Crash Course on IELTs vs. TOEFL

If you are an international college applicant, you surely know that universities around the world have different requirements. But one thing for sure, there's no way applicants can run away from standardized tests for the English language. Colleges from English speaking countries such as the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), Australia, Canada, and New Zealand require applicants to submit English proficiency test scores. Therefore, now there are two widely available assessment programs recognized by universities worldwide: TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and IELTS (International English Language Testing System). These tests are basically to determine how fluent the candidates are in English as their foreign language.

Some education consultants might advise you to take TOEFL, but other consultants might encourage their students to take IELTS instead. However, the preferences don't justify which option is better (or easier). It usually depends on the destination of the country that you’re applying to. So if you are applying to colleges in the US, you are likely to take TOEFL instead of IELTS. This is because TOEFL is more advertised by American Institutions even though IELTS, too, can be accepted by American College Admissions. Likewise, if you are aiming to apply to Australian or Singaporean universities, they more likely suggest taking IELTS instead of TOEFL. Both tests embody comparable features in evaluating the student’s ability to read, write, and speak in the English language.

Still confused on which to take? Let’s look at the table below for the differences between IELTS and TOEFL:

Scope of Differences	IELTS	TOEFL (iBT)
Background: General Overview	Introduced in the 80s by the British Council, University of Cambridge English Language Assessment, and IDP (International Development Program of Australian University and Colleges). The system is still traditional, and test centers still provide paper-based exams. Frequently endorsed by Institutions from Commonwealth countries that follow the British curriculum. (Examples are the UK, Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore).	Developed by an American testing service at Princeton University, namely ETS (Educational Testing Service) It was a paper-based test, converted into a computerized version in 1998. It was later developed into an internet-based assessment in 2005. Today, Internet-based TOEFL (iBT) is the most common version taken by candidates from around the world. Although paper-based TOEFL (PBT) is still available in some countries where locations and circumstances (such as Indonesia and Russia), the PBT is impractical. TOEFL tests are frequently taken by candidates who are applying to American and Canadian colleges.
Country of Destinations	Australia Canada New Zealand UK US	US Canada Australia New Zealand Preferred in France and Germany UK
Score validity periods.	Valid for 2 years	Valid for 2 years
Test Availability (Test Format & Time)	Available in either computer-delivered or paper-based test the Speaking section will be graded by IELTS examiners, who don’t necessarily have to be British English speakers. The British Council and IDP global scheduled IELTS Academic Test for 48 days per year (4 times a month). The test can be retaken for as many times as you want.	Available in the computer-delivered test (iBT) or paper-based test (PBT). Audio speakers have North American accents. Has over 50 test dates per-year at authorized test centers around the world. You’re eligible to retake the test as many times as you want, but you can’t take the test for more than one time in a three day period.
Versions of Test delivered	There are two versions of IELTS: Academic & General Training 1. Academic IELTS is for students applying to universities. But the Academic version doesn’t limit its objective to professional territories such as job applications and internships. 2. General Training IELTS is usually essential for immigration purposes to English-speaking countries such as Canada, the US, Ireland, the UK, Australia, etc. But the test doesn’t limit its function to job applications, too. The major difference: Academic IELTS concentrates on the writing section to evaluate the student’s depth and ability to write and read in English.	Two versions of TOEFL: iBT and Paper Delivered Test Internet-based TOEFL (iBT) tests taken by candidates from around the world for either academic or professional purposes. Test results (including speaking) are recorded to the system and submitted directly to the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Paper-based TOEFL Test is available in locations that do not offer an online TOEFL test. Although it’s closely aligned with the iBT version, in the paper-delivered test the speaking section would not be available due to the unavailability of required technology to capture spoken responses.
Scoring scale	IELTS is scored on a scale range of 0-9.	TOEFL iBT is scored on scale points of 0-120.
Test Duration	IELTS test takes 2 hours and 45 minutes to finish	TOEFL test takes about 3 hours to finish
Test formats	IELTS test format consists of: Listening Reading Writing Speaking The speaking section is an interview with a certified IELTS examiner.	TOEFL test format consists of: Reading Listening Speaking Writing During the speaking test, students will record their answers through microphones.
Test Fee	IELTS test fee usually costs about RP. 2.900.000 or $200.	Each TOEFL test costs about RP. 3.608.000 or $240
For more information (official sources):	https://www.ielts.org/# https://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/	https://www.ets.org/toefl https://www.etsglobal.org/fr/en/programme/toefl-tests

From all the information that has been presented above, we can conclude that there are some differences between IELTS and TOEFL. Although they have the same purpose, which is presenting your English language proficiency, each of them offers different programs in terms of its purposes that would best suit you. All in all, it can hardly be decided which one’s best because everyone has different purposes and therefore reasons to pick either IELTS or TOEFL. Therefore, knowing the similarity and differences between IELTS and TOEFL would be a great asset to your knowledge, as it would help you decide in alignment with your purpose.