TOEFL vs IELTS: Which Test Is Right For You?

The TOEFL and IELTS exams are two of the most popular English language exams. 

Millions of candidates take these tests every year because they might need to prove their English proficiency for work, study, or immigration.

Both tests are recognized by thousands of institutions around the world, but they’re designed differently. They have different formats, scoring systems, assessment focuses, and costs.

Which exam should you take?

In this toefl vs ielts detailed comparison, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about the TOEFL and IELTS tests so that you choose the right one for you. 

It’s going to be a long article, so here’s a table of contents, so you can easily find what you’re most interested in.

What Are the TOEFL and IELTS Exams?

Let’s take a quick look at both exams so you can have a general overview of what they are.

TOEFL

The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is an English language exam developed in the US by Educational Testing Service (ETS), a private educational testing and assessment organization.

The TOEFL official website says the exam is accepted by more than 13,000 universities and other institutions in over 160 countries around the world. 

It focuses on academic English and it’s generally the ideal test for you if you’re planning to study in the US or Canada. 

IELTS

The IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is managed by three institutions: the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia, and Cambridge Assessment English. 

There are two versions of the IELTS test: IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. 

The IELTS Academic test is for those who want to study in an English-speaking environment (usually not the US), while the IELTS General Training test is for people who want to work or move to an English-speaking country, especially the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Let’s have a look at the key differences between these exams.

IELTS vs TOEFL Difference

So what's the difference between IELTS and TOEFL? The main differences between the two exams are about:

• The test format
• The scoring system
• The test acceptance and recognition
• Costs

The table below summarises the key differences for you.

Let’s talk about these differences in more detail.

TOEFL Format: Overview

Both TOEFL and IELTS assess the four skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening), but the tests are structured differently.

The whole TOEFL exam takes just under 2 hours to complete. Here’s a table taken from the TOEFL official website that shows you all the test sections.

Let’s explore each section.

TOEFL Format: Reading

Assessment Focus: your ability to read and understand academic texts. You’ll be assessed on how well you can:

• recognize information directly stated in the text;
• recognize information that is implied, or why an author wrote something;
• know the meaning of general academic words and phrases;
• select a shorter sentence that has the same meaning as the original sentence;
• place a sentence in a paragraph where it makes the most sense;
• select three statements that best describe the main ideas in the reading passage;

Reading Tasks: 2 passages, each around 700 words in length, with 10 questions for each passage. 

Extra Info: the reading passages are taken from university-level textbooks and cover a range of academic subjects.

Test Time: 35 minutes.

TOEFL Format: Listening

Assessment Focus: your ability to understand conversations and lectures in English. You’ll be assessed on how well you can:

• identify the main point or purpose of the conversation or lecture;
• identify specific facts from the conversation or lecture;
• understand why a speaker said something;
• recognise how a speaker feels about something;
• understand why the lecture is structured the way it is;
• predict an outcome, draw a conclusion or understand a cause-and-effect relationship;
• recognise information that is implied but not directly stated.

Listening Tasks: 

• 3 lectures (3-5 minutes each, some with classroom discussion) with 6 questions per lecture) 
• 2 conversations (3 minutes each) with 5 questions per conversation

Extra Info: the audio texts use language commonly heard on university campuses and include native-speaker English accents from North America, the U.K., New Zealand or Australia. You can take notes during the test to help answer questions.

Test Time: approximately 36 minutes.

TOEFL Format: Speaking

Assessment Focus: your ability to communicate effectively in academic contexts. You’ll be assessed on how well you can:

• express and support your preference between two options;
• show your understanding of a campus-related topic;
• show your understanding of an academic topic.

Speaking Tasks:

• Independent Speaking Task (Question 1): you’ll have to speak about personal ideas, opinions, and experiences.
• Integrated Speaking Tasks (Questions 2–4): you’ll have to combine skills (listening and speaking, or listening, reading, and speaking) like you would in real life inside and outside the classroom.

Your responses will need to be 45 or 60 seconds long.

Extra Info: 

• Your responses will be recorded using a microphone. 
• You’ll be given 5–30 seconds to prepare what you’d like to say. 
• Your speaking will be scored using a mix of AI and certified human raters. 

Test Time: approximately 16 minutes.

TOEFL Format: Writing

Assessment Focus: your ability to write in clear, organised English in academic contexts. You’ll be assessed on how well you can:

• read a passage, listen to a lecture, and then write a response comparing them.
• share your opinion in an online discussion with a professor and other students.

Writing Tasks:

• Integrated Writing Task (20 minutes): read a passage, listen to a lecture, then write a response.
• Writing for an Academic Discussion Task (10 minutes): express and support an opinion in an online classroom setting.

Extra Info: 

• You’ll type your responses on a computer keyboard.
• You don't need deep knowledge of a specific topic to get a high score.
• The scoring system is the same as the speaking section.

Test Time: approximately 29 minutes.

Let’s now have a look at the format of the IELTS exam. 

IELTS Format: Overview

Both the IELTS Academic and the IELTS General Training tests are 2 hours and 45 minutes long and have 4 sections: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. 

