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Test Review

Shuting Shen

Colorado State University

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Introduction
With the rapid development of society, human beings have entered the era of information

explosion. In order to gain more knowledge, more and more people choose to study abroad.

Studying abroad brings many benefits to students, which can expand students’ knowledge

and vision, and at the same time cultivate one’s independence. Then, people who go abroad

must pass the corresponding examinations in order to get the opportunity to study abroad.

Among the many exams, International English Language Testing System(IELTS) and the Test

of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) can be said to be the most frequent and

must-have exams for candidates.

As IELTS has gained more and more attention in English-speaking countries. Because

foreign universities use IELTS as one of the entry requirements, having an IELTS score is

equivalent to having a pass to the Commonwealth National University. Besides, The IELTS

score can help Chinese job seekers in their career to a large extent, as IELTS scores are being

recognized by more and more foreign companies in China. With the continuous development

of the Chinese domestic economy, the Commonwealth countries that invest in China are also

constantly increasing. The English level is one of the important criteria for recruiting Chinese

employees, and the IELTS score can objectively and comprehensively reflect the English

level of a person. Therefore, more and more foreign companies in China recognize IELTS.

Applicants who are able to present their IELTS scores in the process of applying for a foreign

company will be more competitive compared to other applicants. As a result, the number of

IELTS candidates in China has risen again and again. “Every year, three million people take

international exams with help from the British Council. Students and professionals gain

qualifications that can open doors at leading academic institutions and improve their
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employment prospects around the world.” 1 And it is worthwhile to mention another test,

TOEFL is a must-have test for studying abroad (US, Canada).Despite the increasing

recognition of IELTS in the world in recent years, the authority of the TOEFL still remains its

position. In particular, North American universities still use TOEFL scores as a reference

standard for admission requirements and scholarships. More than 2,400 universities and

colleges in the US and Canada recognize this test score and set the applicant’s minimum

TOEFL admission score.The TOEFL score is the same as the IELTS score and is widely

recognized. The two are similar but each has its own advantages.

This made me very curious about these two exams. Because I will graduate this year, and

my ideal place to work is China. Therefore, research on these two tests can lay a good

foundation for my career and expand my professional knowledge, which is more competitive

than others. The TOEFL and IELTS tests are composed of four parts: listening, speaking,

reading and writing. Both TOEFL and IELTS reflect the actual English level of the candidate

scientifically, reasonably and truly. Professionally speaking, which of the two exams is more

in line with the current university admissions standards, and in the examination method, the

two exams are used separately different test methods, then which test method is more humane.

More to the point, I would like to know which of the two tests is most suitable for evaluating

the performance of ESL students in an academic environment. Besides, by comparing the two

exams, what experience can I get from it to pave the way for my later teaching.

International English Language Testing System(IELTS)

Publisher: University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council, and IDP:

1 Big data from British Council. Available at: https://www.britishcouncil.org/exam

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IELTS Australia. Subject Manager, University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, 1

HillsRoad, Cambridge CB1 2EU United Kingdom;telephone44-1223-553355;

ielts@ucles.org.uk; http://www.ielts.org/. Manager, North America, Cambridge Examinations

and IELTS International, 100 East CorsonStreet, Suite 200, Pasadena, CA 91103 USA;

telephone 626-564-2954; bmeiron@ceii.org; http://www.ielts.org/

Publication Date: 1989

Target Population: Students for whom English is not a first language and who wish to work

or attend university in an English-speaking country

Cost: Varies greatly by location of test center; see http://www.ielts.org/. In general, costs are

Australia, A$160; United Kingdom, £72; United States, about US$100.

Overview
IELTS is an updated version of the ELTS test used throughout the 1980’s in Australia, New
Zealand, and the United Kingdom (Alderson and North, 1991). Since that time, the test has
received two major revisions to meet the increased demand for a modern English language
test.
Now, IELTS is administered at over 300 centers in over 100 countries and is recognized
worldwide for assessing listening, reading, writing, and speaking for ESL/EFL adult
candidates.
An extended description of IELTS is provided
Test purpose measures the language proficiency of people who want to study or
work where English is used as a language of communication
Test structure There are two types of IELTS: Academic and General Training.
Listening and Speaking are the same for both tests, but the subject
matter of the Reading and Writing sections differs depending on
which test you take.The Listening, Reading and Writing sections of
all IELTS tests are completed on the same day, with no breaks in
between them.The Speaking section, however, can be completed up
to a week before or after the other tests. Your test centre will
advise.

The total test time is 2 hours and 45 minutes.

