TOEFL or IELTS? Which exam should you take?

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Hi, I'm Rebecca and in today's video I'm going to answer the question which many students

ask me which is which exam should I do?

Should I do the TOEFL or should I do the IELTS, ok?

So before we begin to answer this question, let's examine both of these exams and look

at some of the characteristics and then I can give you my recommendations and you can

come to your own conclusions, ok?

The TOEFL, first of all, is just one exam.

What I mean by that is there is only one version of the exam currently which is the TOEFL-IBT.

The TOEFL-IBT is an academic exam, sorry it's not an academic exam, it's an exam of academic

So therefore there's only one version of it.

The IELTS, on the other hand, is an exam which has two versions.

You have the academic version and you have the general version, ok?

The academic version compares to the TOEFL-IBT.

So the TOEFL-IBT, which is an exam of academic English, is comparable with the IELTS academic

However, the IELTS also has another version called the IELTS general.

So it really depends which exam you have been asked to do.

In some situations, for example, if you want to immigrate to Canada or Australia, you are

asked to then do the IELTS, the IELTS general.

The IELTS general is a little bit easier, some aspects of it, the reading and writing

are a little bit easier than the IELTS academic or than the TOEFL, which is academic again.

So, let's suppose that you don't have a choice, then of course you need to do whichever exam

that you've been asked to do.

If you're asked to do TOEFL, do TOEFL, if you need IELTS, do that.

If you have a choice, however, then it depends which one you need to do.

If you have a choice and you can do TOEFL or IELTS general, which is the easier one,

then of course you should pick the IELTS general.

If you have a choice between TOEFL academic or IELTS academic, which is what usually happens

and which is what students usually ask me, then you have a number of factors to consider

which we're going to discuss in today's lesson.

So, basically all we're going to talk about today is TOEFL academic and IELTS academic.

So, let's start first with the English.

What kind of English is being tested?

In order to know that, we need to look at who created each of these exams.

The TOEFL is created by ETS, which is a company, an educational testing company based in the

So their exam tests more American English or North American English.

So, in the listening sections of that exam, you will find more North American accents.

So, if you are comfortable with that, you would be more comfortable with the TOEFL exam.

The IELTS exam, however, is created by the University of Cambridge.

So, on the IELTS exam, they're really testing a little bit more of British English.

When we say British English and North American English, of course, there are 95% commonalities,

but there are 5% which is about, you know, differences.

So, you do have to check whether you are more comfortable with the British English or with

the North American English.

There are also some expressions and things like that which you will encounter in the

British English, which is different from the North American English.

In addition, the accents are different.

And this is really important for the listening section.

Some students who are unfamiliar with the British accents find the listening section

a little bit more difficult.

On the other hand, other students who are comfortable with the British find the North

American one a little bit more difficult.

So, it really depends on you and what you are accustomed to.

So, that's in regard to the English.

Let's look at the length of the program now.

The length of the exam in the TOEFL is longer.

The TOEFL is about four hours long.

Some of the sections vary and that's why the length varies, but in general, the TOEFL

is about four hours long.

The IELTS, on the other hand, is a shorter exam.

It's about two hours and 45 minutes.

So, in length, it is shorter.

Doesn't mean it's easier, necessarily, but it is shorter.

Now let's examine the four sections which are part of each of these exams, which are

reading, listening, speaking and writing.

The reading section in the TOEFL lasts for anywhere from 60 minutes to 100 minutes.

Some students are given a shorter version of the test and some are given a longer version.

You have no control over that.

And if you have the shorter version, you get three passages and you have 20 minutes after

So, you might...

The shortest you could get in the reading is 60 minutes.

The longest you could get is five passages, again, 20 minutes long, each one.

So, you might go on for 100 minutes.

You have no control over this, so you can't do anything.

The reading section in the IELTS is always the same length for everyone.

It consists of three passages.

Again, you have about 20 minutes and you have a total of 60 minutes for the reading section.

So, that's for the reading.

In terms of the types of questions and the type of passages, the level of English is

more or less the same.

It is academic.

The three reading passages in the TOEFL are basically of the same level of difficulty.

In the IELTS, it starts off with an easier one and then it gets a little bit harder by

But more or less, they are academic English and there are about 10 or 12 questions after

The questions in TOEFL are all multiple choice, A, B, C, D, so you have to choose the correct

There are some where you have to match and so on, but basically, you are choosing.

You don't have to write anything or pick any words from the passage.

In the IELTS, however, there are all kinds of questions.

Some are multiple choice, some are true, false, not given, and some you have to actually choose

certain words from the passage to answer the questions.

Some students find that a little bit more challenging and so that's something that you

are going to have to practice and try out and then you'll know what's best for you.

Let's talk about the listening.

The listening sections are quite different in the TOEFL and the IELTS.

The TOEFL listening consists of campus conversations and academic lectures.

In all cases in the TOEFL, you listen, you take notes, and after that, you see the questions

and you answer them.

All of the questions are multiple choice, OK, and you have to answer, choose the right

In the IELTS, however, it's completely different.

You listen to the passages and you write the answers as you go along.

In some cases, you're filling in the blank.

In some cases, you're matching terms or filling out a chart.

Or in some cases, you might be doing multiple choice questions.

There are a variety of different types of questions in the listening passage.

Again, all the accents in the IELTS are British or Australian and in the TOEFL, they're generally

American or Canadian accents, OK?

