What is the biggest difference between IELTS and TOEFL?

The difference between TOEFL and IELTS:

Different countries apply.

The exam format is different.

Different test scores

There are many differences between IELTS and TOEFL. The biggest difference between these two exams is in the following three aspects.

In the first aspect, we will find that they are applied in different countries. Let's take a look at the countries where IELTS is applied. Because IELTS was written by the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy, we will find it applicable to Commonwealth countries.

For example, various countries in Europe, such as Britain and the Netherlands, and then Switzerland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are all Commonwealth countries, so they are recognized. In some countries in North America, TOEFL is written by ETS, so countries in North America, including Japan, recognize TOEFL scores more. These regional differences do not affect the actual functions and effects of these two tests. For example, in some areas, it recognizes both IELTS and TOEFL. For example, in Hong Kong, many students who apply for Hong Kong graduate students will find their English scores, which can be IELTS scores, TOEFL scores, or even CET-4 and CET-6 scores. There are many such areas. With the passage of time, IELTS scores and TOEFL scores are not limited to such a geographical limitation, which means that the current trend is a process of mutual recognition of regional scores.

So we will find that in the United States, he often only recognizes TOEFL scores, and now more and more universities, undergraduate and graduate students in the United States will recognize IELTS scores. According to incomplete statistics, more than 4,000 universities in the United States have recognized IELTS scores, including the most famous Ivy League schools, Harvard and Yale, and these famous schools in Canada or Australia will gradually recognize TOEFL scores, so it is often not so accurate to judge whether I take IELTS or TOEFL by region now. However, there is still a process of mutual bias between regions, so we will find that, for example, there is a university in the United States that recognizes both IELTS scores and TOEFL scores, but you will find that, for example, TOEFL scores 100 corresponds to IELTS scores of 7.

Then, if this American university requires his students to achieve a TOEFL score of 65,438+000, he will often not ask his students to improve their IELTS score by 7, but will be higher. For example, students are required to provide at least 7.5 points. This is because American universities still recognize TOEFL scores. Although he also recognizes IELTS scores, we will find that his requirements for IELTS are higher than those for TOEFL, which shows that he is more inclined to TOEFL scores. According to the latest requirements of British universities, most students are not allowed to provide TOEFL scores at present, which requires special attention.

Therefore, it is suggested here that if you have determined your own school or major, you'd better go to this school in advance. The official website of this major depends on the requirements of their school. We once met such a student who applied for a postgraduate degree in science and engineering in a famous American university. It is conceivable that science and engineering majors are closely followed by the United States. So the student took the TOEFL as a matter of course. As a result, when he visited official website more than 20 days after handing in his grades, he found that the pipe network clearly required students of this major to take IELTS only, but not TOEFL, so this was an embarrassing situation, which caused a lot of inconvenience to the student's application. Therefore, I would like to remind you in advance that you must accurately see the requirements of this school and this major.

The second difference, we will find, is the form of examination. There is no denying that everyone is different, so the form of the exam will directly affect your performance in one of the exams. Some people are very suitable for answering questions on the computer and like typing on the keyboard. So at this time, the TOEFL test is purely a computer test, so it is completely completed on the computer. Therefore, if these students choose the TOEFL test, it may be better. There are also some students who like to answer with paper and pen very much. He likes to communicate with people face to face very much. At this time, the IELTS test is a written test plus an interview, so its listening, reading and writing are all answered by paper and pencil.

But our oral exam is a face-to-face answer with the examiner. So if students prefer this traditional or intuitive one-on-one exam form, then IELTS may be more suitable for you, and TOEFL will be a bit cumbersome. Then we will find that the TOEFL speaking test is a person-to-person test. Many students think that it is unnatural to talk to him when I communicate with the microphone by machine, and I will be very nervous. At this time, you can choose whether to take IELTS or TOEFL according to your preference for the test form. Generally speaking, the examination time of these two kinds of exams is about three hours, which is not the same as that of CET-4 and CET-6. IELTS and TOEFL will be slightly flexible. Why is this happening? Because of IELTS, the speaking time can be between 1 1 min and 14 min.

So this time is not so fixed, but there are extra tests in TOEFL, some of which will take place in listening and reading tests, so the time of the test will not be so certain, and it may not end in three hours. So everyone should pay attention to the flexibility of our examination time. Then, judging from the classification of this exam, you can still test your language ability, so you just need to choose an exam that is more suitable for your personality and your answering habits.

The last point is the score of the test. As we all know, IELTS and TOEFL are divided into four items, namely listening, speaking, reading and writing, but their scoring methods are still different. Then we can see that the perfect score of IELTS is 9, and its single item and four items are also 0 to 9, so the final score should be the average score of four items added up and divided by 4, which is you.

The TOEFL test is not like this. Its total score is 120, with each item accounting for 30 points. Then add up the scores of the four items, and you don't need to divide them by anything. The score is your total score. Therefore, its calculation method is different, and the specific scoring rules are different. Under normal circumstances, if your IELTS score is above 7.5, it is more recognized. If the TOEFL score is above 1 10, it is also recognized as a good result. If you get these two scores or above in these two exams, famous universities all over the world will open their doors to you, and your language pass will be easier and smoother. Some famous schools have wonderful majors. He will ask everyone to submit a terrible achievement, but such achievements are often aimed at the media or journalists, so he will make particularly high demands.

Under normal circumstances, science and engineering majors or general majors in famous universities will never require more than this, so after knowing these points, you can weigh in your mind which country you want to go to and which school you want to study in, and then consider which exam classification method or exam form is more suitable for you. With these three points as evaluation, they can determine in a very short time.

* * * Similarities between TOEFL and IELTS:

Reflect candidates' language ability

Degree exams are essential.

This grade is valid for two years.

The grades can be reconsidered.

As the same language test, TOEFL and IELTS both reflect the language ability of our candidates, so from the perspective of language test, they are both very high-quality tests.

Then their second similarity is that whether you are an undergraduate or a graduate student, if you want to apply for such an exam with a degree, IELTS and TOEFL are both essential, and you will not omit such steps because of your age.

The third similarity is their service life, which is the validity period. Both the IELTS test and the TOEFL test are valid for two years, which means that this test is not once and for all, but only for two years. So, for example, when you were a freshman, you got a good score in IELTS or TOEFL, and when you apply again in your junior or senior year, it is very likely that this score can no longer be used. Therefore, during the examination, everyone should also pay attention to the choice of the examination date.

The last similarity is that our grades can be reconsidered. IELTS and TOEFL are both very humanized tests, allowing students to question their grades. Therefore, if you find that your test scores are very inconsistent with your usual English level, you can apply for reconsideration and choose one or more items for reconsideration. For example, TOEFL, we can choose to reconsider one or two items, and IELTS is the same. The similarities between these two exams reflect their test of language ability and their grasp of the humanization of this exam.