With approximately 89% of the UAE’s population being expatriates, moving abroad for higher education and job opportunities is common. In this region, the US, the UK, Canada and Australia are among the most popular countries that people immigrate to as a gateway to overall growth. Pearson’s 2021 Global Learning Survey (GLS) found that 72% of college students have a new sense of urgency for completing their education and with the pandemic settling down and borders opening up, many are interested in immigrating. In fact, in 2022, UCAS International reported that it has received 2,950 applications from UAE students, 17% more than last year, to study in the UK.
"To be able to move to English majority countries, an English language proficiency test is necessary for residential, student and work visas. But how can stakeholders ensure that the test scores are valid? When a test is graded by a human, a candidate’s gender, appearance, personality or body language can play into it. For this reason, an automated scoring system such as the one used in the Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic proficiency test ensures accuracy," says Ipek Aydin, Head of PTE for the Middle East & North Africa.
The benefits of automated scoring
Automated scoring has been proven to provide analytical, objective results. Candidates are judged purely on their language performance, and stakeholders can be confident that scoring is consistent across the globe. This requires continuous validation studies to ensure that the machine’s scores are comparable to that given by skilled human raters.
The PTE Academic test uses 100% unbiased AI-based evaluation, which has been perfected through hours of research by leading experts. Pearson’s automated system acts like a human when assessing language skills, but with the precision, consistency and objectivity of a machine. The AI-based scoring pattern utilized in the test compares each scorer’s responses against the Global Scale of English.
Going beyond our network
PTE Academic can be taken in a wide choice of secure test centers across 115 countries or online at home. In the UAE, candidates can take the test at the official test centres such as The Exam Preparation and Testing House located at Dubai Silicon Oasis, or JnS Training & Testing Centre in Business Bay or at the UAE Academy in Abu Dhabi.
Recently, we joined forces with UCAS International for postgraduates looking to study in the UK and have also acquired Mondly, a global online language learning platform. With these types of partnerships, Pearson is building an extensive portfolio for English language learning. Institutions in Australia, the US, the UK, Canada, New Zealand and more recognise PTE Academic for its automated scoring technologies and is accepted to put forward for study and migration visas.
With automated scoring, aspiring migrants can rest assured that their score is absolute and that the institutions they apply to receive an accurate assessment of their English abilities.
Select your test date and book a PTE Academic test today - https://www.pearsonpte.com/test-centers-and-fees