So this is something else to keep in mind.

Again, the listening section in the TOEFL is about 60, sorry, 40 to 60 minutes long

and in the IELTS, it's about half an hour.

So it is shorter but it's different.

So shorter doesn't always mean easier.

You have to try it out and see what works for you.

The speaking section, again, very different for the TOEFL and for the IELTS.

The speaking section in the TOEFL consists of you sitting with the computer, you're wearing

headphones and you have a microphone and you are asked to record your answer to six different

kinds of tasks which are given to you.

You have to speak for 45 seconds in some cases and the longest time you have to speak for

any of the tasks is 60 seconds, OK?

So you have six tasks in total on the TOEFL speaking, all of which are recorded.

For the IELTS, it's a completely different picture.

You are sitting with an examiner.

It lasts for about 11 to 14 minutes and you have a kind of an interview with this examiner.

It has three stages.

In the first stage, you are--it's sort of like a warm-up.

You're asked some general questions.

Where are you from?

What's your name?

What do you do?

What do you like?

What are your hobbies?

Things like that.

After that, in the second section, you're given a little card with a task.

You study it for a couple of minutes and then you're asked to speak on it.

It's kind of like a monologue for about two minutes or so.

And in the third part, you have a--not a discussion but a little bit of a kind of discussion where

you elaborate on the topics a little bit more, OK, with the examiner.

So that's the speaking section.

The speaking section in the TOEFL lasts for 20 minutes and in the IELTS, it lasts for

about 11 to 14 minutes.

And the last task is writing.

Writing has some common elements and some different.

So the common elements are that in the TOEFL and in the IELTS, you have to write an essay.

In the TOEFL, you have to write a five-paragraph essay, you have about half an hour to write

300 to 350 words, all right?

So that's what you have to do for the essay here.

You have only one topic and you have to write on that topic.

In the IELTS, you have to write an essay as well but this time, you have 40 minutes to

write about 200 to 250 words.

So yes, you have longer time to write less.

That part is a little bit easier.

Again, you're given one topic and you have to write about that topic.

Your essay will probably be about four to five paragraphs in length.

The second task is quite different.

In the TOEFL, your second task is an integrated task.

What does that mean?

Integrated means that various skills are tested together.

So first, you're given a short passage of about three paragraphs to read.

It's usually something academic from a textbook.

You read that for about three minutes, then after that, you listen to a lecture about

the same topic.

Now, the lecture may support the reading or the lecture may contradict the reading.

You have to take notes, very, very important to take notes during that part because without

the notes, you won't have anything to write about.

So the last thing you have to do then is to answer the question that they ask you in which

you integrate the information from the reading and from the listening into a response of

about 150 to 225 words.

That's your second task in the TOEFL, okay?

Your second task in the IELTS is a little bit different.

You're given a table or a graph or a chart, and you're asked to describe the information

that is given in that graphic form, all right?

And that also requires a certain kind of preparation to know exactly the vocabulary of movements,

of graphs, describing trends, and so on.

So quite different, these two, in terms of writing, okay?

So I've tried to give you here an overview of some of the similarities and differences

between the TOEFL exam, which is an academic exam, and between the IELTS academic version.

As I mentioned in the beginning, if you have a choice of doing the IELTS general instead

of the TOEFL, by all means, go for the IELTS general because it is a little bit easier.

The writing task, you only have to write an essay and a letter.

And the reading passages, they are all a little bit easier.

However, if you have to choose between the TOEFL, which is an academic exam, academic

English, or the IELTS academic version, then you are really going to have to decide.

Because there are pros and cons.

Even though the IELTS is shorter in many of its sections, it's not necessarily easier.

Each student responds in a different way.

The best advice I have is to really do a sample of either one, of each one, really, and compare

See which one you have greatest difficulty with.

Because there are different types of questions set up in different ways, and some students

have more difficulty with one exam rather than the other.

Don't think that the TOEFL is necessarily harder just because it's longer.

There are more multiple choice questions, so some students still find it easier.

Also, another factor to bear in mind is that the listening section in the IELTS requires

you to write in the answers.

And spelling matters.

So if your spelling is weak, that's another factor you want to keep in mind.

Whereas in the listening, in the TOEFL, it's just multiple choice.

So spelling doesn't count.

Another small point before we wind up is that the writing section in the TOEFL has to be

written on the computer.

Everything is you and the computer.

And the writing section in the IELTS requires you to write out physically, in handwriting,

So if for some reason you're not comfortable writing out, sorry, if you're not comfortable

keyboarding and typing and your typing skills are not very good or fast or efficient, then

you might prefer the IELTS because you get to write out the exam.

So students choose the IELTS or the TOEFL for a variety of reasons.

It's up to you.

Please do try out samples, go to the guidebooks that exist, do a sample test in each case

and see which one you feel more comfortable with, OK?

I hope today I've been able to give you a good overview of these two exams, a kind of

comparison because this is a question that a lot of students wonder.

And of course everybody, no matter what age, wants to do an exam which is easier rather

But the definition of easier is different for each of us, OK?

So if you'd like any more information, please come to our website, www.engvid.com.

And in addition, if you want any more information about either of these exams, you could visit

my website which is www.goodlucktoefl.com or www.goodluckielts.com, alright?

So thanks very much and whichever exam you choose to do, I wish you a lot of luck.

Thanks very much.