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IDP and British Council, two partners of The International English Language Testing System, or IELTS touted to be the world’s most popular high-stakes English language test, on Thursday announced that British Council will sell its IELTS business in India to IDP.
With this announcement, all IELTS tests in India will be delivered by IDP. Under the terms of the agreement, IDP will acquire 100 per cent of British Council’s India IELTS business for £130 million on a debt free, cash free basis . The terms also outline that British Council employees working on IELTS in India will become part of the IDP team. The transaction is subject to customary conditions with completion expected to occur in August.
“Distributing IELTS through IDP in India will simplify and improve the customer experience for IELTS test takers. As IDP already delivers IELTS in India, the high-quality service provided to IELTS customers will remain the same. To ensure we could continue to deliver on our global cultural relations mission, we explored strategic options for the English examinations business with IDP in India in 2020. The proceeds of the sale will enable British Council to improve its financial position following the impact of Covid-19 on our finances,” said Kate Ewart-Biggs, Interim CEO, British Council.
The IELTS, is the world’s most popular English language test for study and migration and is trusted by more than 10,000 organisations around the world as a secure and reliable indicator of English language proficiency.
“This agreement marks the start of a new chapter for IELTS in India. By bringing together two expert teams, test takers can feel confident they are getting the best experience possible when taking their world-leading test. Our test takers can focus on preparing for their test as planned, and our team is here to make sure everything goes smoothly on test day,” said Andrew Barkla, CEO, IDP.
IELTS’ 30-year history and global partnership model means it has globally-standardised quality and integrity processes already built into every centre’s operations. This agreement will see us move forward with expert teams, a strong strategy and a large geographic footprint across India. Together we are well-placed to help more people in India take the first step in achieving their global study, work and career ambitions, he added.
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