5 Differences between IELTS and TOEFL

by | Jun 13, 2015 | AHEADPro | 0 comments

ieltsFor people who would like to study or work in another country, a standardized test of English mastery is required for admission purposes. Two of these would be the International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). If you are the test taker, which should you choose? What differentiates one from the other?

Here’s a summary of the features and characteristics of IELTS and TOEFL:

  1. TOEFL is conducted by the Educational Testing Service, a non-profit organization based in the United States. TOEFL uses American English. IELTS is facilitated by the British Council, University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, and IDP Education Australia. IELTS uses British English. This difference may seem inconsequential. As a result, there are accent and spelling variations between American and British English which test takers must take note of.
  2. TOEFL requires the test taker to type his essays in the Written Test. In IELTS, essays are handwritten.
  3. The TOEFL takes about four hours. The IELTS takes about 2 hours 45 minutes.
  4. The Speaking Test is another difference between the two. For IELTS, the Speaking Test must be taken face-to-face with an examiner. For TOEFL, the Speaking Test consists of six questions, the answers of which will be recorded and sent to the test administrators for grading.
  5. The big difference lies in the content. Although the topics are the same, the presentation of the tests is different. TOEFL favors abstract learners as it consists mostly of multiple choice questions. IELTS is more suitable to concrete learners as its questions, which include fill in the blanks and matching exercises, involve memory recall.

At the end of the day, the choice between IELTS and TOEFL depends on the test taker’s need and preference. Therefore, it is best to check with your target institution on which test, either IELTS or TOEFL, is required.

Should you decide to take the IELTS, AHEAD Professional Network offers a full course IELTS review to help learners get the highest possible score. For more information, message info@ahead.edu.ph.

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