Ielts vs Toefl
Many students around the world look forward for studying in the United State of America. They are required to pass any English as A Second Language exam. The two most popular exams for international students are the TOEFL-IBT and the IELTS. Many students get confused which exam is easier for them. In fact, it depends on the student to decide which is the easiest for him or her. There are many reasons to consider whether to choose taking the IELTS or the TOEFL-IBT. One of the biggest differences between these exams is in the speaking section.
In the TOEFL-IPT, students use computers to take the exam. The speaking section on the TOEFL-IBT requires listening to six conversations and lectures, then students must talk about the conversations or the lectures that they heard for one minutes each. In the IELTS, students do not use computers and do not listen to any conversation or lecture. They speak with examiners instead of computers. The examiners ask some general and specific questions then they must answer these questions. Many students say that the IELTS is easier than the TOEFL-IBT in the speaking section because it is more reliable.
For example, in the TOEFL-IBT, some students may get lectures about subjects that they are not familiar with such as physics and chemistry. Many students say it is difficult to speak for one minute with computers under pressure about something that they have not talked about before. On the IELTS, on the other hand, students get general and specific questions such as education, sport and business. They said that they can speak and discus with examiners about these questions and it is the best way to measure their abilities in speaking. The second difference between the TOEFL-IBT and the IELTS exams is in the writing section.
The biggest difference is in the way that students write. In the TOEFL-IBT, students use computers in the whole exam. Therefore, they should type two essays in sixty minutes. On the IELTS, on the other hand, students use paper and pencils to write their essays. They must write two different essays in sixty minute by hand. It is obvious that it depends on the students to choose what is easier for them. For example, some students are good writer on the computer. They can type faster than writing by hand. Therefore, they prefer the TOEFL-IBT rather than the IELTS because they can write more word in less time using computers.
On the other hand, some students prefer the IELTS because they are very slow writers using computers. It takes them more time to write and look for the letters on the keyboard. As a result, they prefer the IELTS because they used to write by hand and they do not want to waste their time looking for the liters on the keyboard. The third difference is in the listening section. In the TOEFL-IBT, students get questions first. They can read the questions and prepare for what they should listen to, then they listen to the lectures or conversations.
On the other hand, the students who take the TOEFL-IBT are not allowed to read any question that they will be asked. Therefore, they listen to the lectures or the conversations and take notes then they get the questions. In fact, many students believe that the TOEFL-IBT is difficult in the Listening Section because they do not know what they will be asked after the lectures. For example, in the TOEFL-IBT, many students get confused while they are listening to the lectures. The lectures normally take six minutes and they cannot take note on everything that the lectures say.
On the IELTS, the students hear the lectures while they read questions. They can answer questions directly then they can move to the next question. In the end, many students work hardly to learn English to study in the U. S. many of them have good English abilities but they fail in English as A Second Language exams. Some students choose wrong exams that do not match their skills. They do not know the differences between the TOEFL-IBT and the IELTS. The Writing, Speaking and Listening sections are different between the TOEFL-IBT and the IELTS.