The Listening, Reading, and Writing sections take place on the same day with no breaks in between. The Speaking section may be scheduled on the same day or up to 7 days before or after the other sections.

Here’s a table taken from Cambridge Assessment English (one of the 3 institutions that offer the exam) that shows you all the test sections.  

The Speaking and Listening sections are the same for both the IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training tests, but the Reading and Writing sections are different.

Let’s start with IELTS Listening and IELTS Speaking.

Academic / General Training IELTS Format: Listening

Assessment Focus: your ability to:

• understand main ideas;
• understand specific factual information;
• recognise the opinions, attitudes, and purpose of a speaker;
• follow the development of an argument.

Listening Tasks: you’ll have to answer a total of 40 questions about 4 recordings of native English speakers that have a variety of accents. 

• Recording 1: a conversation between two people set in an everyday social context.
• Recording 2: a monologue set in an everyday social context
• Recording 3: a conversation between up to four people set in an educational or training context, e.g. a university tutor and a student discussing an assignment.
• Recording 4: a monologue on an academic subject, e.g. a university lecture.

There are different types of questions:

• multiple choice
• matching
• plan/map/diagram labelling
• form/note/table/flow-chart/summary completion
• sentence completion

Extra Info:

• Each answer is worth 1 mark and you won't be penalised if you leave an answer blank.
• You can only listen to the recordings once.
• You’ll be given ten minutes at the end of the test to transfer your answers to an answer sheet.

Test Time: 30 minutes (+10 minutes at the end to transfer your answers onto an answer sheet)

Academic / General Training IELTS Format: Speaking

Assessment Focus: your ability to:

• communicate, express and justify your opinions on everyday topics and common experiences; 
• speak at length on a given topic using appropriate language;
• organise your ideas coherently;
• analyse, discuss, and speculate about issues.

Speaking Tasks: the Speaking Test is a face-to-face interview with a speaking examiner and it’s divided into 3 sections: IELTS Speaking Part 1, IELTS Speaking Part 2, and IELTS Speaking Part 3.

• Part 1: You’ll answer general questions on familiar topics, e.g. home, family, work, studies and interests. 
• Part 2: You’ll be given a task card which asks you to talk about a particular topic. You’ll have one minute to prepare and make notes and then be asked to talk for 1-2 minutes on the topic. 
• Part 3: You’ll answer further questions connected to the topic of Part 2. These questions are designed to allow you to discuss more abstract issues and ideas.

Extra Info: 

• You will be marked on the four criteria: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation.
• You can find the official assessment criteria here.
• I wrote a full blog post on the IELTS Speaking Test to help you get the score you need – IELTS Speaking Questions

Test Time: Between 11 to 14 minutes  

As I told you before, the Reading and Writing sections of the IELTS  Academic and the IELTS General Training tests are different.  

Let’s look at the IELTS Academic first.

IELTS Academic Format: Reading

Assessment Focus: your ability to understand arguments, identify opinions and purposes, and grasp main ideas, details, and implied meanings. 

Reading Tasks: 3 long texts from sources like books, journals, English magazines, and newspapers. The texts cover topics relevant to university studies or professional English.

There are a total of 40 questions of different types:

• Identifying writer’s views/claims (Yes/No/Not given)
• Identifying information (True/False/Not given)
• Multiple choice
• Matching information
• Matching headings
• Matching features
• Matching sentence endings
• Sentence completion
• Summary/note/table/flow chart completion
• Diagram label completion
• Short-answer questions

Extra Info: 

• Each correct answer receives 1 mark.
• Your final score is given as a band score from 1–9 in whole or half bands, e.g. 4 or 6.5.

Test Time: 60 minutes

IELTS Academic Format: Writing

Assessment Focus: a wide range of writing skills, including how well you:

• write an appropriate response to a task question appropriately
• organise your ideas 
• use a range of vocabulary and grammar accurately

Writing Tasks:

There are 2 questions: IELTS Writing Task 1 and IELTS Writing Task 2.

IELTS Writing Task 1 

You’ll be given a graph, table, chart or diagram and asked to describe, summarise or explain the information in your own words. You might need to describe data, the stages of a process, or how something works. Task 1 is worth half as much as Task 2, and you should write at least 150 words.

IELTS Writing Task 2

You’ll be asked to write an academic essay (minimum 250 words) in response to a point of view, argument or problem. 

Extra info

• You should spend no more than 20 minutes on IELTS Writing Task 1 and 40 minutes on IELTS Writing Task 2.
• Your writing will be marked by a certificated IELTS examiner.
• You should write in an academic or semi-formal/neutral style.
• You’ll have 1 hour to complete both tasks, so you should manage your time efficiently!
• You can find the IELTS Writing official assessment criteria here.

