Students planning to study abroad face two major English proficiency exams: IELTS and TOEFL iBT. Both assess the four skills (reading, listening, speaking, writing) but their formats differ.
Key differences
- Speaking: face-to-face with a live examiner in IELTS; recorded into a microphone in TOEFL
- Accent and content: IELTS leans towards British English, TOEFL towards North American academic language
- Scoring: IELTS bands 0-9; TOEFL 0-120 points
- Length: TOEFL about 2 hours; IELTS about 2 hours 45 minutes
How to decide?
Check your target university's admissions page: US universities accept both but TOEFL is more common, while UK visa routes may require IELTS. If you cannot decide, taking one practice test in each format gives the clearest answer.
In our TOEFL Preparation and IELTS Preparation programmes we start with a level assessment and build a personal plan towards your target score.