Studying Abroad

Examining the IELTS against the TOEFL

The IELTS and the TOEFL are considered to be the major exams needed to be passed by foreign students who have English as their second language. Both exams measure the skills of the applicants when it comes to English speaking and writing. Many applicants are actually wondering if both tests are alike, and if not, which among the two is more difficult.

Both tests involve writing, reading, and listening assignments, and also makes room for one other area of proficiency. For the IELTS, this is the speaking part, and for the TOEFL, the so-called structure. The structure works by determining writing skills through sentence structure and correction of errors. With the live speaking task involved in the IELTS, this test is more often considered to be tougher than the TOEFL.

The rating for the IELTS works by assigning a score to each of the individual tasks, with possible scores from 0 to 9. These are then averaged in order to come up with a single final score, used as a basis by most universities and colleges. The TOEFL on the other hand rates each task or skills niche, and uses the total as the gauge for a test taker’s abilities.

Applicants can take the TOEFL conventionally or through a computer based module. IELTS is still in the process of creating the online version of the exams.

Making a conclusion as to which among the two the tests is more difficult is needless. This is basically subjective since different applicants have various levels of skills and English abilities. While the speaking task and the actual test in the IELTS may be complex, this is not to assume that the TOEFL will be any easier.

Each applicant has the liberty to opt for the test they want to take, and each school or university typically makes it clear which among the two is more necessary for admission.

Read More >

Are the IELTS and TOEFL the Same?

In the past, the differences between the IELTS and TOEFL were much more defined. The TOEFL was ideal for students who wanted to pursue entrance in “Western” colleges or academic institutions. This was done to show school evaluators their capability in the English language.  The IELTS, which actually stands for International English Language Testing Service, was often pursued by students planning to study in United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia universities.

These days however, a student’s IELTS score can be accepted by most US universities, in order to determine his or her English language capabilities.

Although more complicated and less generalized, the IELTS examinations have gained quite a reputation when it comes to English exams. There is normally a speaking assignment involved, wherein an evaluator would listen live to an applicant, in order to gauge his or her skill in speaking English. Both conversational and formal speech was used as the standard. The writing task moreover involved writing an essay out of a graphic illustration presented to the test taker.

These two assignments need to be completed by the applicant, as these will showcase his or her skills in the English language.

It would not be correct to assume that the TOEFL is inferior to the IELTS. This is simply to point out that although the IELTS has faced criticisms in the past, it is still considered to be a dependable means of determining English skill levels among the applicants.

Since US schools are still considered to be the most expensive based on global standards, these same schools are very much interested in attracting more students into their turf. This is why they now recognize the IELTS ratings as substitute for the TOEFL.

However, it is important for students to make inquiries from the American universities they plan to attend if these schools do accept the IELTS in substitute of the TOEFL. This will help the students prevent any application troubles in the future. 

Read More >