IELTS partners consulted security experts and technology companies to develop the biometrics system they say is “specifically designed to fit the purpose of high-stakes language testing”.

“Governments accepting IELTS test results have welcomed the measures and positive feedback has also been received from test takers themselves, who appreciate the time that is saved by the use of finger scanning technology to enter test rooms on test day,” the company said in a statement.

Admissions staff will be able to access the verification service website to see for themselves a high resolution photograph of each person who presents for a test, explained John Belleville, Global IELTS Director with IDP IELTS.

“When you start to hear about biometrics you think about large banks, military applications and things like that and here we are a testing business but we had a need,” he said.

“We had to meet a cost measure that wasn’t going to increase the test taker fee for sitting an IELTS test”

Belleville said the company was looking for a system that was  “unobtrusive, globally recognised and transportable” for the 900 locations in 135 countries where the test is available.

“Also we had to meet a cost measure that wasn’t going to increase the test taker fee for sitting an IELTS test,” he added.

The new security protocols will be in use from the moment test takers sit the exam. High resolution photos will be included in the Test Report Form made available to all organisations.

IELTS is offered in two versions, IELTS Academic to measure English language proficiency needed for an academic, higher learning environment and IELTS General Training to gauge proficiency in a practical, everyday context and is suitable for immigration purposes to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English Language Assessment. Its test results are used by more than 8,000 education institutions, governments, professional registration bodies and employers around the globe to provide accurate and reliable measurement of English language proficiency.