Nadia Safira's Blog: THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, and TEFL

Hello Fellas, what are you up to?? I know its been a month that I haven’t posted any articles. Well, I’ve been busy accomplishing my PI (Scientific Resource). The due date is on February. So, I have to accomplish it as soon as possible. As usual, I have another assignment from my lecture to post about the differences between TOEFL, TOEIC, TEFL, and the last but not least is IELTS. I bet that you’ve heard those before, however, do you know the differences between it? Well, lemme explain it to you.

1. TOEFL

TOEFL otherwise known as Test of English as Foreign Language, this exam is currently the most common for non-native English speakers. The TOEFL is often a requirement at most colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada and other English – speaking countries. In addition, government agencies, licensing bodies, businesses or scholarship programs might also require the TOEFL. At the present time, an individual’s TOEFL score is valid for two years and then subject for re-evaluation after the two year period.

1.1. TOEFL IBT® Test Scores

Your scores are based on your performance on the question test. You must answer at least one question each in the Reading and Listening sections, write at least one essay, and complete at least one Speaking task to receive an official score. For the TOEFL IBT test, administered via the internet, you will receive for scaled section scores and a total score :

· Reading Section (Score of : 0 – 30)

· Listening Section (Score of : 0 – 30)

· Speaking Section (Score of : 0 – 30)

· Writing Section (Score of : 0 – 30)

· Total Score ( 1 – 120)

In addition to your scores, your test taker score report also includes performance feedback that is a reflection of your performance level and a description of the kinds of tasks that test takers within the reported score range can typically do.

There is no passing or failing TOEFL® score; individual higher education institutions and agencies set their own score requirements. TOEFL scores are valid for two years after the test date and there is no limit to the number of times you can take the test, but you cannot take it more than once in a 12-day period. If you already have a test appointment, you cannot register for another test within 12 days of your existing appointment.

2. TOEIC

The TOEIC is an acronym for the Test of English for International Communication. As quoted from the TOEIC website: “The TOEIC is an English language test designed specifically to measure the everyday English skills of people working in an international environment.” The point system ranges from 10 to 990 points and the test itself is two hours in length, multiple choice, testing listening comprehension and reading comprehension.

The TOEIC gives certificates to those who take the test, with different colors differentiating the range of advanced skills. In 2006 a new TOEIC was released with longer reading passages and also British, Australian and New Zealand English-speakers, whereas the previous test only featured American speakers.

2.1. TOEIC SCORES

2.1.2. TOEIC Listening & Reading Test

The TOEIC Listening & Reading Test is a two-hour multiple-choice test consisting of 200 questions evenly divided into listening comprehension and reading comprehension. Each candidate receives independent scores for listening and reading comprehension on a scale from 5 to 495 points. The total score adds up to a scale from 10 to 990 points. The TOEIC certificate exists in five colors, corresponding to achieved results:

orange (10–219)

brown (220–469)

green (470–729)

blue (730–859)

gold (860–990)

2.1.3.TOEIC Speaking & Writing Test

The TOEIC Speaking & Writing Test was introduced in 2006. Test takers receive separate scores for each of the two tests, or can take the Speaking test without taking the Writing test. The Speaking test assesses pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and fluency, while the Writing test examines vocabulary, grammar, and overall coherence and organization. The tests are designed to reflect actual English usage in the workplace, though they do not require any knowledge of specialized business terms. The TOEIC Speaking Test takes approximately 20 minutes to complete; the TOEIC writing test lasts approximately 60 minutes. Each test has a score range between 0-200, with test takers grouped into eight proficiency levels.

3. TEFL

TESL, TEFL and ESL are just acronyms for “Teaching English as a Second Language” and “Teaching English as a Foreign Language” and “English as a Second Language,” respectively. For the layperson, they can be used more or less interchangably.

4. IELTS

Otherwise known as the International English Language Testing System, the IELTS is administered by the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council & IDP Education. There are two primary versions of the IELTS: the academic version & the general training version. Basically, the academic version is meant for students who want to enroll in universities and other higher education institutions, as well as for medical professions, such as doctors or nurses who need to work or study in an English-speaking country. The general training version is meant for those looking to gain work experience or for purely immigration purposes.

Similar to the TOEFL, an IELTS score is valid for two years. While both the academic version and the general version differ in terms of content, their structure is the same, dividing the test into three parts: Listening (40 minutes), Reading (60 minutes) and Writing (60 minutes). A brand is given along with a score, ranging form the high score of an “Expert User” to the lowest score of the “Non User.” The top three countries the test is administered in are China, India and Pakistan.

4.1.IELTS SCORES

The Test Report Form provides your Overall Band Score and band scores for each of the four components: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.

Overall Band Score

The Overall Band Score is the average of the four component scores, rounded to the nearest whole or half band. The component scores are weighted equally.

Some examples:

	Listening	Reading	Writing	Speaking	Average of four components (total of the four individual component scores divided by four)	Band score
Test taker A	6.5	6.5	5	7	6.25	6.5
Test taker B	4.0	3.5	4.0	4.0	3.875	4.0
Test taker C	6.5	6.5	5.5	6.0	6.125	6.0

If the average of the four components ends in .25, the Overall Band Score is rounded up to the next half band, and if it ends in .75, the Overall Band Score is rounded up to the next whole band.

Component Band Scores

Listening

The IELTS Listening test contains 40 questions. Each correct answer is awarded one mark. Scores out of 40 are converted to the IELTS nine-band scale. Scores are reported in whole and half bands.

Reading

The IELTS Reading test contains 40 questions. Each correct answer is awarded one mark. Scores out of 40 are converted to the IELTS nine-band scale. Scores are reported in whole and half bands.

The Academic and General Training Reading tests are graded on the same scale. The distinction between the two tests is one of genre or text type. However, Academic Reading tests may contain texts which feature more difficult vocabulary or greater complexity of style. It is usual that a greater number of questions must be answered correctly on a General Training Reading test to secure a given band score.

The tables below indicate the average number of marks required to achieve a particular band score in

Listening, Academic Reading and General Training Reading.

Listening		Academic Reading		General Training Reading
Band score	Raw score out of 40	Band score	Raw score out of 40	Band score	Raw score out of 40
5	16	5	15	4	15
6	23	6	23	5	23
7	30	7	30	6	30
8	35	8	35	7	34

Writing

Examiners use assessment criteria to award a band score for each of the four criteria:

Task Achievement (for Task 1), Task Response (for Task 2)
Coherence and Cohesion
Lexical Resource
Grammatical Range and Accuracy

The criteria are weighted equally and the score on the task is the average.

Speaking

Examiners use assessment criteria to award a band score for each of the four criteria: