Important facts about IELTS and TOEFL

International English Language Testing System/ IELTS:

IELTS is extensively used by educational institutions, organizations, government bodies, and other professional setups to determine the proficiency of English of the student or an individual. IELTS exams are conducted in nearly 130 countries at 900 test centers worldwide in collaboration with the British Council, IDP IELTS Australia, and the University of Cambridge. In India, there are 39 test centres and tests are conducted on 48 fixed dates (4 times a month) usually on a Thursday or a Saturday.The test scores of IELTS are accepted by 6000+ institutes across the globe. The two modules of IELTS are: General and Academic and there are 4 parts in each of the modules. The test duration is 2 hours 45 minutes for the 4 modules listening, writing, and reading. The speaking test may be conducted before the other tests, or on the same day or within 7 days of taking the other 3 modules. Some centers offer IBT (internet-based test), but most of them offer PBT (paper-based test).

Important facts about IELTS and TOEFL

In India IELTS is conducted by either IDP or British Council. The cost of the test ranges from 8,900 if taken with IDP and 10,500 if taken with the British Council. The test results are available online after the 13th day of taking the exam and the “Test Report Form” with the scores for each of the skills as an overall band score is sent via courier within 6 weeks of taking the test. IELTS test results are valid for 2 years from the date of taking the test.

Test of English as a Foreign Language / TOEFL:

The second most common exam taken by Indian students is the TOEFL, as this is a standardized English language proficiency test preferred by universities in America. Unlike IELTS, the TOEFL exam is taken for academic purposes only, due to this reason it is accepted by nearly 7,500 universities and educational institutions in 135 countries. Out of the 4,500 test centers worldwide, 73 testing centers are present in India alone. The test is usually conducted on weekends. There are 4 parts to the test like any other internationally recognized test, i.e., listening, speaking, writing, and reading. All four modules are conducted on the same day and last for 4 hours 30 minutes. The TOEFL test can be taken as a TOEFL iBT or TOEFL PBT. The cost ranges from $160-$ 250 to take it in any center in India. The test score is between 0-120 and is available online within 2 weeks of taking the test. The TOEFL score is valid for 2 years of taking the test.

Useful links for Indian Institute of Foreign Languages students:

http://www.toeflgoanywhere.org/

https://www.britishcouncil.in/exam/ielts

https://www.ieltsidpindia.com/

https://www.ieltsessentials.com/global/ieltshome

http://www.ielts-exam.net/practice_tests/