The US Educational Testing Service (ETS) has announced that the seats of internet-based TOEFL tests in China will expand from 1,950 in June to over 3,550 by the end of 2007, an increase of 80 percent in only six months.

According to a press release sent by ETS to Xinhua Tuesday, the expansion is a result of proactive network construction and optimization efforts made by ETS and China's National Education Examinations Authority (NEEA) jointly to meet increased demand for TOEFL tests in China.

"ETS is committed to ensuring that everyone in China who wishes to take the test has an opportunity to do so," says Paul A. Ramsey, Senior Vice President of ETS's Global Division.

The current 73 internet-based TOEFL test sites are located in 28 cities throughout China, including 19 sites in Beijing, eight in Shanghai, five in Nanjing, four in Hangzhou, and four in Tianjin.

TOEFL scores are accepted by more than 6,000 colleges and universities in over 110 countries, and the number of TOEFL test takers in China has been growing steadily in recent years.

(Xinhua News Agency November 14, 2007)