TOEIC test takers' average scores hit new high in Taiwan

Taipei, July 9 (CNA) Taiwanese who took the TOEIC test -- an English proficiency test -- in 2024 posted their best average score on the test since it was first offered in Taiwan in 2001, the provider of the test locally said Wednesday.

Taiwanese averaged 581 (out of a maximum 990) on the test formally known as Test of English for International Communication, up 13 points from 2023, said Taipei-based exam service company Chun Shin Ltd.

TOEIC test takers who improved the most were those aged between 15 and 17, said Chun Shin, which attributed to the age group's average score of 622 -- up 38 points from 2023 -- to universities in Taiwan listing the test score as a reference in school applications.

Meanwhile, the age group with the highest average score of 634 was the 25-29 age group, possibly because of the demands of the job market which people in the age bracket were entering, Chun Shin said.

In a report released in mid-May by ETS (formerly known as the Educational Testing Service) on TOEIC test takers worldwide in 2024, 27 percent of them took the TOEIC test for job application purposes, 26 percent for learning, and 26 percent for graduation.

In the report, based on answers provided by test takers in a questionnaire before taking the test, Taiwan was listed along with Japan, China and South Korea for the large portion of test takers replying "that they had to use English for only 1 to 10 percent of their daily life."

Japan came in first at 44 percent, Taiwan and China were both at 43 percent, and South Korea at 39 percent, according to the ETS report, which noted that "the vast majority of test takers (nearly 3.23 million) included in this report are from Asia."

While 32 percent of all test takers indicated that reading was the English language skill they used most often, test takers in Taiwan had the highest portion saying reading was their most-used English skill at 42 percent, followed by China and Peru, both at 39 percent, according to the ETS report.

In 2024, test takers in Lebanon posted the highest average score of 853 among the 39 "native countries" listed in the ETS report, followed by Germany's 811 and India's 772.

Costa Rican test takers posted an average score 768 -- the highest in Latin America -- followed by Peru's 724. In Asia, the Philippines' 719 was only second to India, with South Korea's 678 and Malaysia's 668 coming in third and fourth, respectively.

Test takers in China posted an average score of 561, while Hong Kong test takers score an average 547, Indonesia an average 468, Myanmar an average 580 and Vietnam an average 570.