Amid growing competition within the local English language assessment industry, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is differentiating itself by maintaining human intervention in its examinations while integrating artificial intelligence (AI), in accordance with the British Council, a co-owner of IELTS.
“With IELTS, what we’re really happy with in terms of the service and the test that we provide is that there continues to be human intervention,” Danica Tuliao, senior exams marketing manager at British Council Philippines, said in an interview throughout the organization’s annual exams partner gathering.
“In our speaking test, we have now a live human examiner that test takers speak with because that’s actually the perfect measure of the way you communicate with people,” she added.
Ms. Tuliao said the English language assessment landscape locally has develop into increasingly competitive lately, with providers offering specialized examinations for industries resembling healthcare, in addition to fully AI-based tests that don’t require interaction with a human examiner.
Despite these developments, she said IELTS continues to adopt a hybrid approach by integrating AI features while preserving human assessment in key components of the examination process.
“We actually feel strongly that the IELTS (approach) can definitely address the aim of every test taker and help them achieve their dreams and goals,” Ms. Tuliao said in mixed English and Filipino.
The British Council has incorporated AI-powered tools into its IELTS Ready Premium preparation platform, allowing test takers to trace their progress and receive automated support while preparing for the examination.
The worldwide English proficiency testing market is estimated at $3.1 billion in 2025 and is projected to succeed in $5.5 billion by 2032, in accordance with market research firm Metastat.
This represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5% between 2025 and 2032.
Ms. Tuliao said English language assessments resembling IELTS remain crucial for people looking for opportunities overseas, particularly for studying, working, and migrating to countries that require proof of English proficiency.
Different institutions, professions, and countries impose various rating requirements depending on the extent of English language competency required. — Edg Adrian A. Eva