TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is an English language proficiency examination produced by the ETS, the same organization that develops the GRE (an exam for graduate school admissions) and several other tests. TOEFL contains four sections with each test a different area of your English skills, and lasts a total of 3.5 hours for the four sections. There is a ten-minute break between the Listening and Speaking sections. For each section, you will be awarded a score of 0-30. These scores are then added together, meaning your total TOEFL score ranges from 0-120. Below is the format of the exam.
Sections Number of Questions Time Given
Reading 36-56. 60-80 minutes
Listening 34-51 60-90 minutes
Speaking 6 tasks 20 minutes
Writing 2 tasks 50 minutes
Generally speaking, the majority of United States schools surveyed stated they preferred TOEFL scores over scores of other English-language proficiency tests.
Overview of the IELTS Test
The IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is another English language proficiency examination jointly owned by the British Council and IDP (International Development Program): IELTS Australia and Cambridge English Language Assessment. IDP is an international education organisation which offers placements for students in various countries like Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and Canada.
There are two versions of the IELTS: the IELTS Academic and the IELTS General Training. IELTS Academic is for people applying for higher education or a profession, while the IELTS General Training is for people traveling to English-speaking countries for secondary education, visitation, relocation, or work experience. The focus of this guide is on IELTS Academic, since it is the version for students applying to undergraduate and postgraduate institutions (although the two versions both have the same scoring system and similar formats). The total alloted time for the IELTS is 2 hours and 45 minutes. The IELTS has the same four sections as the TOEFL, though the two examinations are tested in different orders. On the IELTS, you will receive a score from 0-9 for each section. Your overall score is an average of those four scores and will also be from 0-9. Unlike the TOEFL, which you must take all at once, for the IELTS, you are able to take the Speaking section up to a week before or after the other sections if you prefer (you schedule your Speaking time when you register for the exam).
Section Number of Questions Time Given
Listening 40 30 minutes
Reading 40 60 minutes
Writing 2 tasks 60 minutes
Speaking 3 tasks 11-14 minutes
Conclusion
In conclusion, over 9000 universities around the globe accept either IELTS or TOEFL or both. If you are applying to universities in the United Kingdom or Australia, IELTS is more widely accepted. Universities in the United States of America accept TOEFL. The schools you are applying to will likely accept scores from either examination, but it is very important to verify this before you choose a test in order to avoid any unpleasant surprises in the future.