CAEL vs.TOEFLand IELTS

Theis administered by the Canadian Education Centre. Private candidates can sit for the exam four times a year whereas educational organizations can schedule examinations any time. According to Canadian Education Centre, though most institutions of higher education inCanadaaccept theTOEFLand IELTS, a handful requires international students to furnishscores.

Theplaces more emphasis on Writing and Speaking, and places a relatively lower demand on the student's knowledge of vocabulary.

TOEFL vs. IELTS

• Listening

Both theTOEFLandIELTSrequire a certain level of vocabulary. TheTOEFLposes questions on campus and academic topics whereas theIELTSis more comprehensive. Subject and accent-wise, theTOEFLhas a more North American bias; theIELTSis predominantly British.

• Speaking

TheTOEFLiBT presents tasks where Listening, Reading, and Speaking are integrated. This may appear to be daunting. However, since responses are recorded, it is difficult for graders to determine the test-taker's abilities through non-verbal cues. Because of this, graders tend to avoid giving scores that are too high or too low. They tend to look out for fluency and logical progression of ideas. Most students can score in the low to mid-20s range. As theIELTSis conducted through face-to-face interviews, students have an easier time preparing for the IELTS. Graders will also be able to make accurate assessments of the test-taker's abilities through non-verbal cues more easily.

• Reading

TheTOEFLandIELTSare similar in length and difficulty, but they pose different types of questions.TOEFLquestions are more predictable and easier to prepare for;IELTSquestions are more varied.

Practice tests are useful in that they provide important background knowledge on the reading articles. However, students should spend time working on and familiarizing themselves with actual test questions. For either theTOEFLor IELTS, a solid foundation in English is crucial. FELC's Reading programs help students to expand their vocabularies rapidly so they may handle the Reading and Writing sections with ease. On average, our students achieve 24 points for Reading.

• Writing

Both theTOEFLandIELTSare similar in difficulty.

TheTOEFLiBT writing section requires students to first read a short academic passage, then listen to a lecture, and finally write an essay. This is really a test of the student's integrated abilities of Reading, Listening, and Writing. It seems difficult, but is really quite easy. Writing topics for theIELTSare more varied. They include topics on the government, environment, media, crime, culture, animals, and other controversial subjects.

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