Day in the Life of the IELTS Team

Introduction

Helping international students reach their global goals by providing world-class English language testing is an integral part of IDP Education's mission. Thanks to IELTS, this can be readily achieved through a human-focused approach, aided by technology.

Having recently stepped into his new role as the IELTS Head of Partnerships & Customer Support, and having experience as an international student himself, Vincent Blokker knows as well as anyone how important it is to empower those studying abroad with a high quality language assessment and the resources to help them achieve their goals.

We spoke with Vincent as part of our 'Day in the Life' series to learn more about his journey through the international education sector, the pivotal role IELTS plays in supporting and empowering international students, and more.

Mission

You’ve been with IDP for almost 10 years now. What do you enjoy most about your current role as IELTS Head of Partnerships & Customer Support?

Without a doubt: the people. In my current role I get to work with our very talented IELTS teams across Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, but also other teams from our global network. In April, for example, I attended ICEF ANZA in Perth together with my colleague Rustico from IDP Connect. Looking after key partnerships allows me to connect with some of the 11,000 organisations around the world that accept IELTS.

Can you tell us about what role IELTS plays? How do IELTS and IDP work together to ensure students are adequately prepared for their international education journey?

IELTS delivers the world’s most recognised, reliable, and secure English language test. Our approach is human and empathetic - overlaid with technology - to empower test takers to achieve the result they want. By providing the most reliable assessment of a student’s English language proficiency, we’re enabling their future success. It’s part of IDP’s commitment to put students first by connecting them to life-changing study opportunities.

Programs and Support

According to Emerging Futures II, English language skills are listed as one of the top concerns for students looking to study abroad. Do you think international students are becoming more adept with the English language, or should more be done to make English-language learning more accessible?

International students must learn English as a second language to study in English-speaking countries. Learning any language is a complex and challenging process that requires time, effort, and practice. That being said, there are many resources available to help international students improve their English language skills. There are also many resources when students start preparing for their English test. Our IELTS by IDP app, for example, has been downloaded more than 500,000 times!

What is something you wish more people knew about IELTS?

Over 70% of our test takers achieve their desired result on their first attempt, and our IELTS teams genuinely want to support our test takers to achieve their goals. You only have to look at the hashtag #MyIELTSResults to see some of the 50,000 fantastic success stories of our test takers as they go on to achieve their dreams.

With Australia continuing to rebound from recent years, what lessons have you taken from the pandemic and incorporated into your role?

During the pandemic, we shifted to hybrid and remote learning and teaching models. Even in English language testing, we’ve seen some testing providers pivot towards using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assess people.

For me, however, the pandemic underscored the importance of effective communication – genuine and honest communication between people. As real people delivering the IELTS test, we can be empathetic, and we can operate cutting edge technology. This powerful combination gives the most accurate result for organisations that rely on IELTS scores.

As someone who has come from a non-English-speaking background yourself, how has this influenced the way you perform your role at IELTS?

I moved from The Netherlands to Australia for study. This provided me with a deeper sense of understanding of the challenges international students face. I still have my IELTS Test Report Form from when I first applied back in 2008!

I remember how nervous I was, but also the sense of relief and pride when I achieved the score I needed for university. Now, 16 years later, prospective students still share that same sense of pride. That’s why I love seeing people share their results on social media. Those stories keep me focused on empowering our test takers to achieve their best score.

Looking forward

IELTS is constantly growing, with new offices opening every month across the globe. Are there any exciting updates or projects that IELTS is currently working on which you can share with us?

Yes! To help our universities attract the broadest range of high-quality applicants, and for our test takers achieve their global goals, we've developed IELTS One Skill Retake. IELTS One Skill Retake allows test takers to re-attempt one of the four skills from the complete IELTS test: Listening, Reading, Writing or Speaking.

IELTS One Skill Retake is currently available in Australia. It is accepted by the Australian Department of Home Affairs, and will be launched around the world during 2023. There is an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from test takers and universities. To receive and verify IELTS One Skill Retake results, organisations need to register.

If you have questions about IELTS, you can connect with Vincent Blokker on LinkedIn, by email or through your Client Director.