Because universities want to make sure you have the English language skills necessary to study at your school, almost all higher education ...
Because universities want to make sure you have the English language skills necessary to study at your school, almost all higher education institutes require you to take an English test. And TOEFL and IELTS are the two largest standardized tests of the English language. One of the most frequently asked questions I hear is which test is easier or which one is better. The answer depends on the type of tests you excel at, as well as where you plan to submit the application. This article breaks down the differences between the two tests so you can make your own decision.
Admissions
The IELTS exam is administered by the British Councils, the University of Cambridge and IELTS Australia. That is, it is associated with the British government and was traditionally used by British universities, as well as by the universities of New Zealand and Australia to determine the linguistic ability of foreign students. TOEFL is managed by ETS, a non-profit organization based in the USA. UU. And it is widely used by American and Canadian universities. However, these days, to facilitate international students, universities around the world take TOEFL and IELTS. While you should consult with the specific university to which you wish to apply, in general, any school in the USA. UU., The United Kingdom, Australia or New Zealand will take any of the exam scores. So that’s a worry out of your mind. Choose the test that you think will be easier to complete. To do that, you probably need to know the structure of each exam.
TOEFL structure
As of last year, the official TOEFL is almost universally administered in the iBT (Internet-based tests) format. It consists of four sections:
Reading
The TOEFL Reading section asks you to read 4 to 6 college-level passages and answer multiple-choice questions about them (multiple choice means that you choose the answer to the options provided). The questions test the comprehension of the text, main ideas, important details, vocabulary, infer, rhetorical devices and style.
Listening
The Listening Section presents long conversations of 2-3 and 4-6 conferences. Situations are always related to university life, that is, a conversation between a student and a librarian about the search for research materials or a history class lecture. The questions are multiple choice and ask about important details, inferences, tone and vocabulary. Conversations and conferences are very natural and include informal English, interruptions, filler noises like “uh” or “Uhm”.
Speaking
The Speaking section is recorded. You will speak into a microphone and a qualifier will listen to your answers at a later date and will rate you. Two questions will be about family issues and you will be asked to give your opinion and / or describe something that is familiar to you, such as your city or your favorite teacher. Two questions will ask you to summarize information from a text and a conversation, and you can also ask for their opinion. Two questions will ask you to summarize information from a short conversation. Again, the topics of the conversations are always related to the university.
Writing
Finally, there are two short essays on TOEFL. One will ask you to write your opinion on a broad topic, as if it is better to live in the country or in the city. One will ask you to summarize the information in a text and a conference; Often, the two will disagree with each other and should compare and contrast or synthesize conflicting information.
IELTS structure
The IELTS contains the same 4 sections, reading, listening, speaking and writing, but the format is very different.
Reading
The reading section of the IELTS offers you 3 texts, which can be from academic textbooks or from a newspaper or magazine, but all at the level of a university student. One will always be an opinion piece, that is, a text that defends a point of view. The variety of questions in the IELTS is quite wide, and not all texts will have all types of questions. A type of question asks you to match the titles with the paragraphs in the text. You may be asked to complete a summary of the passage using words from the text. Or you may have to complete a table or picture or picture with words from the text. There may be multiple-choice questions that ask about key details. One of the most difficult types of questions presents statements and asks if these statements are true, false or not included in the text. You may also be asked to combine words and ideas. Finally, some questions are short answers, but the answers will be taken directly from the text itself.
Some questions appear before the text and may not require careful reading to answer. Others come after the text and can expect you to have read it completely.
Listening
The IELTS has four listening sections. The first is a “transactional conversation” in which someone can request something (a driver’s license, a library card) or ask for information (for example, call for more details about an advertisement or a hotel). The second section is an informational class of some kind, possibly a dean that explains the rules of the university. The third is a conversation in an academic context and the final section will be an academic conference. For all sections, you may be asked to complete a summary, complete a table, answer multiple-choice questions, label a diagram or an image, or classify the information into different categories. You are expected to complete the answers while listening.
Writing
There are two writing assignments in the academic IELTS. The first asks you to summarize a table or graph in approximately 300 words. You will have to identify important information, compare and contrast different figures or perhaps describe a process. The second task asks him to present his opinion on a statement on a fairly open topic such as: “Women must take care of children and not work” or “Too many people are moving to cities and rural areas are suffering.”
