BEIJING, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- More test opportunities and quicker results have been promised with the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT) which debuted in China on Friday.

Nearly 500 Chinese examinees took the test in 19 centers located in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Hangzhou and Chengdu.

China has the largest number of TOEFL examinees. In 2005, nearly 90,000 Chinese took TOEFL, accounting for 10 percent of the world's total.

"The on-line registration and on-line score reporting of the TOEFL iBT will make it easier for students to take the test and receive their test scores," said Luo Min, assistant director of China's National Education Examination Authority under the Ministry of Education (NEEA).

The Internet-based delivery platform will also greatly increase the test frequency compared to the previous five paper-based TOEFL tests offered annually, Luo said.

Eighteen TOEFL iBTs will be conducted in China by the end of this year, providing test opportunities for 10,000 Chinese students.

"In 2006, the number of TOEFL iBTs in China will be increased to 30," Luo said.

In contrast to the old paper-based test, the TOEFL iBT has a new speaking section, which includes independent and integrated tasks.

The technology used in the TOEFL iBT ensures unbiased testing by recording responses in the speaking section electronically and sending them to a network of human markers, who objectively score the responses for maximum reliability, according to Friday's China Daily.

The on-line registration system of TOEFL iBT in China started operation on Aug. 25. A single test costs approximately 170 U.S. dollars.

The TOEFL iBT was introduced in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Puerto Rico in 2005.

The second phase of the rollout began on March 25, when selected test centers in Africa, the Americas, Europe, Eurasia, the Middle East and North Africa offered the TOEFL iBT for the first time. Enditem