IELTS vs TOEFL – Which Test Should You Choose

IELTS, the International English Language Testing System, TOEFL, or the Test of English as a Foreign Language are designated tests to assess a non-native speaker’s English proficiency. These two tests are globally accepted parameters to establish someone’s capability over the language to facilitate admissions or employment. Hence, Sophie’s choice between these two exams has been common among test-takers since time immemorial.

In this article, we will discuss how similar yet different these two prestigious exams are, and see which test you can sit for to work in your favor. 

What Is IELTS?

IELTS or International English Language Testing System is a test developed and conducted by the British Council in partnership with IDP Education and Cambridge Assessment English. It is an English proficiency test catering to students and professionals alike. Furthermore, if you are someone who has immigrated to an English-speaking country, a test like IELTS can help you secure professional opportunities without hassle. 

It has an academic module for non-English-speaking students, called the IELTS Academic, that helps you to secure a seat in a global university of your choice or even work in your favor for Visa acceptance. This test is particularly designed for students aiming to get admission to an English-dominant curriculum or environment. 

But IELTS is not only limited to students and has a test curated for non-English speaking professionals to give them an edge in their English-speaking workplace. IELTS General Training is taken by millions of professionals to settle abroad and secure jobs in multinationals, or even when they aspire to get a promotion. 

What Is TOEFL?

TOEFL or Test of English as a Foreign Language is a test conducted by the Educational Testing Services or ETS which is accepted by more than 11,000 universities worldwide. TOEFL is designed to mainly assess students who wish to pursue their academic degree abroad. 

 Test of English as a Foreign Language or TOEFL is designed to test a student’s capability to comprehend English in a learning environment to ensure they do not miss out on their curriculum. Currently, TOEFL doesn’t have any dedicated test segment for professionals, but it is no way lesser than the IELTS exam. 

Difference Between IELTS And TOEFL

Now that you know what these tests entail, let us scrutinize them with various important parameters to establish the one more suitable for you. 

Test Format

Both tests have dedicated sections to assess your mastery of the language.  The test comprises four sections, which are as follows.

• Speaking
• Reading
• Writing
• Listening

However, the test format differs in the following way. 

TOEFL Test Format

Section	Timing	Question
Reading	35 minutes	20 questions
Listening	36 minutes	28 questions
Speaking	16 minutes	4 tasks
Writing	29 minutes	2 tasks
Total	116 Minutes

IELTS Test Format

Section	Timing	Question	Marking
Reading	60 minutes (including transfer time)	Number of questions: 40 Number of sections: 3; the total text length is 2150–2750 words	+1 for each correct answer. Your final score is given as a band score from 1 to 9 in whole or half bands, e.g. 4 or 6.5.
Listening	Approximately 30 minutes (plus 10 minutes to transfer your answers to an answer sheet)	40 questions/ 4 parts	+1 for each correct answer. Your final score is given as a band score in whole or half bands, e.g. 5.5 or  7.0.
Speaking	11–14 minutes	Number of parts: 3
Writing	60 minutes	2 tasks	Both tasks carry equal marks. There is a penalty if you do not stick to the topic, or you are found guilty of plagiarism.
Total	116 Minutes	2 hours and 45 minutes

Section-wise comparison And Question Types

The IELTS test for the Speaking and Listening sections is the same for the General Training and the Academic tests. However, the Reading and Writing sections of these tests differ. However, the marking scheme and the structure of the questions remain the same. Let us check the sections for IELTS below.

• IELTS Listening Syllabus

IELTS Academic	IELTS General
Parts 1 and 2: Daily Social Situations Parts 3 and 4: Daily Academic Situations Part 4 has only one speaker British, Australian, New Zealand, and North American accents are used in this test.  You can check the official site for the syllabus here.	Same as the IELTS Academic.

• IELTS Reading Syllabus

IELTS Academic

IELTS General

Narrative, descriptive, or discursive/argumentative texts dealing with topics of interest for graduates or post-graduates.  The test material is sourced from journals, magazines, newspapers, and online resources, written for a non-specialist audience. You can check the official site for the syllabus here.

Section 1: Focuses on texts required to survive in an English-speaking country on a day-to-day basis and includes notices, advertisements, and timetables. The texts in Section 2 focus on work-related topics, like, job descriptions, contracts, etc. Section 3 deals with generally descriptive (containing detailed information) and instructive (telling you how to do something). The texts are picked from newspapers, magazines, books, and online resources. You can check the official site for the syllabus here.

 

• IELTS Writing Syllabus

IELTS Academic	IELTS General
The first part of the test includes describing visual data like a graph, table, chart, or diagram).  You need to write at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. The second part of the writing tests involves dwelling on a point of view or argument.  You need to write at least 250 words in about 40 minutes. You can check the official site for the syllabus here.	Task 1: Letter Writing and you will have to write about asking for information or explaining a situation or event.  You need to write at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. Task 2: The second part of the writing tests involves dwelling on a point of view or argument. You need to write at least 250 words in about 40 minutes. You can check the official site for the syllabus here.

• IELTS Speaking Syllabus

IELTS Academic	IELTS General
The speaking test for IELTS Academic is a face-to-face interview divided into three parts.  You can check the official site for more details on this here.	Same as the IELTS Academic.

TOEFL Syllabus

The TOEFL syllabus has a uniform structure, which is as follows. 

