Terms and Conditions of use of ILTO products

ILTO - The International Language Testing Organization is a United States Limited Liability Company established in the state of Florida, which follows US regulations and is protected by US agencies to assure its users the use of reliable English Language Communications scores for the individual purpose, under similar opportunity conditions of test performance to guarantee the score validity.

Following the terms and conditions applied to all the ILTO products. By clicking on the accept terms and conditions box, you agreed with all the policies and accept further actions involving the protection the consistency and reliability of all ILTO products.

Confidentiality

ILTO understands that we are dealing with personal information of individuals who administer, rate and take the tests, and thus acknowledges their right to information privacy. ILTO is concerned with protecting the information stored in our servers and thus we only disclose information under the express authorization of the individual, nevertheless ILTO reserves the right to reveal information under the following cases:

* ILTO may reveal score data for verification purposes with organizations where an individual has submitted a certificate. This data will be available under the Certificates Validation section in the website, under the assumption that the individual acknowledges that the organizations have the right to validate the scores in the certificate.

* TECS scores will be used for research, statistical and psychometric purposes where permanent analysis is being performed by ILTO Academic Department, without taking into account the test takers’ personal information.

* The TECS certificates and information will be available in the test administrator’s dashboard where the individual took the test, under the assumption that the test taker acknowledges that it is mandatory to provide personal information to fill in the administrator forms and to display in the TECS certificate to identify the test information.

* The personal and organizational information of the test taker and the test administrator will be disclosed if local government authorities require it as part of an investigation concerning violations of the law or behaviors that put in danger the test security or reliability.

ILTO use of the individuals’ personal data

By registering to ILTO as administrator or test taker and providing data such as identification, or your picture or company logo, you expressly allow ILTO to utilize such information for information purposes to ILTO third parties interested in knowing more about the organizations using our products or performing demographic studies regarding our test takers, test administrators and raters. You also allow ILTO to use your contact information to send you relevant materials concerning your test performance and strategies to improve or maintain your English language level. These emails may include links from third parties involving possible offers on courses or training material.

Information storage and certificates issue

ILTO undertakes several strategies to protect the information of the organizations, raters and test takers registered in our dashboard. Servers are secure and policies are implemented to avoid unauthorized information disclosure, unless the country government or private agencies require this information for criminal or fraud attempts investigations. ILTO reserves the right to keep the test takers information and scores for a maximum of three years, time after which ILTO is no longer responsible for test takers information or their scores.

Questions about the items and scores disputes

The academic team at ILTO is made of a group of professionals who design and write test items following the item creation cycle consisting in three steps: creation, validation, publication. ILTO follows standardized processes that assure the reliability of the items in order to keep to consistency of the scores in all the test takers.

The TECS affordably assesses the English proficiency level of test takers in a timely manner through a comprehensive items bank, based on updated topics used by people in real communication contexts. These topics have to do with so today´s cultural reality such as music, sports, social networks, world news, technology and other general interest topics that assess real communication among individuals in a day-to-day basis. The TECS measures the test takers performance in their production and perception areas, through four different sections. Language production assessed through speaking and language use sections and Language perception evaluated through reading comprehension of different text samples, including iconographic interpretation as well as listening or real communication samples such as government debates, radio shows, TV news among others. TECS results are standardized according to the Common European Framework for Language Reference – CEFR.

The academic team, permanently oversees the quality of the test items, nonetheless, ILTO understands that there may be questions, concerns or comments regarding test items or test scores; for information or request on this matter, the individual should send write to info@iltoexams.com with the corresponding information.

With the aim of making the TECS a more accessible test, where results can be issued in a timely manner, ILTO has opened the administrators the possibility or rating the speaking skills of the test takers. The scores for the speaking skills are validated by a set of rubrics that are followed by raters and which are verified to make scores reliable to test takers and organizations. Should the individual require further information or have a special request on this matter, the individual should send write to info@iltoexams.com with the corresponding information.

Annulment of TECS certificates at ILTO

The effective use of the TECS certificates relies on reporting the English Communication skills of an individual after taking a test, under a secure environment that reveals the transparency and individual performance of each test taker. As a result ILTO makes special emphasis on assuring that all the individuals taking the test, undergo the same process to perform tasks that serve as an evidence of their communication skills in the second language. Thus overseeing that no indivual has supplementary benefits that do not reflect the knowledge of the language, but demonstrate the use of certain doubtful activity in the process, is of utmost importance.

In compliance with the above, ILTO reserves the right to perform the annulment of TECS certificates where there is evidence of behavioral or irregular actions that disturb the impartial result of the test takers or the consistency of the items. As completely discretionary of ILTO and without prejudice or permission of the test taker or test administrator, ILTO may open an investigation to the test taker and thus the TECS certificate will be held until the investigation has determined the identity and legitimacy of the test taker and the test scores. You expressly acknowledge that the result of this investigation may have an effect on the individual’s criminal record in the country where the test is taken. In addition ILTO and the TECS are protected by the United States of the America anti-identity theft and antifraud regulations, which may derive in a US based investigation; as well as the prohibition of the possibility taking the test in any of the test administrator organizations around the world. ILTO also reserves the right to share the results of the investigation to third parties to prevent the individual’s fraudulent actions in the future.

Following the causes (not limited) that would result in the commencement of an investigation case and feasibly the annulment of the TECS certificate:

*The use of techniques that suggest that the test taker has performed actions that allowed the gaining of advantage to answer the test items, such as the memorization of the test items, test topics or any kind of trickery to answer the test without the corresponding knowledge of the language.

* The assistance of an individual that, by using technological tools, answers the test instead of the registered test taker, becoming a variation of identity theft.

* Disruption of the test administration that may result in the dispute of test scores, caused by external factor such as technological issues, computer configuration, extreme weather or other that affect the normal development of the test.

* If there are issues with the test administrator premises or procedures that are evidence of dishonest actions or fraudulent actions. In cases where there is evidence of fraudulent or doubly behavior by the test administrator and it has been determined is involved in criminal and fraudulent actions; ILTO at its sole discretion, may terminate the contract with the test administrator. Annulment of certificates may take place, even if the there is no clear evidence of the test taker doubtful or dishonest behavior.

* According to the United States of America, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Identity Theft occurs when someone assumes the identity of another person, to perform a fraud or other criminal act. ILTO considers this a major fraudulent behavior, which will result in the immediate annulation of the certificate, the insertion in the fraud alert report of the test taker, lifetime ban to take the test in any test administrator location around the world and notify the local organization and government authorities, which will perform the corresponding investigation.

If any of the above fraud behaviors are detected in a test taker, ILTO reserves the right to immediately dismiss the test taker from the test administrator’s premises and open the corresponding fraud case. The test taker scores will be cancelled and the test fee will not be reimbursed. You herein acknowledge that if the tests taker performs threatening or aggressive behavior, the test administrator personnel reserves the right to request support of the organization Security Company or local government authorities. ILTO Liability policy

You herein acknowledge that ILTO is not liable for any test taker moral or economic damage, harm or loss for the annulation of the certificate, banning of the test for future test dates or any action resulting from the notification of the test taker to local organization or government authorities.

Terms and conditions amendments and modifications

ILTO reserves the right to make modifications, to the current document, according to the laws, technological advances or other reasons that the ILTO considers important for the security and reliability of its products and its test administrators and other stakeholders.

Legal jurisdiction and disputes

You herein agree that legal actions deriving from this document will be ruled under the regulation of the United States of America and the State of Florida, without concerns of the principles of conflict of laws. Any legal action related to these terms, condition must be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in the State of Florida, and you agree to the jurisdiction of those courts.