As the proposed changes outlined in Strengthening the test for Australian Citizenship (PDF) suggests, "aspiring citizens" will be required to "undertake separate upfront English language testing with an accredited provider and achieve a minimum level of ‘competent’."
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton also outlined in a press release that the English test that applicants will be required to pass involve will involve elements of reading, writing, listening and speaking. This is thought that it will therefore make it equivalent to IELTS level 6.
What does "competent" mean here?
Let's see how the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is scored as a comparative benchmark to define a "competent" English level.
IELTS measures the language proficiency of people who want to study or work where English is used as a language of communication. The test assesses areas including listening, reading, writing and speaking – in less than three hours.
According to the IELTS official site, there are two types of IELTS tests: Academic and General Training.
The General Training type, which focuses on basic survival skills in broad social and workplace contexts, is normally considered easier than the Academic type, and is already a requirement for migration to Australia.
It is therefore more likely to assume that Government's citizenship test will look at the standard of the General type.
Take a look at the marking scale for this below - in particular, score number #6 - which equates to 'Competent'.
IELTS uses a nine-band scale to clearly identify levels of proficiency, from non-user (band score 1) through to expert (band score 9). For band score #6 - or, the skill level "competent" that government expect from new Australians:
Source: IELTS official site
The test taker has an effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and misunderstandings. They can use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations.
Currently, for international students in Australia hoping to study full-time in a recognised education institution, they need need an overall IELTS score of 5.5 for Academic type.
However, most universities set their English proficiency requirement at an overall score of 6.5. For University of Sydney, many faculties and courses actually require an overall band score of 7.0 or better with a minimum score of 6.0 in each of the components.
It is therefore quite hopeful to assume that the new English requirement shall not be a significant obstacle for those young people who successfully manage to accomplish a degree, migrate and live in Australia before applying for citizenship.
Who can be exempted from the English test?
People currently exempt from sitting the Australian citizenship test, for example applicants over 60 years of age, or under 16 years of age at the time they applied for citizenship or those with an enduring or permanent mental or physical incapacity, will be exempt from English language testing.
Who will be affected most by English requirement?
An Business Insider article argues that low failure rate of citizenship test among Indian applicants is "almost certainly related to the higher level of English competency".
Department of Immigration statistics on the citizenship test shows that the failure rate among Chinese applicants was more than seven times higher than it was among Indian applicants. Among Vietnamese applicants it was 17 times higher.
SBS also reports that pass rates vary based on the migration program or visa stream of the applicant, with humanitarian migrants passing 91.2 per cent of the time, and skilled migrants passing 99.7 per cent.
Compared with skilled migrants, whom on average needed to sit 1.1 tests to pass, the family stream need 1.4 tests, and for people in the humanitarian stream, it was 2.4 tests.
Skill migrants were most successful at the citizenship test in 2014-15. Source: DIBP
Given the latest citizenship test change only allows applicants to sit the test three times a year, it may pose a problem for many humanitarian migrants.
"Parents of many highly successful Australians would never have achieved citizenship"
The Multicultural Communities Council of New South Wales (MCC NSW) said that parents of many highly successful Australians would never have achieved citizenship under the new criteria. Dr Anthony Pun, the Chair of the MCC NSW called on the Federal Government to exempt Permanent Residents aged over 55 and all refugees under the humanitarian program from the tough new English tests for citizenship.
According to SBS Mandarin's poll on Chinese social media platform Wechat, 17% of participants who are not yet Australian citizens claim that they had concerns about the new English requirement.
Ms Wei, who is preparing to apply for the citizenship test, said to SBS Mandarin that he was very nervous hearing about the news, especially English language requirement, "I'll put all the things down these days and try my best to pass the citizenship test".
Mr. Lu who "cramped up" and passed citizenship test three months ago felt very lucky: "an English test would be too difficult to me...My English language skill is poor as I learned a little more than 30 years ago but nearly forgot now. "