Section	Syllabus
Reading	Two 700 words long reading passage  10 questions per passage Answers are in the passage itself The passages are from the Introduction section of university-level textbooks.   You can check out sample questions here.
Listening	Consists of lectures and conversations  3 lectures, 3–5 minutes each, some with classroom discussion; 6 questions per lecture 2 conversations, 3 minutes each; 5 questions per conversation You can take notes while the audio is being played.   You can check out sample questions here.
Speaking	Question 1:  requires you to draw entirely on your ideas, opinions, and experiences when you respond. Questions 2–4: Integrated Speaking Tasks — require you to combine your English-language skills — listening and speaking, or listening, reading and speaking — just as you would in or out of a classroom. You will get 15–30 seconds of preparation time.  You can check out sample questions here.
Writing	Integrated writing task — read a short passage, listen to a short lecture, and write in response to what you read and listened to. Writing for an Academic Discussion task — state and support an opinion in an online classroom discussion. You’ll type your responses on a computer keyboard. You can check out sample questions here.

How IELTS and TOEFL are scored?

Both the English proficiency tests do not adhere to any pass or fail criteria. You are graded based on your performance. 

IELTS: You will be graded on a band score ranging from 0 to 9 for each skill and an overall band score. 

TOEFL IBT: You receive a total score between 0 and 120 and a score between 0 and 30 for each skill. 

You can refer to the below table to understand how the scores blend. But please do remember that it is solely for your understanding, and you shouldn’t consider this as a resource to set your scores.

TOEFL iBT Score (0–120)	IELTS Academic (0–9)
118	9
115	8.5
110	8
102	7.5
94	7
79	6.5
60	6
46	5.5
35	5
32	4.5
0–31	0–4

Test Duration and Frequency

Unlike traditional exams, these prestigious tests have their frequency and duration throughout the year. You should schedule the desired test as per your university deadline to avoid any hassle. Both tests are location-dependent and can be taken at home or centers.

IELTS:

• The IELTS test can be taken at 4000 test locations in 140 countries across the globe, and some locations allow you to take the test at home. 

• In total, there are 48 Academic Tests and 24 General Tests conducted each year. A computer-delivered IELTS Test can be taken 7 days a week and 4 times a day.
• You can check the slot as per your location here.  

TOEFL

Like IELTS, the TOEFL exam is also conducted throughout the year, and you have to settle on a date that aligns with your timetable. You must keep in mind that schedule the test 2 to 3 months before your university deadline. 

• TOEFL has the provision of a home or a center test, and it is conducted more than 170 times a year, depending on your location. 
• TOEFL home testing is available 24 hours a day, 4 days, but is location-specific. 
• If you wish to sit for the test at home, you can check the details here, and you can locate your nearest test center here.

Countries And Institutions Accepting IELTS vs.TOEFL

Both the tests have a prestigious reputation that precedes them, so making a choice between the two can be a strenuous decision. But, if you know how the major universities across the world approach this tests, you can make an informed decision. 

IELTS : In United Kingdom and Australia, Germany and even Canada IELTS is popular and is a critical to attend graduate school. Even American universities also acknowledge the IELTS scorecard. 

TOEFL: American universities are more inclined towards the TOEFL score and the test is popular in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

However, you need to check with your university guideline and requirements to actually finalizing a test between the two. 

Cost and Accessibility

An exam like TOEFL or IELTS are a bit expensive, in nature, and it is completely dependent on your location if you get to access all the facilities whilst sitting for the test. 

TOEFL

TOEFL has two kinds of accessibility option for you, either you can sit for the exam in a center or at your home. If you wish to assess that if you can avail facility of a test center, you can check the list here and for details about sitting for the test at home you can check here.

Cost: TOEFL has a registration fee of $205 or INR 17163.91 if you are applying from India. However, for any other location, you can check the charges here.

IELTS

IELTS has three kinds of tests available for a student which are Online, In person – Computer, In person – On paper. Before you select an option out of this, it is critical for you to remember that the Online test is not accepted by the VISA immigration authorities. You can select your desired test center from here as per your location and proceed. 

Cost: IELTS has a registration fee of $202.49 or INR 17,000 if you are applying from India. However, for any other location, you can check the charges here.

Conclusion

The idea of this article is not to assess which is a better test but to understand each feature of the one compared to the other. Since you can have a different academic or professional goal compared to others, it is of utmost importance that you decide on a test that is going to serve your purpose. If you are solely looking for academic growth right now TOEFL will be a better idea, but if you are someone who is moving abroad, professionally, ILTES can be an advantage.

But it doesn’t mean that students cannot sit for ILTES or vice versa. Hence, the idea is to understand the requirements a test is going to fulfill and sit for it accordingly.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. What are the main differences between IELTS and TOEFL?

• IELTS is used to asses your English in both an academic or professional setting, whereas TOEFL is completely dedicated to an assessment of your English in an academic environment.  

2. Which test is easier, IELTS or TOEFL?

• The difficulty level of the test is subjective since it is dependent on your capability of grasping the English language. 

3. How long does each test take to complete?

• TOEFL is of 116 Minutes and IELTS is of 165 minutes.

4. Is there an online option for taking IELTS or TOEFL?

• Both tests have an online option for the applicants.

5. Which test should I take for studying in the USA?

• America is more inclined to the TOELF exam but it doesnt necessarily mean that it won’t recognizes the IELTS score. A better idea would be to check the university’s criteria and then opt for a test. 

6. Can I take both IELTS and TOEFL?

• Any student can sit for both IELTS and TOEFL.