TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and IELTS (International Language Testing System) are the two important examinations conducted for students and professionals from non-English speaking countries.
Most universities across Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most of Europe accept IELTS scores while TOEFL is a standard exam for colleges across The United States of America.
Both these tests assess four sets of skills that include –
- Listening
- Reading
- Writing
- Speaking
TOEFL is scored out of 120 points, 30 points for each subtest. IELTS on the other hand is based on a 9 point scale with half-point increments.
With this basic knowledge about the two kinds of tests available, let’s discuss the major and minor differences in them with respect to each subtest.
- LISTENING
- IELTS: This section of testing in IELTS involves paying focused attention to a conversation or a lecture, and answering related questions that can be in a multiple choice format or as fill in the blanks.
This tends to prove more challenging in IELTS since one is expected to answer the questions while listening to the given paragraph; unlike TOEFL where you get to go through the entire lecture after which you answer questions based on your memory in addition to the notes you’ve made during the hearing session.
Since there are sections in the fill in the gap format, having a strong hold over English spellings becomes indispensable.
- TOEFL: TOEFL comes with the same format of testing as that of IELTS. However, this exam presents questions in the MCQ format only, thus eliminating possible spelling errors encountered while giving the IELTS exam.
Even though the ability to take notes while listening, and using them to answer questions at the end of the session is an advantage, it can also prove distracting for some people.
- READING
This section in both IELTS and TOEFL involves smooth reading of several passages followed by answering questions based on the same. It is important to have an efficient reading strategy based on a strong blend of comprehension and speed.
- WRITING
IELTS: The writing component of an IELTS test comprises of two tasks –
Task 1: Majorly deals with describing a map or a chart. Hence, it is based on factual information eliminating room for a lot of complexity.
Task 2: This mostly deals with one’s essay writing skills on the specific topics provided by the examiner.
TOEFL: The writing tasks of TOEFL might seem a little intimidating for some students as they are not as straight forward as those seen in an IELTS examination.
Task 1: They usually provide a piece of information in response to which the student is expected to present an argumentative essay, known as an ‘integrated writing task’.
Task 2: The ‘independent writing task’ requires the student to write an essay based on personal experience or opinion in response to the topic provided by the examiner.
- SPEAKING
IELTS: IELTS is a face-to-face, interview based experience with a real person instead of a computer screen. One is asked questions about everyday life and is judged based on their ability to converse with the examiner.
TOEFL: The speaking section in TOEFL is more like giving a presentation to a virtual crowd separated from you by a monitor.
While both examinations offer a completely different kind of experience with respect to testing your English speaking ability, it is a personal decision to choose what form of communication suits you as a candidate.
When it comes to taking the test, IELTS provides both computer and paper based facilities in most of their test centres. TOEFL on the other hand is completely computer based.
The facility of appearing for these examinations from the comfort of your home has been introduced into the system. However, it is not available in all countries, and some universities might not consider the scores of candidates who have appeared via such modes.
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