New teachers of English in Hong Kong’s primary and secondary schools will face a different proficiency test starting from the next academic year, the Education Bureau of Hong Kong SAR announced on March 27. From the 2024/25 school year onward, the written and speaking assessments of the Language Proficiency Assessment (LPA) will be replaced by the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic Module. According to the new guidelines, English teachers lacking a degree in English or specialized language training must attain an overall IELTS score of 7.5, with a minimum of 7 in each component—listening, reading, writing, and speaking. The validity of IELTS test scores will be extended to two years.