Language tests are available to many people who plan to go abroad or want to improve themselves. The common language tests are IELTS and TOEFL. But many people don't know what kind of exam they are going to take, because they don't know how to distinguish it, so let's follow the small editor to have a brief understanding!
Examination mechanism
1. IELTS
There are two types of IELTS tests: academic and training, which are composed of listening, reading, writing and speaking. Two types of listening and speaking questions are the same, while reading and writing questions are different. The two types of tests have different pronunciation skills.
The advantage of the IELTS test is that there is no need to re register and the registration time limit has been removed for the re examination. The test results are valid for two years. The IELTS exam has a question bank for students to practice, and some questions will appear repeatedly in the exam. The IELTS scoring standard is more detailed than that of TOEFL.
2. TOEFL
TOEFL is a computer-based test, and the questions in each test area are the same. In order to ensure the fairness and rationality of the test, the test is scored manually.
Examination fee
The IELTS test is divided into three categories, and the fees are different for different types. Ordinary IELTS: 2170 yuan; IELTS for UK visa and immigration: 2220 yuan; Life skills IELTS: 1350 yuan.
The TOEFL exam costs 2100 yuan.
Examination time
The whole IELTS test lasts about 3 hours, including 40 minutes for listening, 60 minutes for reading, 60 minutes for writing, and 11-14 minutes for speaking.
TOEFL takes about 3 hours, including 50 minutes for listening, 60 minutes for reading, 60 minutes for writing and 20 minutes for speaking.
Examination content
Everyone has their own computer in TOEFL. The questions of listening, reading and writing are different for different people, but the oral questions are unified nationwide.
On the contrary, IELTS has the same listening, reading and writing questions nationwide, but oral English is a different question randomly selected by each examiner.
1. Listening
There are four sections in IELTS listening, each section has 10 questions, and there are 40 questions in total. The difficulty is basically increasing, and the positions of filling in the blank, selecting, matching and other questions are relatively fixed. The questions and materials are printed on the test book, and the examiner can review the questions in advance when he announces the start of the exam.
The TOEFL test is divided into two sections (excluding additional tests), each section has three paragraphs of material, and all questions are multiple-choice questions. The questions and options of each question will appear on the screen after each piece of material is played, testing your understanding of the recording and your ability to take shorthand notes.
2. Reading
There are three articles in the IELTS test, each with 13-14 questions, 40 questions in total. Each article has 2/3 combinations of question types (such as judgment, selection, filling in the blank, matching, etc.), and the first article is usually the simplest. There are both overall and detailed questions to be examined. Usually, the order of questions will be consistent with the position in the article.
TOEFL reading is also subject to additional tests. There are 3 articles (possibly additional tests), all of which are multiple-choice questions. Their vocabulary is larger than that of IELTS. But TOEFL reading is considerate, and each question is given a limited position to find the answer.
3. Oral English
Oral IELTS is a one-on-one communication with the examiner, which is divided into three parts. Part 1 introduces basic information and answers individual questions separately. Part 2 elaborates on a given topic for 2 minutes. Part 3 examiners will ask some extended topics based on the previous topics. The exam time is about 11 minutes. They are all topics related to life, and there will be a relatively fixed question bank every season.
Oral TOEFL is divided into six questions. The first two questions are basic questions and life topics. The fourth question is to listen to the recording and look at the materials before answering. The sixth question is to listen to the recording before answering. The last four topics may involve campus life, academic science and technology and other fields, and will involve some proper nouns to compare and examine comprehensive ability.
4. Writing
IELTS writing is divided into small composition and large composition, and the time and score distribution are both 1:2. The essay mainly focuses on practical subjects such as charts and maps. A big composition is an argumentative essay on a given topic (usually social life). The number of words required is 150 and 250 respectively, and there are specific answer card requirements.
The TOEFL writing section is divided into two parts: comprehensive writing and independent writing. The first comprehensive writing requires reading the article materials for three minutes, listening to the recording materials for two minutes, and writing for 20 minutes after listening. The second independent writing is a 30 minute discussion based on a given topic and point of view. The number of words is 150-225 and 300 respectively.
Recommended reading:
What are the contents and types of IELTS?
TOEFL application conditions and time
Time and cost of IELTS exam in 2023
What is the difference between studying for graduate school in China and studying for graduate school in Britain
