Friends who are studying abroad or about to study abroad, how are your preparations for exam review? How do you choose a wide range of exams abroad? IELTS and TOEFL have always been two major parts of the exams abroad, each with different characteristics. Many people don’t know how to choose these two exams, so let’s take a look today!
Considering from the study area
For applicants who want to go abroad, the biggest difference between the new TOEFL and IELTS test comes from the applicant’s tendency to choose a country to study in. Candidates can decide which test to take according to their actual needs.
To study in North America, take the TOEFL
TOEFL test is a test organized by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the largest testing organization in the United States, designed to determine the level of English that students from non-English speaking countries should have when they study in the United States, Canada and other countries. The TOEFL test takers mainly study in the United States and Canada. Therefore, all applicants who apply to study in these two countries, whether for undergraduate, master or doctoral degree, must have a TOEFL score.
Although IELTS has been recognized by more than 1,000 universities in the United States, most mainstream schools in the United States still do not recognize IELTS, or put the recognized IELTS score to a higher level, such as 7.5 or more. So if you are sure you are going to the US, take the TOEFL test.
To study in the Commonwealth, take IELTS
IELTS is jointly organized by the Cambridge University Examinations Committee, the British Consulate and the Australian International Development Program. It is used by many institutions in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, North America, and countries where English is not the native language but many professional courses are taught in English. Therefore, the IELTS test is suitable for students from European countries, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore and other countries.
In addition, the Australian Embassy now provides IELTS scores when it needs a visa, which means that you may not be able to go to Australia after taking the TOEFL test. It is best to confirm the visa policy several times before proceeding.
Consider from the degree of difficulty
IELTS written test TOEFL has been taken online
IELTS still uses paper-based testing, and TOEFL has adopted Internet-based testing, and the whole test basically takes at least 4 hours without interruption. If the test room equipment is not good, the test time will even be extended to 6 hours, which poses a physical and psychological limit for candidates Great challenge. The IELTS is only focused on the written test for 3 hours on Saturday morning. In addition, about 15 minutes of oral English will be arranged on Saturday afternoon or Sunday. The test room is very quiet and the candidates can basically perform at a normal level.
Listening: IELTS fill in the blanks TOEFL selection
The new TOEFL listening part of the test gives candidates more time to think about answering questions than IELTS. There are individual questions that can be repeated, and the question types are still multiple-choice questions. Compared with the fill-in-the-blank answer of IELTS, it is more in line with the test mode of Chinese students . Moreover, most of the IELTS listening questions require candidates to find detailed factual information from the listening materials. The new TOEFL requires students to grasp the main points and understand the speaker’s attitude and purpose.
Spoken language: IELTS dialogue for everyone, TOEFL man-machine dialogue
IELTS Speaking adopts a conversational way of everyone, the topic is more life-like, there is no standard answer, and there is a more comprehensive “machine experience” on the Internet. The new TOEFL oral test adopts a human-computer dialogue method, including campus life and academic speech topics, and simulates formal lectures to test students. Moreover, due to the difference in the start time of test takers, there may be voices that interfere with each other in the same test room. Happening.
Reading: TOEFL academic IELTS is more traditional
The content of the new TOEFL reading has become more academic, and it covers a wider range of topics, including history, science, education, business, social science, art and literature, engineering technology, sports and entertainment. The content of IELTS articles basically comes from traditional question banks, such as social science topics related to ancient civilization and immigration history, and natural science topics introduced by British agriculture and animal characteristics. The emergence of new questions is more regular, such as the topic of scientific and technological English in education.
Composition: Two essays for IELTS and one for TOEFL
The new TOEFL composition includes a comprehensive writing part and an independent writing part. Candidates are required to read an academic article in 3 minutes, and then listen to the recording of related lectures for 2 to 3 minutes. Finally, candidates are required to write a 150 to 150 to within 20 minutes. A short 225-word article criticizes the original viewpoint. The independent writing part is the life, study and social issues that students are familiar with, and it is basically the same as the old TOEFL test bank. There are two essays for IELTS, one large and one small. Various conventional charts, bar charts, line charts, pie charts, etc. appear alternately in the topic of small essays. The topic of the essay is relatively comprehensive, including various controversial topics such as government, environment, and technology.
How to choose the English test for studying abroad? The format and time of the IELTS and TOEFL test are changing and beginning to change. Applicants who want to go abroad feel confused by the choice. Choosing an English test for studying abroad may wish to consider the two main aspects of studying abroad in a stable manner and difficulty. The editor of Hujiang hopes that everyone can pass the exam and go to their dream school.