TOEFL vs IELTS Which Is Harder & Which Test Should I Take?

Both IELTS and TOEFL are two prestigious English certification exams in the world. However, many of you still can't distinguish them and are confused when deciding to study English to get a certificate. In this article, DOL will help you learn the differences and functions of these two types of certificates!

1. What is IELTS?

IELTS (The International English Language Testing System) is an exam that tests your ability to read, write, listen and speak the English language. Even though IELTS comes from the UK, you can still use British or American spelling in this test. There are two main sections in the IELTS test:

1.1. Academic

The English language degree IELTS Academic (IELTS Academic) is widely recognized as the entry language requirement for all Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses.

This is considered one of the important criteria and is the first choice to evaluate students' ability before participating in educational programs at the school.

1.2. General training

IELTS General (IELTS General) will be a more suitable choice for those who intend to settle in fully English-speaking countries or students at high school level who want to pursue further study abroad.

2. What is TOEFL?

The Test of English as a Foreign Language internet - based test (TOEFL iBT) - The Test of English as a Foreign Language on the Internet (TOEFL iBT) will also test reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in spoken language. your English, focusing on authentic communication skills in a classroom setting.

TOEFL iBT is an American test, but like IELTS , allows candidates to use both British and American spellings.

3. Compare IELTS vs TOEFL

IELTS

TOEFL

Council

BC & IDP

ETS

Form

Paper - based & Computer -based

Exam time

~ 3 hours

~ 4 hours

Point ladder

9

120

Skill

Listening speaking reading writing

Exam fee

4,664,000 VND

3,980,000 VND

Expiry

2 years

How to dot

Examiner and machine

Number of countries accepted

140

160

Compare IELTS vs TOEFL details :

3.1 Score system

IELTS uses a scale system from 1 to 9, with the total score system calculated based on the average results of the 4 component points of the Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing tests . Your overall results will be rounded to the nearest half.

Meanwhile, TOEFL has a scale of 0 to 120 based on the score of each skill to calculate the total score. The total score is used to assess the candidate's proficiency in language skills.

Meanwhile, TOEFL has a scale of 0 to 120 based on the score of each skill to calculate the total score.

The total score is used to consider the candidate's proficiency in language skills.

Please refer to the best way to learn English:

3.2 Exam format

The component tests in these two IELTS and TOEFL exams all focus on the 4 skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, but the content of each test section and the test time will also be different.

SKILL

TOEFL

IELTS

Read

You are required to read and answer questions from 3 to 5 short passages and each must be completed in 20 minutes. The question types are also varied and academic topics such as environment, health, liferstyles, etc.

The structure of the IELTS Reading Academic test consists of 3 small readings, with a total of 40 questions with increasing difficulty. Reading test time is 60 minutes.

Topics range from diverse to complex such as Education Family, Space, Science, History, etc.

Listen

• When taking the listening test, you will have about 40 to 60 minutes to complete. Information in listening is usually from everyday conversations or class lectures.

• With the listening part, you need to have the skill of taking notes quickly to capture and remember the correct information.

4 small listening parts, including 2 conversations and 1 presentation.

• Section 1: You listen to a conversation between two people and must fill in the blanks with the missing parts.

• Section 2: You listen to a talk and must choose the correct answer that corresponds to what you heard in the text.

• Section 3: You listen to a conversation and choose the correct answer that corresponds to what you heard in the text.

• Section 4: You listen to a lecture on any academic topic and must fill in the blanks with the missing parts.

Write

• For the written part of this exam candidates are required to take the test on a computer.

• In part 1 you will have to write an essay consisting of 5 paragraphs, with a total number of words from 300 to 350.

• Structure of the IELTS Writing test: Includes 2 parts Task 1 and Task 2.

• Time to do the test: 60 minutes (of which task 1 takes 20 minutes and task 2 takes 40 minutes)

• Task 1: Candidates write an essay of at least 150 words in length, analyzing a given chart or map.

