TOEFL考试遇到惨案应该怎么办？

8月20日，有些学生收到了ETS的回信：妈的！这根本不是unusual situation，在中国这是common situation。

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20111112054629/http://www.lixiaolai.com/archives/7333.html

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> By Li Xiaolai · 2009-08-19 · [Original (web archive)](https://web.archive.org/web/20111112054629/http://www.lixiaolai.com/archives/7333.html) (Chinese)
> Our translation from the Chinese original.

The following is the content of an email I received:

> [Translator's note: quoted by the author: this is a reader's letter that Li Xiaolai quotes in full; it is kept in the original Chinese and not translated, and it is not counted in the ratio. Not Li Xiaolai's words.]
>
> 7.25IBT惨案之维权的几点建议，
>
> 7月25日ibt考试，由于其系统本身问题造成很多考试人员没有成绩，而ETS和NEEA置此事件于不顾，公然浪费大家时间，不给解决办法。从8月12日以来，不断发邮件到ETS，得到的回复总是让联系NEEA，然而NEEA又总是推脱说ETS没有出处理结果。然而接线员所传出各种可能结果不断，然而这么长时间过去却没有任何可以让人接受的回复。鉴于这些，我想我们应该采取一些其它办法，利用可能的途径促使ETS尽快给出满意的答复。
>
> 现在ETS存在的问题如下：
>
> 1. 系统自身存在问道，导致我们答案丢失，这在开始结束后就应该知道，考试结束一周之内应该采取相关的补救措施，而ETS无视大家的辛勤付出，直到现在离考试都差不多一个月了还没有回复。
>
> 2. ETS将自身的责任总是向NEEA方推诿，显然没有积极的正面的来重视处理这次事件，而是在采取拖延时间化解这次事件。
>
> 3. NEEA对这次事件并没给什么明确的回复，所传出的各种回复，都是接线员的一些个人的判断，至于官方如何处理，什么时候处理，并不清楚。NEEA的这种不作为直接造成大家日间成本的积达浪费，而且还使大家心理造成巨大阴影，甚至直接阻碍了大家的出国计划，可能对大家将来的发展都有重大影响。
>
> 现在可能的解决办法：
>
> 1. 大家商议再拟一封邮件，以ETS自身系统的故障，造成参考者个人合法财产严重受损（这其中包括大家的复习时间，报名的费用，异地考试的路宿费用，还有考试后得知ETS系统故障而不出成绩时的心理阴影，大家正常的出国计划受阻很可能浪费大家的一年时间，各种咨询电话费用，为这件事而花去的本可以用于其他事的时间，还有就是很可能直接影响大家的将来的发展）,以这些为条件强烈要求其作出回复，同时希望大家同心协力的寻找在海外的亲戚和朋友写一份这次损失的维权报告在美国的报刊上公开发表，强烈抨击ETS对这次事件的不理会态度和不作为行为。以此迫使ETS回复。
>
> 2. 同时大家共同商议一个可以接受的处理底线，和我们可以用于谈判的筹码，找一个人代表大家直接和NEEA官方谈判，寻找最确切的答复，而每天打电话，都得到不一样的回复。
>
> 如果大家这次不作出一次有力的回击，这种事件还有可能大范围发生。因为现在ETS已经很明确的说，这次事件是系统的问题造成数据丢失。所以如果大家重考，大多集中在九月份，这又是考生很多的时候，很有可能还会出现类似事件，如果系统不变，这种事件谁也说不准大家会不会再次碰到，如果下次在这样，那么今年的申请就没有办法再完成，也就是说最低的损失也是会浪费大家4个月时间。希望大家能够理性的看待这次时间，并思考可能最好的解决办法。
>
> 这是我和同学商量的一些建议，也发给大家，希望大家能有什么更好的想法，可以直接发到这个邮箱，或者商议时间在QQ上共同讨论应对措施，这种事件如果各自奋战难以得到满意的答复。

The following is my reply:

> Here is my personal view, for reference only:
>
> 1. Don't spend any more effort on [Translator's note: the original writes 再, literally "again"; 在 ("on") is likely meant; it reads either way and is translated as written] "defending your rights." "Defending your rights" is of course not wrong, but the reality you test takers may be facing is that time is pressing, so hurrying to register again and getting an applicable score before mid-December may be the right path. And **"defending your rights" must in no case come at the cost of sacrificing your own future.**
> 2. This matter is currently very hard to resolve in China. Because the responsibility does not lie entirely with ETS; more of the responsibility lies with NEEA [Translator's note: the National Education Examinations Authority, which administers the TOEFL in China]—but domestic institutions of this kind won't be brought down by a lawsuit, and they're not at all afraid of dragging things out with anyone.
> 3. I have been following this matter all along; my database has already collected and accumulated the records of several hundred victims of the single-digit disaster [Translator's note: 个位数惨案, "single-digit disaster," refers to TOEFL test takers who received inexplicable single-digit section scores, which Li Xiaolai had been documenting], <http://www.lixiaolai.com/archives/1893.html>, but ETS's response has not been very positive either; every so often it just asks me to take that report off my website, and as for an attitude of solving the problem, it hasn't shown one even once. But I won't give up; it's just that the time hasn't come yet. Everything requires waiting patiently for the right moment.
>
> So, my view is: **I hope everyone hurries to register again and take the exam, and swallows the loss for now; don't let this affect your whole life.** For now you can only take [Translator's note: the original writes 那, literally "that"; 拿 ("take") is meant; translated by the intended sense] the saying "for a gentleman, revenge is not too late even after ten years" to console yourselves, but, more importantly, I hope that ten years from now you are still a gentleman. The words are rough but the reasoning isn't; I hope everyone takes them in.
>
> Good luck to you all.
>
> Li Xiaolai

On August 20, some students received a reply letter from ETS:

> [Translator's note: quoted by the author: this is ETS's reply, in English in the original and kept exactly as written, not translated. Not Li Xiaolai's words.]
>
> We apologize for the delay in response to your inquiry. Regarding the problem with the July 25, 2009 TOEFL iBT, we could not score your exam due to a technical problem with our system. This is why NEEA will reschedule your exam free of charge, in accordance with ETS policies and procedures.
>
> The TOEFL iBT exam is designed in such a way that all sections must be completed during one testing session in order for scores to produce. Our system will not allow a “blending” of sections from one exam with sections of another exam to create a final set of scores, nor will it allow the release of scores for any individual section of the TOEFL iBT.
>
> **This is a very unusual situation**, but unfortunately you will have to complete the entire exam again. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience this situation has caused you. Please contact NEEA to reschedule your exam.
>
> Sincerely,
> TOEFL Services

Fuck [Translator's note: the original writes 妈的, a strong curse, roughly "damn it" / "fuck"]! This is no unusual situation at all; in China this is a common situation.