Statement from ETS on TOEFL
Cancellation at Three Test Centers in China
ETS representatives have confirmed that TOEFL test administrations at three test centers in China were cancelled on November 15th when it was discovered that the audio-cassettes for the listening portion of the test were actually cassettes for another ETS test, the Test of Spoken English. Careful investigation revealed that the unusual mis-shipment appears to be the result of human error.
The affected testing centers were located at Zhengzhou University, Shandong University, and Heilongjiang University.
While ETS's representative in China, NEEA attempted to solve the problem, due to circumstances beyond their control, the correct tapes could not be sent to the universities in time to avoid canceling the test. NEEA immediately announced to the 433 candidates who were at the test centers at the time of the test that they could either get a full refund of their testing fees, or take a free make-up test.
Following a period of consultation with students and partners, a retest date of Dec. 13, 2003 has been scheduled to help students obtain their scores at the earliest possible time.
ETS is also providing NEEA with an official explanation of the incident that will be placed on their web site. Students may print it out and mail it, or send it electronically to the colleges where they are applying, to notify them of the delay in scoring. The notice will explain that the delays are through no fault of the test taker.
ETS regrets any inconvenience to the TOEFL candidates affected by the cancellations and is taking measures to ensure this does not happen again. ETS is working closely with NEEA to implement an improved process to ensure that all shipments are correct in advance of the test day.
Students with questions or concerns about the TOEFL exam should contact:
ETS
Phone: 1-609-771-7100
Fax: 1-609-771-7710
Email: [email protected]
Mail: TOEFL Services
Educational Testing Service
PO Box 6151
Princeton, NJ 08541-6151 USA
NEEA
Tel: 010-62512994
E-mail:[email protected]
Website:www.51test.com
譯文
美國教育考試服務中心關於取消中國三處考點託福考試的聲明
美國教育考試服務中心(ETS)的代表證實，由於託福考試聽力部分的磁帶被誤寄為用於英語口語測試(TSE)的磁帶，中國三處考點11月15日進行的託福考試已經被取消。經調查發現，這次少見的誤寄可能是人為失誤造成的。
受影響的考點分別設在鄭州大學、山東大學和黑龍江大學。
教育部考試中心作為ETS在華的合作單位，已經為解決這個問題盡了最大努力。由於適用的考試磁帶無法被及時送達有關考點，教育部考試中心立刻宣布，433名當時來考點參加考試的考生可以獲得考試費用的全額退款或免費參加補考。
ETS和教育部考試中心經過與考生及有關單位的廣泛協商，將補考日期確定為2003年12月13日，以便考生盡早獲得託福考試成績。
目前，ETS正在就本次事件向教育部考試中心做出正式說明，ETS和考試中心的官方網站上也將發布該說明。考生可列印並通過郵寄或電子郵件方式將說明寄給其正在申請的學校，通知考分延誤情況。該正式說明將解釋延誤並非由於考生的失誤所致。
ETS為考試取消給考生造成的不便表示歉意。ETS正在採取多項措施，確保類似事件不再發生。ETS目前正在與教育部考試中心密切合作，實施改進措施，保證考試日期之前的所有寄送工作準確無誤。
如考生需要查詢或瞭解關於託福考試的詳細信息，請聯絡：
美國教育考試服務中心(Educational Testing Service)
電話：1-609-771-7100
傳真：1-609-771-7710
電子郵件：[email protected]
地址：TOEFL Services
Educational Testing Service
PO Box 6151
Princeton, NJ 08541-6151 USA
教育部考試中心
電話：010-62512994
電子郵件：[email protected]
網頁：www.51test.com
