Quick summary
- IELTS: scored in bands from 1 to 9 (in 0.5 increments), speaking done face to face with a real examiner, available in paper or computer format
- TOEFL: scored out of 120 (4 sections out of 30), speaking recorded and assessed afterward, fully digital
- 2026 redesign: TOEFL went from roughly 3h30 to roughly 2 hours, its experimental section has been dropped
- Immigration recognition: IELTS is accepted by Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US for immigration purposes; TOEFL isn’t recognised in Canada or the UK for these procedures
- Validity: 2 years for both tests
IELTS and TOEFL both assess the same four skills, reading, listening, writing, and speaking, but the testing experience and the underlying grading logic differ noticeably between the two. A candidate used to one format can feel thrown off by the other, not because of an overall difference in difficulty, generally seen as comparable by most test-prep organisations, but because of the mechanics of the exam itself.
This comparison covers the format of each section, each test’s grading method, TOEFL’s recent 2026 redesign, and how recognition varies by country.
Format section by section
Both tests assess the same four skills, but with different volumes and time allowances. For Listening, each test includes several recordings, including a social conversation and an academic monologue; IELTS allows 30 minutes for 40 questions, while TOEFL offers 35 questions handled in 18 to 27 minutes depending on the version. For Reading, IELTS generally allows 60 minutes, versus 35 minutes for TOEFL’s older version, with a wider variety of question types on the IELTS side, seen as closer to the kind of reading actually encountered in a university setting.
The speaking section marks the most visible difference between the two tests. In IELTS, it happens face to face with a real examiner, in an exchange comparable to an interview, regardless of the format chosen (paper or computer). In TOEFL, the candidate’s response is recorded and then assessed afterward by a grader who is never physically present, a difference that weighs heavily on how the exam feels for many candidates, even though both formats remain graded by human raters.
For writing, both tests generally require two distinct tasks, but their nature differs noticeably. IELTS includes a task describing or analysing visual data (a graph, table, or diagram) followed by an argumentative essay, while TOEFL builds its writing tasks around academic material to synthesise, a logic closer to actual university work than to classic essay writing.
TOEFL’s 2026 redesign
TOEFL underwent a substantial redesign in 2026: its total length dropped from roughly 3h30 to roughly 2 hours, achieved notably by removing the ungraded experimental section that used to extend the exam without counting toward the final score. The older Independent and Integrated Speaking and Writing tasks were also restructured as part of this streamlining. This recent change concretely alters the testing experience compared to older candidates’ accounts still widely circulating online, and mechanically brings TOEFL’s total length closer to that of IELTS, which remains around 2h45.
Scoring and grading method
The scoring system marks the most structural gap between the two tests. IELTS assigns each section a band score from 1 to 9, in 0.5 increments, with the final score being the average of the four band scores. Each IELTS section relies on detailed, published grading criteria: for writing, for example, graders separately assess how well the response addresses the task, coherence and cohesion, vocabulary range, and grammatical accuracy, each criterion weighted equally in the section’s final score.
TOEFL works differently: each section is scored out of 30, and the final score is the sum of the four sections, for a total out of 120. Some test-prep organisations note that TOEFL’s speaking and writing grading tends to stay more holistic, not always distinguishing grammar, vocabulary, or logical flow errors as explicitly as IELTS’s detailed criteria grid. Scores also convert to the CEFR on a scale specific to each test: on TOEFL, B2 generally corresponds to a range of 72 to 94 out of 120, while IELTS places that same B2 level between 5.5 and 6.5 on its band scale.
Test-taking format
IELTS remains available in two formats, paper or computer, chosen by the candidate depending on the test centre, without changing either the content or the scoring of the exam. TOEFL, by contrast, is now entirely online, which requires real comfort with a QWERTY keyboard for the writing section, a detail sometimes underestimated by candidates more used to writing by hand. TOEFL also offers an at-home option under online supervision, along with a system called MyBest Scores that lets candidates combine their best section scores across several different sittings, an option an increasing number of universities now accept. For a retake, a minimum 3-day gap applies between two TOEFL sittings.
Recognition by target country
In terms of official recognition, IELTS keeps a clear edge for immigration purposes: it’s accepted by all four major English-speaking governments concerned, namely Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US, while TOEFL isn’t recognised by Canadian or UK immigration authorities. IELTS also offers a dedicated version, IELTS General Training, specifically designed to assess English for professional or immigration purposes, a variant TOEFL doesn’t offer since it exists only in an academic version, built primarily for university admission rather than professional or administrative use.
For university applications, both tests remain widely recognised, but with clear regional preferences: TOEFL traditionally dominates admissions at American and Canadian universities, while IELTS remains the standard in the UK, Australia, and more broadly across Commonwealth countries.
Fees and validity
Fees vary noticeably from one source to another depending on the centre and the time of year, but generally sit within a comparable range: around $230 to $250 for IELTS, and around $235 for TOEFL iBT as an independent candidate. Both certifications remain valid for 2 years from the test date, a principle common to both tests, based on the idea that language proficiency evolves over time.
Which test to choose based on your goal
For a university application in the US or Canada, TOEFL generally remains the more natural choice, its 2026 redesign having also made the exam lighter without changing its recognition, even as IELTS makes noticeable gains there, including among Ivy League schools. For a UK application, any study or work visa will require IELTS, the only test recognised by UK authorities in this specific context, regardless of the target university’s academic preferences. For Australia and Canada, both tests remain widely accepted, with a slight practical edge for IELTS, thanks to a denser network of test centres and a speaking format experienced as less stressful by most candidates. A candidate more comfortable speaking to a real person will naturally prefer IELTS, while a candidate more at ease in front of a recording and comfortable typing will lean toward TOEFL.
Frequently asked questions
Neither test is objectively harder than the other: most test-prep organisations consider their overall difficulty broadly comparable, with the real difference coming down to which format suits the candidate’s profile best. Improving by half a band on IELTS generally takes between 4 and 8 weeks of regular preparation, a useful benchmark for planning available time before an application deadline. For immigration procedures, checking the exact requirements of the target authority beforehand remains essential, since TOEFL, widely accepted for university applications, isn’t systematically accepted for visa procedures, unlike IELTS.
