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Introduction
This educational study took place in the small nation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Since the country's formation on December 2, 1971, it has made enormous advances in development. The country was ranked first in the region and 30th globally in the 2011 UN Human Development Index.1 In its 2011 report, the United Nations (UN) cited the UAE as having very high human development, highlighting that in the past 30 years, the life expectancy of an Emirati had increased by 8.4 years and the number of years of education by 4.7.2 To date it has a literacy rate of 91 percent3 with the country spending 1.2 percent of its GDP on education.4 The future development of the country is fuelled by the government's 2021 Vision - one that aims to elevate the UAE to one of the 'best' countries in the world.5 The vision summary highlights the key elements of this initiative:
In a strong and safe union, knowledgeable and innovative Emiratis will confidently build a competitive and resilient economy. They will thrive as a cohesive society bonded to its identity and enjoy the highest standards of living within a nurturing and sustainable environment.6
In the country's aim to produce well-rounded, knowledgeable and creative citizens, it plans to offer a first-rate education. One of the main educational goals is to foster critical thinking and practical skills in order to enable students to perform on par academically with the more advanced nations of the world. This is to include the achievement of high scores on standardized international tests,7 of which the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a part. Since the IELTS examination is the main benchmark used at UAE universities for entrance into higher academic studies, it determines the fate and possible future success of many, if not all, students in the country. Many students have expressed the examination to be culturally biased, a recurring theme that prompted this investigation.
IELTS Examination
The IELTS examination is an internationally recognized standardized test that measures language proficiency. Many universities and colleges around the world now choose to use the IELTS test to assess the language abilities of prospective students, and the UAE is no exception. To get an understanding of how widespread this...