It marks the eighteenth year of consecutive growth of the test, which is now accepted by 8,000 educational institutions as evidence of English aptitude, as well as professional associations and governments in 135 countries.

“Of the two million tests, the numbers of people taking IELTS to go to the US continues to grow”

IELTS said demand remained high in countries such as China, India, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Turkey, as well as Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Special mention was reserved for the US market – a shot across TOEFL’s bows given that test’s dominance in the America.

Speaking at this week’s NAFSA conference in Missouri, USA – one of the best forums to market to the US HE community – Zach Johnson, CEO at IELTS USA said: “Of the two million tests, the numbers of people taking IELTS to go to the US continues to grow and all of the Top 25 US universities accepting foreign students accept IELTS as proof of English proficiency.”

IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English Language Assessment. It comes in two versions: IELTS Academic, which is used for academic, higher learning environments, and IELTS General Training, used for practical, everyday contexts and suitable for immigration purposes in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK.