other people, incl. myself had to work hard and do it no matter how stupid it is - hell, I have two Australian degrees, and (c) I am sure that this country does not need any more people trying to have it easy and who do not abide by the rules - too many people have this attitude already.I am sorry but I am sure if you work hard and practise you will succeed. Being able to speak and write English properly is actually a very important skill.
Please understand it is nothing personal but I feel it would be unfair to the people who achieved their permanent residency in the country honestly and legitimately and through hard work.
It is for this reason that I am not friends with the guy from Taiwan anymore and in fact have reported these facts to immigration so these centres can be shut down.
I agree the English tests are stupid for many people such as English natives, people who have PhDs from Australian unis, four year degrees from Aussie unis etc. but for some they are very useful and necessary as I have seen levels of English that are just shocking.
But despite of all of this, that is not a justification to make dodgy businesses rich advertising on forums with the fact that the found a loophole in the system. The system should be changed but the legitimate and proper way.
Sorry.
Hi guys,
Thanks for the valuable inputs.
Seems like some of the commenters didn’t know about what happened in curtin university IELTS centre a few years before. It was a shocking news and questioned the integrity of the test system . There were many news articles in ABC, SBS and other news papers regarding the backdoor process in IELTS system overseas countries such as Philipines, Vietnam India etc.In my understanding there are sub-agents in Australia who takes payment here or overseas and tell the applicants to appear for the exam in one of the specific overseas centre , which they have somehow influenced to alter the results or even have some other IELTS experts to appear for the exam on their behalf.
One of the respected commenter asked me about discussing this with the local member . I haven’t gone through that way , because I thought it may not be an option without any hard evidence with you .
I am not dishing out complaints to a soap box, I thought we could do a healthy discussion and get some inputs from all who willing to participate, and that’s what we do as a community I believe.Are you using your skill with English as a reference point ?
"At least they should ask for the overseas applicants to appear IELTS in Australia, can't they ?"
No they can't. Australia won't grant visa to many high risk countries and it will cost the applicants a lot to travel to Australia for just an English test. I've done my IELTS test in two high risk countries and Australia and got almost the same results. I did not find much difference
The gov is literally selling permanent residencies to the chinese for like $50k each or something. They don't care, as long as they are getting their big chuck of the pie it's all good.