Speaking
Finally, the public speaking section will be held on a different day from the rest of the test and in the presence of a trained interviewer. The questions are the same for all examinees, but some parts may be more a conversation than a monologue. The first part of the test will be a brief introductory conversation followed by some short questions about family issues. The interviewer can ask you your name, your job, what kind of sports you like, what your daily routine is, etc. In the second part, you will be given a card with a topic and some specific questions to address. You will have to talk about this topic for two minutes, which may be about your daily routine, the last time you went to the movies, your favorite part of the world or a similar family theme. In the last section, the interviewer will ask you to discuss a more abstract side of the topic in part 2: why do people prefer daily routines? Why do people like movies? How does the trip affect local life?
which one is the best for me?
So, now you have some understanding of what each test implies, but you may be wondering which one is best for you. Perhaps when reading about the structure, you thought: “Wow TOEFL sounds so easy” or “Oh, the IELTS sounds fun!” That could be a good sign that one test will be easier for you than the other. More specifically, there are a couple of key differences between the tests.
British English versus American English
While both the United Kingdom and the USA. UU. They accept both tests, and although British English and American English are not as different as some think, the fact is that IELTS tends to use British English and TOEFL uses American English exclusively. In the IELTS, this difference will have a greater effect because spelling counts, and that is an area where Britain and the United States do not always meet face to face. Obviously, if you have problems with the British accent (and the test may include a wide variety of accents, including Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Scotland). On the other hand, American accents can discourage you. Certain terms are also different and you don’t want to waste time on your oral expression exam by asking what a flat or truck is. Therefore, if you are used to British or American English, it is certainly a factor. If you feel more comfortable with US English. UU., TOEFL is a good bet, but if you are used to British English and it accentuates, it will do better in IELTS.
Multiple choice versus copy
For the reading and listening sections, TOEFL offers you multiple-choice questions, while IELTS generally expects you to copy words from text or conversation word by word. Multiple choice questions will tend to require slightly better abstract thinking, but IELTS favors people who have good memories and think more concretely. The good thing about the multiple choice is that it is easy to choose incorrect answers, while the good thing about copying is that the answer is there in the text. You just have to find it and repeat it. Then, concrete thinkers will tend to improve in IELTS and abstract thinkers will tend to excel in TOEFL.
Predictable or different every time
Of course, TOEFL is also more predictable than IELTS. The IELTS throws you many different types of questions, and the instructions are often slightly different each time. That makes it harder to prepare. TOEFL, on the other hand, is almost the same test every time: choose A, B, C, D or E. On the other hand, IELTS certainly keeps you alert and that can keep you more alert.
Talking to a person or a computer?
Another big difference is in how the conversation section is carried out. For some people, it is very relaxing to record their responses on a computer because it seems that nobody is listening to them. Just do your best and forget about it until you get your grades. Because the IELTS test is done in an interview format with a native speaker present, you may get nervous or feel that you are being judged. And they take notes: Oh God, did you write something good or something bad? On the other hand, you may feel more relaxed in a conversation, with a person there to explain if you don’t understand a question, or just have a face to look at, instead of a computer screen. Getting comments from a native speaker can also be useful for correcting errors and improving during the test. Therefore, it depends on what you feel most comfortable with. If you like talking to people, IELTS is a better bet. If you just want to be alone and not feel judged, TOEFL will be more comfortable for you.
Holistic versus Criteria
Finally, the speaking and writing sections of the TOEFL are classified comprehensively. The qualifier gives you a score based on the overall quality of the essay, which includes vocabulary, logic, style and grammar. The IELTS, on the other hand, is marked by individual criteria and is scored individually by grammar, word choice, fluency, logic, cohesion and a dozen other criteria. In other words, if you write well but have many small grammatical errors, your TOEFL score could be quite good because the qualifiers will ignore small errors if the general essay is logical and detailed. IELTS will not overlook bad grammar. On the other hand, if your grammar and vocabulary are solid but you have trouble expressing your opinion or organizing an essay, you may end up with a low TOEFL score, but IELTS will give you good grades for language use. So, although it may seem that the IELTS is much more difficult since it qualifies in everything, in fact, it can get a pretty good score if it is strong in several areas. TOEFL emphasizes the ability to build a logical and detailed argument (or summary) and analyzes clarity, word choice and style above all. If you don’t feel comfortable writing essays but you think you have excellent grammar and vocabulary and, in general, you are a decent writer, IELTS will probably be easier for you.
I hope this essay has been useful to choose. In any case, I recommend that you visit the IELTS and TOEFL websites and get more details about each test, and also try some practice problems on your own.
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