By Xiao Xiu

Canadian universities are extending deadlines for English proficiency exams for prospective students in China or looking for other ways to remotely assess language skills after the tests were cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

International students seeking to attend universities in Canada must take one of several standardized English proficiency exams, with deadlines at many schools in February and March.

But the testing agencies that run the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) announced last week that exams in China have been suspended through the end of March. The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), which is used for graduate school admission, is also suspended.

Educational Testing Service, which runs the TOEFL and GRE exams, said it has alerted colleges and universities about the test cancellations and is asking schools to be understanding. IELTS tests are also suspended in Macau until March 1 and Hong Kong until Feb. 24.

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