Difference between TOEFL and IELTS

If you applying for a university, particularly in an English-speaking country. English is the language which is not the native language of half of the world. It is a binding force which connects so many regions and people. Consider, if English is not your first language, in this case when you apply for a university your college or university will take a test that may be IELTS and TOEFL.

Feature	IELTS	TOEFL iBT
Test Format	Paper-based or computer-based	Computer-based only
Test Focus	General English proficiency (Academic & General Training available)	Academic English proficiency
Scoring	Band score of 0-9 for each section (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking) with an overall band score	Score range of 0-30 for each section (Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing) with a total score of 0-120
CEFR Level Comparison	Up to C2 (native-like proficiency)	Up to C1 (advanced proficiency)
Test Duration	Approximately 2 hours 45 minutes	Approximately 3 hours
Acceptance	Widely accepted by universities, governments, and employers worldwide	Primarily accepted by universities in North America

 

What is TOEFL

TOEFL says Test of English as a Foreign Language.

What is IELTS

IELTS stands for English Language Testing Service.

TOEFL vs IELTS

What are the basics?

• Both are designed to test the proficiency of your English language.
• More specifically it checks your ability to take an interaction, your communication ability and how you are more serious in an English-speaking culture.
• It is usually a requirement for those students whose native language is not English but they all need it to pass out their test. In many countries, these tests are conducted for the visa.
• At the same time, high scores in the standardized tests – SAT/GRE or an English-heavy course curriculum at the high-school or Bachelor’s degree level (for students applying for Master’s and PhD’s abroad) may exempt you from these requirements, though this is the exception, not the norm. In 90% of cases, you will be required to take either the IELTS or TOEFL.

What do they test?

As far as both are concerned, they are divided into four sections:

Reading:

• This section is more closely related to checking your reading abilities. In this section, there will be 3 or may sometimes 4 passages in front of you.

Listening:

• In this section, your listening ability will be checked, as the lectures will be involved in it.
• It is a difficult part of your test but will give you social as well as academic success in your career.
• You will asked to listen to the recordings and a few questions will be solved by your listening ability.

Writing:

• In this section, your writing abilities will be a major focus.
• You will be asked to write a summary of an academic discussion, and also express an opinion about it, in short, feedback is also required.

Speaking:

• This section checks your speaking proficiency which means how much you are fluent in speaking.
• Some of them interview as the basics and some of them do conduct it in the form of discussion or any topic.

What would be the major differences in both these?

A Question of Acceptance!

• As far as IELTS is concerned, it is a British test, it is mostly accepted in the commonwealth, the countries and the colleges which are involved in this acceptance are Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Also, it is to be noted that many American universities accept IELTS as well.
• When we keep in mind about TOEFL, it was mainly developed by the Centre of Applied Linguistics. It has a wide acceptance in US universities. But keep in mind, every college will accept IELTS though they don’t ask for that to pass out.
• Here, you need to consult the testing centre, they will guide you more effectively. If you are going to apply for colleges in the British Commonwealth, then it is sincere advice to go for IELTS.

Which one has a greater Availability?

• Because TOEFL is an older test than IELTS, and because more students apply for universities in the US than in Australia or Britain, TOEFL boasts a higher number of test centres as well: 4,500 centers spread across 165 countries.
• IELTS, on the other hand, has only 900 centres all over the world, though this shouldn’t be an issue as they have a centre in pretty much every major international city. Both IELTS and TOEFL are offered 48 times per year.

What are the numerous types of IELTS?

• When we talk about TOFEL, it offers one kind of test which is TOFEL IBT which mainly stands for internet-based test. Some centers also offer the paper-based test PBT which is more similar to iBT.
• On the other hand, IELTS offer two kinds of tests one is academic and the other one is general:
• Academic: As far as the academic one is concerned, this test is harder and needs to be passed as the university requirement is associated with it.
• General: This is a kind of general test that is basically required for visa requirements. It is used in case of immigration to a country.
• The IELTS test takers is almost equally divided in 50% academic and also 50% general test takers.

Switching to the cost!

• When it comes to the fee criteria of both tests it mainly varies from $150-$250. It mainly depends on the type of test and the location where you are giving the whole test.

Finally, a fear of scoring!

In TOEFL, there is a notion of 120 points where when it comes to the scoring of IELTS, they are based on the 9 points with half-point increments. Mostly students prefer TOEFL over IELTS because IELTS is more risky if you come across various mistakes.

Final words- Conclusion of discussion!

There are differences though but they are not in a big pack. The major key difference is between the locations, exactly where you want to study- US or Australia/UK. It depends on your choice. As far as the cost, acceptance, and validity is concerned, they all are almost the same.