If you want to study at an English-speaking university, or if you want to get a job or a visa in an English-speaking country, then you probably know that you need a passing score on an English exam.
Which exam should I take?
The three most popular English proficiency tests are the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) by Cambridge English. All three are designed to rank your English ability according to the CEFR scale from A1 (beginner) to C2 (highest level of fluency). However, the process of preparing for and taking these exams varies immensely.
All three exams will test your performance in four skill areas: Writing, Speaking, Reading, and Listening.
If you’re seriously thinking about taking one of these tests, your English is probably already pretty good — good enough to understand this article. It’s important to note, however, that the CAE is aimed only at advanced English speakers, those falling into the B2 to C2 range. IELTS and TOEFL scores, on the other hand, will place your English ability anywhere along the A1-C2 range. Therefore, beginner or intermediate English speakers should not attempt the CAE.
Another important difference is the expiry date. An IELTS or TOEFL score will be valid for two years after the test date. The CAE does not have its own expiration date, although you can expect most institutions to require a language certificate no older than two or three years.
To make it even more complicated, there are a couple of variations within each test.
IELTS comes in two versions: Academic (the most common version) and General Training, usually required for secondary education and work experience in English-speaking countries.
TOEFL is most commonly Internet-based (iBT), with test sessions available over 50 times a year, but it can also be taken as a paper-based test (PBT) in locations where the iBT version is not available. The two are not identical, however, as the PBT version does not have a Speaking task, which is replaced with a Structure (i.e. grammar) task.
When choosing one of these tests, it is useful to consider a few questions:
- Are you more comfortable typing on a computer keyboard, or writing by hand? If your handwriting is atrocious, avoid the IELTS. If you can type like a machine, go for the TOEFL. If you’re taking the CAE, you can choose paper-based or computer-based. Some candidates cringe at the thought of the complex writing assignment on the CAE (called the “Use of English” task) and may find the two Writing tasks of IELTS much more straightforward.
- Are you very comfortable with Listening tasks? If not, you may find the CAE more suitable, as audio tracks are played twice.
- How shy are you with Speaking tasks? If talking to a real person makes you uncomfortable, go for the TOEFL — you’ll only speak to a computer. The CAE or IELTS both require speaking to a real person (or two, for the CAE). Many students find speaking to a real person easier and more natural than recording themselves on a computer.
- Finally — are you in a rush? Then you may want to consider TOEFL or IELTS, as test sessions for these are very frequent throughout the year. The CAE is offered much less frequently.
Those are some of the headline differences. Now let’s get into the details of each exam, so you’ll understand how each one is structured.
? The IELTS takes 2 hrs 55 mins and is entirely paper-based. ?
Listening (30 mins): you will listen to 4 recordings of informal conversations, discussions and lectures and you will answer printed questions about what you heard.
Reading (60 mins): For Academic, this section consists of 3 excerpts from books, journals, magazines and newspapers. Exercises will include multiple choice questions, filling in missing words, information matching, etc. You’ll need to read 2,000+ words total, and the texts will gradually increase in difficulty. For IELTS General, the format is the same, but the texts are different: instead of the 3 excerpts above, you’ll get 2 short factual texts from real-life sources, and 1 longer text on a subject of general interest.
Writing (60 mins): For both Academic and General, you’ll need to write 2 texts. For Academic, the first is a 150-word analysis of a chart, table, or diagram. The second is a short essay in response to a given problem. For General, you’ll need to write a 150-word letter in response to a situation, and then a 250-word essay in response to an argument or problem.
Speaking (11–15 mins): This consists of 3 parts in which your examiner will ask you to introduce yourself, speak about a given topic for 1–2 minutes, and answer more abstract questions on the same topic.
You can find the official IELTS preparation book here.
? The TOEFL iBT takes 4 hours and is usually computer-based. ?
Listening (60–90 mins): You will listen to 4–6 academic lectures and 2–3 conversations, and you will be able to take notes before answering multiple choice questions.
Reading (60–80 mins): This part will consist of 3–5 reading passages of about 700 words each. You will be required to answer 12–14 questions on information contained or implied in the passages.
Writing (50 mins): There are 2 tasks. The first is a question on how an article relates to an excerpt from a lecture. Your response (150–225 words) will show common points between the lecture excerpt and the article and illustrate how these are linked. The second task is a short essay (300 words) in which you are asked to express your point of view on a statement.
Speaking (20 mins): There are 6 tasks. You will express an opinion on familiar topics, and then listen to talks or lectures and then record your answers to related questions.
You can find the official TOEFL preparation book here.
? The CAE takes 3 hrs 55 mins, on either paper or computer. ?
Listening (40 mins): 4 parts with multiple-choice questions on topics discussed in recordings from radio broadcasts, speeches, lectures, anecdotes, etc.
Reading (90 mins): There are 8 parts to this section, which is divided into Reading tasks and Use of English tasks. You will read 3,000+ words in total. The texts are excerpted from newspapers, magazines, journals, etc. Questions are in the form of fill-in-the-blank, multiple-choice, and word formation tasks. The Use of English questions focus on syntax, collocations and English morphology in particular.
Writing (90 mins): You are required to write 2 pieces of text. In Part 1, you’ll read a text and write a 250-word essay based on the information contained in the text, weighing information from the text and stating your opinion. In Part 2, you’ll compose a 250-word text written specifically for the context, purpose, topic and audience indicated.
Speaking (15 mins): This section consists of 4 parts and is conducted with a partner. You will discuss interests, studies, career, etc.; describe two pictures for 1 minute, and interact with your partner, as instructed, for the remainder of the time.
You can find the official CAE preparation book here.
So, what’s the bottom line?
More and more people seem to be moving towards the IELTS. It’s more flexible than the CAE, since you don’t need to guess your English level before you take it, and many find the speaking section slightly easier than TOEFL, since you talk to a real person. The exam also takes 3 hours to complete rather than 4.
You should choose the test whose format makes you feel most comfortable, because feeling as relaxed as possible on test day is essential. That said, there aren’t a lot of reasons — other than a fear of hand-writing essays and talking to a real-life examiner — why the IELTS won’t work for you.The next (and much more important) question, of course, is how to prepare for one of these exams, and we’ll be covering that in detail in future posts. For now, suffice it to say that you need to study hard on your own as well as receiving some guidance from a professional teacher.