Equipment Failures Disrupt IELTS Exam in Dhaka, IDP Offers Retests

Severe mismanagement and audio equipment failures marred the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) examination on 27 July at Kushiara International Convention Hall test center, leaving numerous candidates distressed and their aspirations at risk. IDP Bangladesh has announced alternative arrangements for affected students, as confirmed by popular English teacher and IELTS trainer Munzereen Shahid on social media.

Candidates at Kushiara International Convention Hall faced significant issues during the Listening section, including headphones with no sound, mid-test audio interruptions, and a lack of adequate backup systems. Some reported that the exam started nearly two hours late and extended until 8:30 pm, forcing them to endure hunger, fatigue, and mental stress. The test centers provided insufficient water or food, and guardians waiting outside received no updates, adding to their anxiety.

Muhammad Shahedul Islam, a candidate, detailed his ordeal on Facebook: “In Listening Part 1, one side of my headphone didn’t work. Parts 2 and 3 were fine, but in Part 4, the headphone kept pausing and eventually stopped completely. I informed the invigilator immediately, but the replacement headphone arrived late, with only 12-14 seconds of audio left. I couldn’t answer, and this impacted my Reading and Writing sections.”

Many candidates expressed outrage on social media, noting that the exam fee, exceeding Tk 28,000, made such irregularities unacceptable. “With such a high fee, conducting the exam without a backup plan exposed us to chaos and negligence,” one candidate wrote.

In response, IDP Bangladesh has offered affected candidates several remedies via email: a free retest for the Standard IELTS (Paper-Based) or UKVI IELTS (Computer-Based), free Enquiry on Results (EOR) services after results are published, and an additional free retest if candidates remain dissatisfied with their scores. IDP has not yet issued a formal statement to the media, and candidates are seeking clear timelines for these commitments. The Daily Campus attempted to contact IDP Bangladesh but found it unavailable.

The incident has sparked calls for improved oversight and infrastructure to ensure reliable IELTS test administration in the future.