IELTS vs TOEFL: Explained, what to choose?
Many students want to complete their higher education out of their country. They want to study abroad for higher education. One way to achieve your dream of studying abroad is to get high scores on GRE, this is the most usual one.
Other things based on which you can take admission in the universities abroad are how many years of research experience do you have, what are the achievement of yours in your field, your scores in previous courses and another important factor is the language test.
Many of you are thinking why is it done. It is to test your skill of speaking English if you do not belong to the native English speaking country. Most of the universities abroad demand a language test take admission and sometimes they only depend upon the score of a candidate in the language test, they do not even consider the GRE scores.
So here we are going to discuss TOEFL vs IELTS. Candidates who want to know what are these two tests about and which one is a better option are advised to read this article. This article can answer their queries in a better manner.
Why Is The Language Test Taken?
Candidates who dream of completing their higher education from abroad must know the importance of language tests. A language test is taken to check the basic knowledge of the candidate in the language. This checks the language speaking, writing, listening, and understanding skills of the candidate. Don’t worry this is just about checking the basic language skills. If the concept of the candidate about the language is strong he/she can easily score well in the language test.
If we talk about IELTS then two modes are Academic and General and for TOEFL a candidate can go for a subject-specific test or a general test. Generally, universities abroad accept the scores of general test so it is a better option to go for. The main benefit of taking the general test is it does not limit you to a particular subject. The general test tests your basic knowledge. Read below to have idea about IELTS vs TOEFL difficulty.
Read More: How long does it take to prepare for IELTS academic with the best institute?
International English Language Testing System (IELTS): Explained
IELTS scores are accepted in more than 140 countries. This language test is for those who want to shift abroad for their higher studies or who want to migrate abroad. As it has been told above already that the test has two modes that are Academic and General training segments. For both of them speaking and listening, tests are similar but they differ in writing and reading. Except for the speaking segment, for completing all other segments period of 2 hours and 45 minutes is given.
The test has many categories which include Speaking, Academic reading, General training reading, listening, Academic writing, General training writing. This is done in both pen and paper or CBT. The IELTS scores are given on a 9 scale band. If a candidate has got 1 it is considered to be the lowest. The scores of this test are valid for 2 years. However, the duration also depends upon the rules of the university.
If we talk about the gone year, in 140 countries 3.5 million students had chosen IELTS. IELTS has a one-to-one in-person speaking test. IELTS has both essay and short answer type questions.
Test of English as a Foreign Langauge (TOEFL): Explained
The score of this test is accepted by over 150 countries and more than over 11,000 universities accept the scores of Test of English as a Foreign Language. A person can give this test to migrate across Asia and Europe, for work or study purposes. TOEFL test has various segments for different age group
- TOEFL ITP TEST- For age 16 plus
- TOEFL Junior Test- For age 11 plus
- TOEFL Primary Test- For age 8 plus
- TOEFL Research – For age 55 plus
This test can also be taken in both the modes that are pen and paper-based or computer-based. In some of the segments, the TOEFL test consists of Multiple Choice Questions. TOEFL scores are given on a scale of 0 to 120.
Hope this gives you the difference between IELTS vs TOEFL and difficulty.
Read More: How to Choose Study Abroad Consultant in India
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What is a good score in IELTS?
Ans. Scores above 5 that is 6.5, 7.5, 8.5 is considered as good in IELTS.
Ans. In order to complete your IELTS registration, you need to pay an amount of Rs 13,250/-
Ans. Most global universities have prescribed an IELTS exam score above 6.
Ans. The test fee of TOEFL is US$180.
Ans. 90-100: TOEFL scores in this range are perfectly good.