British Council or IDP - Which is best for IELTS?
It is a routine question for us that is asked by the students. who scored band 8 at the time of booking. The test date “British Council or IDP? ” There is a big myth that is very much prevalent in society about “British Council or IDP – Which is best for IELTS?”
Many times we find most students get confused at the time of registering for the IELTS test. They get stuck to choose the best option between the British Council and IDP for booking their test date. To get the answer please read the information given below very carefully.
IELTS is jointly owned by three bodies:
Cambridge Assessment English, British Council, and IDP.
The role of Cambridge Assessment English is to compile the IELTS tests. Whereas, The British Council and IDP are responsible for conducting it.
British Council or IDP (International Development Program)
The marking criteria of the IELTS test at the British Council or IDP are the same and they provide the same certificate. The examiners of both organizations are cross-checked at regular intervals for their marking patterns. It is ensured that they are not marked too high or too low.
IDP is Australian while the British Council is British. However, both use a variety of accents. In the Listening section, the audio that is played could be in any accent, and in the same way. The examiner of the speaking test may come from any English-speaking country. They may have an accent on the country to which they belong. While speaking in front of the examiner you can use the accent you are comfortable with. A few factors that you can consider before registering. The IELTS tests are the location of the test center from your place and the test dates.
You want to feel fresh before appearing for the test. So, always choose a test center that is in a convenient location from your place of stay. The test dates differ between IDP and the British Council so you have got an option to choose the date you want to write down the examination. In addition to this, the IELTS test is always conducted in a hotel, so students coming in their vehicles can park their vehicles on the hotel’s premises.
The only difference that you might encounter at the time of registration is the number of IDP Test Centers is more than the number of British Council Test Centers and the result is that students get more options for dates when registering with IDP. The bottom line is, that you need to focus on the preparation rather than choosing between IDP and British Council. The ambiance of the test centers, examination halls, and overall infrastructures provided by both bodies remain similar. Therefore you can book your test either through the IDP or British Council.
As far as the validity of the IELTS scorecard is concerned; it is of 2 years whether students give the test from the British Council or IDP. Sometimes students feel that the computer-delivered test is easier than the paper-based test. This is a big myth! It is not possible when the test format, question types, time allocated to each test part, and the content for both the computer-delivered test and the paper-based test are the same. Tech-savvy students might prefer to take IELTS on a computer through the British Council or IDP. But, it could be quite dangerous for students having less computer knowledge and poor typing skills because the chances of finishing the test in time will be very low, thereby resulting in a low band in the IELTS test.
The examiners of the British Council or IDP get the same level of training.
Overall, it means that you will get the same test and will not find any difference in marking criteria whether you take the test by booking it through the British Council or IDP.
For more details feel free to contact: Go Abroad Training Institute Private Limited.
