Toefl Vs Ielts

[321niti123]

Can anyone tell me which colleges uses TOEFL and which uses IELTS.

Also, where IELTS is used mainly, can TOEFL be used as a substitute?

[tonititan]

Colleges where? In Thailand? Do you mean, which colleges use which test as a requirement of admission?

[321niti123]

I meant in which countries require toefl/IELTS.

I am not really looking at thai unis

Yes, which colleges use TOEFL/IELTS as a requirement for admissions

Edited May 13, 2010 by 321niti123

[Loaded]

I meant in which countries require toefl/IELTS.

I am not really looking at thai unis

IELTS is owned by the British Council, UCLES and IDP of Australia. TOEFL is owned by ETS of the States. Both will be accepted by just about every university in the universe. It's a prerequisite for non-native English speakers who wish to study at an English-language university or international program.

[321niti123]

so taking both test is unnecessary?

+ Which should I take?

[DaninBangkok]

so taking both test is unnecessary?

+ Which should I take?

Check with the university you wish to attend. Many universities accept both, but some want one or the other. Take the test that your university requires.

One word of advice...give yourself PLENTY of time to prepare for whichever test you need! I cannot speak for TOEFL, however IELTS measures your ability to understand and to communicate in English. It is NOT a grammar test, so you can't "learn" IELTS in a course any more than you can learn to think or reason in a course. Preparation takes time!

Edited May 13, 2010 by DaninBangkok

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

so taking both test is unnecessary?

+ Which should I take?

You need to look at the universities at which you intend to apply. Look up their admissions policies for foreign students, and the websites will inform you which test they require, and the minimum score you must obtain. The university may require different exams for different departments. American universities tend to prefer the TOEFL while British universities prefer the IELTS. This is not uniform, however. Stanford's political science graduate program requires the IELTS, while University of California will accept either test.

The IELTS has a face-to-face in person interview. Most people who take the TOEFL take the computer-based IBT exam, in which you just record your voice into a microphone and create an audio file. The tests require a fairly good command of academic English. Thai students tend to have problems with the writing and speaking sections of the exam, but can obtain adequate scores on the reading and listening.

[321niti123]

I am looking towards singapore, australia (or maybe Canada or US-less likely), which one do you think is more helpful for me because i dont actually have a specific college in mind, and i would like to take it before ROTC which i would have to skip to go take the test. I can only skip 4 times and i need to skip 2 to go to malaysia and once for SAT II

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

I am looking towards singapore, australia (or maybe Canada or US-less likely), which one do you think is more helpful for me because i dont actually have a specific college in mind, and i would like to take it before ROTC which i would have to skip to go take the test. I can only skip 4 times and i need to skip 2 to go to malaysia and once for SAT II

I know Australian universities prefer the IELTS, and I bet that would go for Singapore as well. What degree are you going for (bachelor's, master's?) and in what field?

[321niti123]

Bachelors (undergraduate): most likely in engineering.

Applying for the spring of 2011

Edited May 13, 2010 by 321niti123

[321niti123]

I am looking towards singapore, australia (or maybe Canada or US-less likely), which one do you think is more helpful for me because i dont actually have a specific college in mind, and i would like to take it before ROTC which i would have to skip to go take the test. I can only skip 4 times and i need to skip 2 to go to malaysia and once for SAT II

I know Australian universities prefer the IELTS, and I bet that would go for Singapore as well. What degree are you going for (bachelor's, master's?) and in what field?

I think i have a good chance of getting into a good university in Australia because i am currently enroled in the IB Diploma Program

[321niti123]

Also does anyone know, how long before the actual test date do i have to register. (registration deadline)---For toefl

[Ijustwannateach]

You need to do some of your own homework. The universities themselves (the ones you are interested in) will tell you what foreign scores they expect- do a google on a few of them and check their websites. The times the tests are administered and registration deadlines are up to local test centers- contact them.

In terms of the TOEFL vs. IELTS question, TOEFL is targetted at a basic, functional survival level of English and focuses on the types of conversations and skills an entry-level university student might require for everyday campus life and study. IELTS (for university purposes) is much more wide-ranging. TOEFL listening skills are based on relatively simply dialogues between speakers with North American English accents who, I find, speak unrealistically slowly and without the natural frequency of pronouns and conversational shortcuts- to a native speaker, they sound more scripted and acted. IELTS listening sections are much more... ruthless and do not skimp on natural pronunciation, speed, slang, and even some quite tricky regional dialects, including non-native-speaking use of English by citizens of other European countries. I find the vocabulary used and the need for implicit and inferred construction of meaning on IELTS to be at a much more challenging level. Furthermore, the open-ended structure of the IELTS interview means there's no escape- you REALLY DO have to be able to use spoken English, and you can't memorise common scripts (a cheating strategy that plagued the old version of the TOEFL)- also the topics and structure of the interview require you to demonstrate a certain understanding not only of spoken English, but of some of the logical reasoning structures common to English rhetoric. The TOEFL test has tried to introduce more of these elements, but it is still relatively limited because the spoken passages are all one-way (recorded by the student) for short periods of time.

What does all of this mean? A good TOEFL score probably indicates a good STARTING point for someone who wishes to study in a foreign country- but by no means guarantees much fluency. A really good IELTS score, on the other hand, is rare and indicates true fluency by a very difficult standard. As a result, universities have begun (even in N. America) to pay more attention to IELTS scores as they tend to correspond more realistically with later performance.

So I guess, if your main concern is getting the high score, go for TOEFL and the universities that accept it. On the other hand, if you want to be recognised for a truly high level of competence and skill, go for the IELTS.

[Loaded]

"Over 2,500 US universities and professional bodies accept IELTS scores as proof of English language skills. Over 1,000,000 people a year are now using IELTS to open doors throughout the English-speaking world and beyond."

http://www.ielts.org/usa.aspx

[Northwest87]

---deleted

So I guess, if your main concern is getting the high score, go for TOEFL and the universities that accept it. On the other hand, if you want to be recognised for a truly high level of competence and skill, go for the IELTS.

Thanks for this detailed comparison. Are there ways to get a formation and/or certification as a trainer or exam administrator for either or both of these exams, as a way to supplement a Thai uni income?

Thanks in advance for any info,

NW

Edited May 23, 2010 by Northwest87

[Neurath]

---deleted

So I guess, if your main concern is getting the high score, go for TOEFL and the universities that accept it. On the other hand, if you want to be recognised for a truly high level of competence and skill, go for the IELTS.

Thanks for this detailed comparison. Are there ways to get a formation and/or certification as a trainer or exam administrator for either or both of these exams, as a way to supplement a Thai uni income?

Thanks in advance for any info,

NW

You need to contact the Examinations Manager at IDP (Thailand) and/or the British Council.

They will announce when there will be training for examiners or when their are job vacancies in other aspect of examination administration.

[Northwest87]

"You need to contact the Examinations Manager at IDP (Thailand) and/or the British Council.

They will announce when there will be training for examiners or when their are job vacancies in other aspect of examination administration."

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.

NW

Edited June 6, 2010 by Northwest87