Test Time: 60 minutes

IELTS General Training Format: Reading

Assessment Focus: your ability to:

• understand specific and main points of a text;
• recognise specific information given in the text;
• recognise opinions, theories, and ideas;
• scan a text in order to find specific information (specific details, examples, reasons, descriptions, comparisons, summaries or explanations);
• identify the general topic of a paragraph;
• recognise relationships and connections between facts in the text 
• skim and scan the text to find information quickly;
• understand a detailed description in the text;
• relate descriptions to the information given in a diagram.

Reading Tasks: there are 40 questions divided into 3 sections: social survivor, workplace survival, and general reading.

• Section 1 (social survival): this may contain two or three short texts or several shorter texts that are relevant to basic linguistic survival in English such as notices, advertisements, college brochures and accommodation lists.
• Section 2 (workplace survival): this focuses on the workplace context. Texts might include job descriptions, contracts, work policies, manuals, staff development and training materials.
• Section 3 (general reading) contains one longer and more complex text of general interest. You may get an article from a newspaper or magazine, a book extract, or a text taken from the internet. The texts can be about a variety of topics.

The question types are the same as the IELTS Academic Reading test (multiple choice, sentence completion, etc.)

Extra Info:

• Each answer is worth 1 mark and you won't be penalised if you leave an answer blank.

Test Time: 60 minutes

IELTS General Training Format: Writing

Assessment Focus: a wide range of writing skills, including how well you:

• write an appropriate response to a task question appropriately
• organise your ideas 
• use a range of vocabulary and grammar accurately

Writing Tasks:

2 questions: IELTS Writing Task 1 and IELTS Writing Task 2.

IELTS Writing Task 1: Letter Writing

You will be presented with a situation and asked to write a letter requesting information, or explaining the situation.

For example, you may be asked to write to a college accommodation officer about problems with your accommodation or to a new employer about problems you are having with managing your time.

Depending on the task, the letter might be personal, semi-formal or formal in style. You should write at least 150 words and spend no more than 20 minutes on this task. 

IELTS Writing Task 2

This is the same as IELTS Academic Writing Task 2: an academic essay (minimum 250 words) in response to a point of view, argument or problem. 

Extra info

• Your writing will be marked by a certificated IELTS examiner.
• You can find the IELTS Writing official assessment criteria here.

Test Time: 60 minutes

IELTS vs TOEFL Scores

The scoring systems for TOEFL and IELTS are very different.

TOEFL Scoring

Each section of the exam is scored out of 30 points. Given that there are 4 sections, the total score will be between 0 and 120.

Here’s a table taken from the TOEFL official website that shows you the different scoring levels.

You can read the TOEFL official scoring descriptors here.

IELTS Scoring

IELTS (both the Academic and General Training versions) uses a band score system that ranges from 0 to 9 for each section. The four scores are averaged to produce an overall band score.

Here’s the 0-9 scale:

• Band 9 (expert user): Full operational command of the language.
• Band 8 (very good user): Fully operational command with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies.
• Band 7 (good user): Operational command of the language, with occasional errors.
• Band 6 (competent user): Generally effective command despite some inaccuracies.
• Band 5 (modest user): Partial command of the language, coping with overall meaning in most situations.
• Band 4 (limited user): Basic competence limited to familiar situations.
• Band 3 (extremely limited user): Conveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar situations.
• Band 2 (intermittent user): No real communication is possible except for the most basic information.
• Band 1 (non-user): Essentially no ability to use the language.
• Band 0: Did not attempt the test.

You could also get “half scores” (e.g., 6.5 or 7.5).

TOEFL vs IELTS: Who Accepts These Tests?

Both TOEFL and IELTS are accepted around the world, but certain regions and institutions may have a preference for one over the other.

TOEFL  

TOEFL is usually the go-to test for people looking to study in the USA. This is not surprising given that the exam’s main focus is on academic English. Other countries may prefer TOEFL for immigration purposes, but it’s less commonly required for this purpose than IELTS.

You can check which institutions accept TOEFL scores here.

IELTS 

IELTS is widely recognized in the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, and is the test of choice for immigration to these countries. Most European and Asian institutions also accept IELTS scores.

TOEFL vs IELTS: How Much Do They Cost?

The TOEFL typically costs between $180 and $250 depending on your location.

IELTS fees are similar – around $200 to $250.

IELTS, however, offers both paper and computer versions, while TOEFL is mainly a computer-based test.

FAQs About TOEFL vs IELTS

Which Test Is Best For You? (Some Final Thoughts)

Here are some tips and considerations if you're still deciding between IELTS or TOEFL:

• If you’re planning to study in the US, TOEFL might be the best choice. 
• For immigrating to or studying in the UK, Australia, or New Zealand, IELTS is often preferred by many people.
• Which exam does your country of destination prefer? Go to the website of the immigration service and find out! Then decide based on that. The same goes for the university you’re applying to. Some may prefer TOEFL, others IELTS. Some institutions may prefer either one. Check their website!

Thanks for reading this guide. I hope it was useful! Whichever exam you’ll take, be sure you’ll prepare for it! Don’t make the mistake of thinking you need no preparation.

I’ve seen many students (who had very good English) fail the exam and waste money because they didn’t prepare enough.

Don’t be one of them!

Good luck!

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.