Over 20 Chinese attended the first International English Language Testing System (IELTS) held Saturday in Chongqing, the largest metropolis in western China.

IELTS, jointly organized by Britain and Australia, is a system to evaluate students' English language skills. The test is held at 250 sites in more than 100 countries each year. Chongqing is the fourteenth city in China to hold IELTS.

Matthew Burney, the cultural consul of the British Consulate General in Chongqing, said the opening of the testing center in Chongqing will help more Chinese youngsters study abroad.

It is reported 20,000 Chinese young people went to Britain last year to study.