IELTS The IELTS (International English Language Test System) is administered by the British Council, the University of Cambridge, and IDP Education Australia. The test primarily uses British English, and, as a result, is most commonly used by people whose destinations are the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. The IELTS test can be used to apply for a migrant visa or employer-sponsored work visas, and is also accepted by universities in most English-speaking countries.

 

The IELTS has two versions: Academic and General. For work and study, participants will need to take the Academic test. The General test is usually used by people who want to migrate for reasons unrelated to work and study and, thus, focuses more on broad, everyday social situations that require English proficiency.

 

TOEFL The TOEFL is administered by the ETS (Education Testing Service), which is based in the USA. The TOEFL uses American English and is almost exclusively used for academic purposes. It has only one version, and is accepted by all 100 of the top global universities.

 

WHICH ONE SHOULD I TAKE? Despite having similar purposes, the IELTS and TOEFL actually differ in many ways. They both include four components; speaking, writing, listening, and reading, but there are significant differences between the content and structure of the tests. The IELTS is focused on memory and comprehension, and has a wide variety of question types, while the TOEFL is more focused on logical analysis (owing to its almost exclusive use of multiple-choice questions). The IELTS is completed on paper, while the TOEFL is completed entirely on a computer. The IELTS has two different varieties, while the TOEFL has only one.

 

Which test you do, though, will depend on where you’re going, why you’re going there, and with which institution you are dealing.