I asked ChatGPT.
The decision to revoke IELTS equivalency in Türkiye was officially made by ÖSYM (Turkish Measurement, Selection, and Placement Center) in 2014. This was due to allegations of irregularities and potential misconduct. The main concerns included:
Unusual Score Discrepancies: Candidates who performed poorly on ÖSYM’s language exams were achieving significantly higher scores on IELTS, raising questions about the test’s reliability.
Cheating and Question Leaks: Investigations found instances of misconduct, such as leaked questions and cheating, particularly in private university-affiliated IELTS test centers.
Lack of Cooperation: When ÖSYM requested access to exam materials and answer sheets from IELTS administrators for verification, the requests were denied, citing confidentiality.
As a result, ÖSYM removed IELTS from its list of accepted language proficiency exams for equivalency, urging candidates to rely on other recognized tests such as TOEFL or YDS.
Here are the resources for further reading:
Milliyet article: OSYM Revokes IELTS Equivalency in 2014 ÖSYM’s official page on equivalency: ÖSYM Equivalency Information
In February 2014, the Turkish Measurement, Selection, and Placement Center (ÖSYM) revoked the equivalency of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam. This decision was primarily due to concerns over irregularities and potential misconduct associated with the IELTS exam in Turkey. Specifically, ÖSYM identified instances where candidates who had previously scored low on ÖSYM’s own language proficiency exams achieved significantly higher scores on the IELTS exam. Further investigations revealed allegations of question leaks and cheating in some IELTS test centers, particularly within certain private universities. When ÖSYM sought to verify these irregularities by requesting original exam documents and answer sheets from the IELTS administering bodies, their requests were denied, citing confidentiality concerns. This lack of cooperation led ÖSYM to question the reliability and integrity of the IELTS exam results within Turkey, ultimately resulting in the removal of IELTS from the list of accepted language proficiency exams.
Consequently, universities and programs in Türkiye now typically accept other English proficiency tests, such as:
TOEFL iBT PTE Academic YDS (Yabancı Dil Sınavı) – a Turkish language proficiency exam Other institution-specific exams.
https://www.milliyet.com.tr/gundem/osym-ielts-sinavlarinin-denkligini-iptal-etti-1837469
https://www.star.com.tr/yazar/ielts-esdegerliginin-kaldirilmasi-haber-844761/