In some ways, the IELTS and TOEFL are quite similar for students who plan to study abroad. They both last around 3 hours, test the same skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening), and cost around $200 USD (though this depends on the country).

Then how do the tests actually differ?

We’ve put together this post to highlight the main differences between these tests and to offer some tips you can pass on to your students.

Note that by “TOEFL,” we’re referring to the TOEFL iBT and by “IELTS,” we’re referring to the IELTS Academic test. These are the versions of the tests that our students want to prepare for.

Difference #1: Content

Perhaps the biggest difference between the TOEFL and IELTS is the type of content that features in the tests. 

For one, the TOEFL is more academic than the IELTS. As the Executive Director of TOEFL explained in an interview with Inside Higher Ed , “100 percent of the TOEFL’s content is drawn from university texts.” 

In addition, a study of over 90 TOEFL and IELTS exams by a researcher at Beijing Normal University found that TOEFL reading sections have twice as many passages on science than IELTS reading sections.

On the other hand, IELTS features reading and listening passages that more learners find familiar, such as magazine articles. 

This difference is also clear from the speaking tests. While TOEFL has students discuss campus issues and academic topics, the IELTS speaking test is structured more like a conversation. 

So if a student is taking the TOEFL, advise them to get comfortable with content that’s more academic or science-heavy!

Difference #2: Question Types

The second biggest difference is the type of questions that appear on each test. TOEFL questions are all multiple choice, while IELTS has the following question types: 

• Multiple choice
• True, false or “not given” (i.e. not mentioned in the passage)
• Matching
• Fill in the blanks
• Short-answer questions

For the open-ended questions, test takers are also penalized for incorrect spelling. So make sure students who want to take the IELTS get plenty of spelling practice.

But students also shouldn't be deceived into thinking that TOEFL is easier just because it’s multiple choice. The Beijing Normal University study actually found that: 

• Compared to IELTS, a much larger proportion of questions in TOEFL ask test takers to “locate just one sentence and figure out the right response” or “to locate and integrate the relevant information across sentences.” 
• TOEFL also has “global questions involving understanding the whole passage while IELTS does not.”

Difference #3: Task Types

Another big difference is the type of tasks test takers are asked to perform. 

For example, the writing section of the IELTS has diagrams and charts. So if a student plans to take IELTS, encourage them to practice analyzing diagrams and charts in English.

The Speaking and Writing sections of the TOEFL also have some challenging tasks, which combine speaking or writing with listening and/or reading. This means test takers read a text and/or listen to a recording and then talk (or write) about what they learned. They can get a taste of this from our TOEFL materials.

For longer listening passages, they’ll also need to take notes. So advise students to practice taking notes on a daily basis, for example, when they’re listening to podcasts.

Difference #4: Format

The two tests also come in different formats. Namely: 

1. The IELTS speaking exam has a real examiner while the TOEFL speaking exam has test takers record themselves.
2. The IELTS provides a paper test while the TOEFL is computer-based.*

Regarding the first point, our students have told us that talking to a real person feels more natural, but that unfortunately, the examiners aren’t always friendly.

So here’s some advice for students deciding between the two options: 

• If they’re confident that they can talk to all kinds of people, go for the in-person exam.
• If they think their performance might be affected by the examiner, they might do better on a computer-based exam.

And regarding the second point, some students who don’t feel comfortable typing choose the IELTS over the TOEFL. 

However, it’s best to remind students that if their future studies will require a lot of typing, this shouldn’t be a big factor in their decision. Whether they take the IELTS or TOEFL, they should make sure they type reasonably well.

*Note: TOEFL does have a paper version. However, this version of the test does not have a speaking section and is only offered in areas with limited internet access.

Difference #5: Region

Finally, one thing that concerns students is where in the world they can go with each test. 

There’s a common misconception that UK schools prefer IELTS while schools in the US prefer TOEFL. This may have been the case in the past, but these days, both tests are accepted almost universally. For example:

• 100% of universities in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand accept TOEFL.
• “99% of American 4-year colleges and universities that enroll more than 1,000 international students” accept IELTS. 

And while the UK does not officially recognize TOEFL for visa purposes, most UK universities can still sponsor student visas with a TOEFL score as long as certain conditions are met. So for the purpose of university studies, TOEFL and IELTS don’t differ too much.

That said, the TOEFL does mainly use North American English while IELTS mainly uses British English. However, this also shouldn’t be a huge concern for students, because:

• Neither test penalizes test takers for using the other type of English as long as they are consistent.
• Both tests make sure to hire voice actors who can speak clearly and with standard pronunciation.

So encourage students to get familiar with basic differences between British and American English. This way, they won’t be thrown off when they encounter different spelling, vocabulary, or grammar if they take a test that uses a different type of English.

📌 Takeaways

In sum:

1. The TOEFL is more academic in nature.
2. The IELTS features a wider variety of tasks than the TOEFL, which is mainly multiple choice.
3. The IELTS speaking test has a real examiner while the TOEFL one doesn’t.
4. The IELTS has a paper version.
5. The IELTS (mainly) uses British English while the TOEFL (mainly) uses North American English.

We hope this helps you with any test prep work you might have. Happy tutoring!