IELTS test fees increased

The fee for IELTS will be increased from 1,250 yuan(US$151) to 1,450 yuan from Monday.
The increase was announced by the British Council, which operates in China as the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy, reported Shenzhen Daily on Tuesday. 
However, candidates who register for any IELTS test before Sep.13 or who have registered for the October test will not be affected, British Council sources said in Guangzhou on Monday.
The rise will cover increased costs of test development, production and delivery in the United Kingdom and China.
It also takes into account a 12 percent rise in the exchange rate of the Pound Sterling to RMB over the past year, an increase in inflation and an increase in the cost of travel by test administration and assessment staff to test centers in China.
"The cost of running IELTS tests has been increasing in recent years, but we still want to maintain our high quality services. This is the first IELTS price increase in 3 years. We are trying our outmost to provide the best customer experience for our IELTS candidates, so they can concentrate on scoring well in the test," said Brendan McSharry, Director of Examinations Service for the British Council in China.