ielts exam vs toefl exam
๐งพ Overview
| Feature | IELTS (International English Language Testing System) | TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) |
|---|---|---|
| Organized by | British Council, IDP, Cambridge Assessment | ETS (Educational Testing Service, USA) |
| Purpose | Study, work, or migrate to English-speaking countries (esp. UK, Canada, Australia, NZ) | Study or work in English-speaking countries (esp. USA, Canada) |
| Test types | IELTS Academic & IELTS General Training | TOEFL iBT (Internet-based Test) |
| Score range | 0–9 band score | 0–120 points |
| Test duration | ~2 hours 45 minutes | ~2 hours |
| Test format | Paper-based or computer-based | Computer-based only |
๐ฃ️ Section Comparison
| Section | IELTS | TOEFL |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 3 sections, 40 questions (Academic = academic texts; General = general texts) | 3–4 passages, 10 questions each; multiple choice; all academic texts |
| Listening | 4 recordings with different accents (British, Australian, etc.) | 3–4 lectures + 2–3 conversations; mostly North American accents |
| Speaking | Face-to-face interview with an examiner (11–14 minutes) | Recorded responses via microphone (4 tasks) |
| Writing | 2 tasks: essay + report/letter (handwritten or typed) | 2 tasks: integrated (read + listen + write) and independent essay (typed) |
๐ Accent and Style Differences
| Feature | IELTS | TOEFL |
|---|---|---|
| Accent variety | British, Australian, New Zealand, Canadian | Mostly American English |
| Writing style | More concise and formal | More structured and academic |
| Speaking format | Human interaction (natural conversation) | Computer recording (no human examiner) |
๐ฏ Scoring
| Skill | IELTS (0–9 Band) | TOEFL (0–30 per section; 120 total) |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | 0–9 | 0–30 |
| Reading | 0–9 | 0–30 |
| Writing | 0–9 | 0–30 |
| Speaking | 0–9 | 0–30 |
| Overall | Average of all sections | Sum of all sections |
Typical equivalence:
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IELTS 7.0 ≈ TOEFL 94
-
IELTS 6.5 ≈ TOEFL 79
-
IELTS 8.0 ≈ TOEFL 110
๐ซ Which One Should You Take?
| Preference | Better Choice |
|---|---|
| Prefer face-to-face speaking | IELTS |
| Prefer computer-only format | TOEFL |
| Targeting US universities | TOEFL (more common) |
| Targeting UK, Canada, Australia | IELTS |
| Comfortable with American English | TOEFL |
| Comfortable with British English | IELTS |
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