• Part 2 requires fewer words, but is more difficult because candidates will read a passage and then listen to a lecture on the same topic.

• From the notes you draw yourself, you must be able to write a short essay of 150 to 225 words depending on the requirements of the topic.

• Task 2: Candidates write a social essay with a minimum length of 250 words according to the given topic.

To speak

• The speaking portion of this exam can last for about 20 minutes.

• Candidates will be asked to record their responses to each question over a microphone and a total of 6 questions based on the dialogues and short descriptions provided.

• 
  Exam time: Approximately 15 minutes.

• Exam structure: Includes 3 parts Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. Candidates will have a direct conversation with the examiner.

• Note: The structure of Speaking IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training is the same.

3.3 Exam time

The timing of these two exams is completely different.

👉 For the IELTS test you can complete it in 2 to 3 hours and the speaking test time will depend on the discussion with the examiner.

For the TOEFL exam , it can take about 4.5 to 5 hours for candidates to complete and since this is a completely computer-based exam, the time will be extremely precise.

3.4 Popularity

Both of these exams are recognized as prestigious English language certification exams globally.

However, for IELTS , this test will be more popular in European countries while TOEFL is widely recognized in the US. But now almost in universities both these certificates are recognized.

3.5 Objects of study

IELTS Academic

IELTS General

TOEFL

Object

Those who intend to study abroad, have a need to study, or apply for a scholarship

Persons intending to immigrate

People who want to live and work in the US

People who want to study in the US

4. TOEFL and IELTS which is more difficult?

So, in these two TOEFL and IELTS exams , when will it be more difficult and require more knowledge?

• For the TOEFL exam, you need to answer the questions in a multiple-choice way, so your thinking must be more logical and reasonable; In the IELTS exam, you can answer essay questions in some sections, which means you must have a good memory and effective note-taking.

• In the IELTS Listening test you may encounter non-native speakers such as English - British or British - American. So you may have difficulty in identifying the answer for some strange accents such as British - Australian or British - Indian.

• For questions on the TOEFL test , candidates will be given a choice between correct and incorrect answers. However, in the IELTS test you also have an additional answer not mentioned - Not Given. So when taking the IELTS test , you must have a logical mind to analyze the information given in the test to get the most accurate answer.

Many test takers have debated the relative difficulty of the IELTS and TOEFL tests for years and have no clear answer. This is because the relative difficulty of TOEFL and IELTS depends on the language ability and test preferences of each candidate.

5. Should take IELTS or TOEFL

Many people are still wondering whether to take TOEFL or IELTS. Then don't worry too much because soon, DOL will answer this problem for you!

Since both IELTS and TOEFL certificates are internationally recognized, it is up to you to decide which test to take and which certificate to earn. Depending on the intended use of each individual, you can choose the appropriate exam.

• For candidates who want to study and settle abroad, IELTS is the more optimal choice.

• For those of you who want to develop your career, both TOEFL or IELTS can be useful.

You can find out how effective language learning is here:

6. Frequently asked questions

Is TOEFL better than IELTS?

Both TOEFL and IELTS are accepted by most universities abroad.

Is IELTS certificate accepted in USA?

Major universities across the United States recognize IELTS as an accurate measure of a learner's ability to understand, read, write, and speak English.

Is a TOEFL degree accepted in the UK?

Yes, TOEFL scores are accepted at all UK universities. Can confirm details with experts of Leverage Edu!

What is the TOEFL test used for?

Is the leading English language test for most universities and institutions in more than 130 countries including the UK, USA and Australia.

In general, both the IELTS and TOEFL exams will assess a candidate's ability to use English. However, in some respects, the two tests will have obvious differences.

Hopefully through the above article, you can better understand the nature of the 2 IELTS vs TOEFL exams . From there, you can make the correct decision for yourself if you are still wondering when you should attend.