For listening part,There are four sections with ten questions

each(with 40 questions in total, each question worth 1 mark). The
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questions are designed so that the answers appear in the order they
are heard in the audio.Besides,a variety of question types are used,
chosen from the following: multiple choice, matching,
plan/map/diagram labelling, form/note/table/flow-chart/summary
completion, sentence completion.The first two sections deal with
situations set in everyday social contexts. In Section 1, there is a
conversation between two speakers (e.g. a conversation about
travel arrangements), and in Section 2, there is a monologue in
(e.g. a speech about local facilities). The final two sections deal
with situations set in educational and training contexts. In Section
3, there is a conversation between two main speakers (e.g. two
university students in discussion, perhaps guided by a tutor), and in
Section 4, there is a monologue on an academic subject.The
recordings are heard only once. They include a range of accents,
including British, Australian, New Zealand, American and
Canadian.

For Academic reading part, there are three reading texts with a
variety of questions using a number of task types.(with a 60
minutes time limit)Texts are taken from books, journals,
magazines and newspapers, and have been written for a
non-specialist audience. All the topics are of general interest. They
deal with issues which are interesting, recognisably appropriate
and accessible to test takers entering undergraduate or
postgraduate courses or seeking professional registration. The
passages may be written in a variety of styles, for example
narrative, descriptive or discursive/argumentative. At least one text
contains detailed logical argument. Texts may contain non -verbal
materials such as diagrams, graphs or illustrations. If texts contain
technical terms a simple glossary is provided. In addition, a variety
of question types are used, chosen from the following: multiple
choice, identifying information, identifying the writer’s
views/claims, matching information, matching headings, matching
features, matching sentence endings, sentence completion,
summary completion, note completion, table completion,
flow-chart completion, diagram label completion and short-answer
questions.(with 40 questions in total) Each question worth 1 mark.
And for General Training Reading part is quite similar to
Academic reading part, except for its passage sources, Genera l
Training Reading sources is more focus on life, revolve around
social, work, and General to restore the reading skills used in
real-life situations.(e.g. Advertisements, job description and
newspapers)
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For Academic Writing part, There are two Writing tasks and
BOTH must be completed within 60 minutes. In Task 1, test takers
are asked to describe some visual information
(graph/table/chart/diagram) in their own words. They need to write
150 words in about 20 minutes. In Task 2, they respond to a point
of view or argument or problem. They need to write 250 words in
about 40 minutes. And for General Training Writing, it is almost
the same as Academic Writing expect for the difference in Task 1,
which require tester to respond to a situation.(e.g. Letters)

The Speaking test consists of an oral interview between the test

takers’ and an examiner. All Speaking tests are recorded.(with 11
to 14 minutes time limit) There are three parts to the test and each
part fulfills a specific function in terms of interaction pattern, task
input and test takers output.

(IELTS test format, 2019)2

Scoring of the test non-user (score 1) through to expert (score 9) The Overall Band
Score is the average of the four component scores, rounded to the
nearest whole or half band. The component scores are weighted
equally. If the average of the four components ends in .25, the
Overall Band Score is rounded up to the next half band, and if it
ends in .75, the Overall Band Score is rounded up to the next whole
band.
(IELTS scoring in detail,2019)3
Statistical For ELS students in China, only 1% of the candidates scored below 4,
distribution of and 2% scored 4, 7% scored 4.5, 15% scored 5, 24% scored 5.5, 24%
scores scored 6, 15% scored 6.5, 8% scored 7, 3% scored 7.5, only 1% of
candidates scored 8, none of candidates can scored 8.5 or 9.
(The Demographic data 2017)4
Evidence of the IELTS homepage doesn’t actually offer any data analysis for the
reliability reliability of the modules. However, they offer an overall reliability
estimate based on Fldt and Brennan’s (1989)5 theory over the four
modules which gives a high coefficient of 0.95, in turn producing a low
SEM of 0.21.
Evidence of Some studies (Fiocco 1992; Gibson & Rusek, 1992)6 have discovered
validity no connection between IELTS scores and academic performance, while
others (Bellingham 19957; Cotton & Conrow, 19988; Feast,

2 Ielts.org. (2019). IELTS test format. [online] Available at: https://www.ielts.org/about-the-test/test-format [Accessed 25
Apr. 2019].
3 Ielts.org. (2019). IELTS Scoring Calculate your band score. [online] Available at:

https://www.ielts.org/ielts-for-organisations/ielts-scoring-in-detail [Accessed 25 Apr. 2019].

4 The Demographic data 2017 Available ats: https://www.ielts.org/teaching-and-research/demographic-data
5 Feldt L.S & Brennan R. L. (1989). Reliability. In Linn (Ed): Educational Measurement, 3rd Edition. American Council on

Education: Macmillan.
6 Fiocco, M. (1992). English proficiency levels of students from a non-English speaking background: A study of IELTS as an
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20029) have discovered generally positive correlations between IELTS

entry levels and GPAs.

Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet Based Test (TOEFL iBT*

Publisher: Educational Testing Service (ETS) Mail Stop 50-L Princeton, NJ 08541, USA (609)

683-2008

Link:http://www.ets.org/toefl

Publication Date: 2005

Target Population: NNSE who plan to use English at universities or higher levels of

education

Cost: Fees vary by location, currently $180 in the U.S.

Overview
TOEFL, Test of English as a Foreign Language, organized by the American Educational
Testing Service (ETS), is an English-level test for non-native English speakers. TOEFL is a
must-have test for studying abroad (US, Canada). More than 2,400 universities and colleges
in the US and Canada recognize this test score and set the applicant’s minimum TOEFL
admission score. TOEFL scores are related to the success rate of scholarships.
A more detailed explanation of the TOEFL iBT is provided below in Table 2.

Test purpose The TOEFL iBT test measures your ability to use and understand
English at the university level. And it evaluates how well you
combine your reading, listening, speaking and writing skills to
perform academic tasks.More TOEFL scores are sent to U.S. and
Canadian universities than all other English-language tests
combined.More TOEFL scores are sent to German and French
universities than any other English-language tests.

(About the TOEFL iBT® Test)10

Test structure Section Time Limit

indicator of tertiary success. Unpublished research report, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia.
7 Bellingham, L. (1995). The relationship of language proficiency to academic success for international students. New

Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 30(2), 229-232.

8 Cotton, F., & Conrow, F. (1998). An investigation of the predictive validity of IELTS amongst a group of international

students studying at the University of Tasmania. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Research Reports
1998: Volume 1, 72.
9 Feast, V. (2002). The impact of IELTS scores on performance at university (Doctoral dissertation, Flinders University).

10 Data came from TOEFL official websites Available at: https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/about

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Reading 60-80Minutes
Listening 60-90Minutes
Speaking 20Minutes
Writing 50Minutes11
The Reading section measures test takers’ ability to understand
university-level academic texts. TOEFL iBT test takers read three or
four passages of approximately 700 words each and answer thirteen
or fourteen questions about each passage. The passages represent a
variety of academic areas and contain all of the information needed to
answer the questions; they require no special background knowledge.
The questions are intended to assess the test takers’ ability to
comprehend factual information, infer information from the passage,
understand vocabulary in context, and understand the author’s
purpose. Other types of questions assess the test taker’s ability to
recognize relationships among facts and ideas in different parts of a
passage.
The Listening section measures test takers’ ability to understand
spoken English in an academic setting. Test takers listen to four to six
lectures representing different academic areas, each about five
minutes long, and listen to two or three conversations representing
typical campus interactions with faculty, staff, and fellow students,
each about three minutes long. Each listening passage is associated
with a set of questions intended to assess test takers’ ability to
understand main ideas or important details, recognize a speaker’s
attitude or function, understand the organization of the information
presented, understand relationships between the ideas presented, and
make inferences or connections among pieces of information.
The Speaking section measures test takers’ ability to use spoken
English effectively in educational environments, both inside and
outside the classroom. There are six tasks in the Speaking section.
Two “independent” tasks require the test taker to draw on personal
experiences and opinions to answer. The other four tasks, referred to
as “integrated” tasks, require the test taker to use information
presented in a short spoken text or both a short spoken text and a
related short written text.
The Writing section measures test takers’ ability to write in an
academic environment and includes two tasks— one independent and
one integrated. The Independent Writing requires test takers to draw
on their own knowledge and experience to write a short essay that
states, explains, and supports their opinion on a specific issue.The
Integrated Writing requires test takers to write a summary, in
connected English prose, of the important points in the lecture,
explaining how these points relate to those in the reading passage

11 Data came from TOEFL official websites Available at: https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/about/content

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after reading a passage on an academic topic and listening to part of a

lecture that evaluates and criticizes the information and arguments
presented in the reading.
(TOEFL® Research INSIGHT, 2018)12
Scoring of the test Reading Section (Score of 0-30)
Listening Section (Score of 0-30)
Speaking Section (Score of 0-30)
Writing Section (Score of 0-30)
Total Score (0-120)
Although the score range for each of the 4 test sections (Reading,
Listening, Speaking, and Writing) is from 0 to 30, each section is a
separate measure and each measure has its own scale. Therefore,
scores obtained on a section can be compared to other scores from the
same section, but it is not appropriate to compare scores across
different sections.
The Reading and Listening sections are scored by computer with a
score range from 0 to 30. The Reading section has 36–56 tasks based
on reading passages from academic texts and answering questions.
The Listening section has 34–51 tasks based on listening to lectures,
classroom discussions and conversations, then answering questions.
For Speaking section, each of 6 tasks is rated from 0 to 4. The sum is
converted to a scaled score of 0 to 30. The scoring standard relies on
four aspects: General description, delivery, language use and topic
development.Each aspects will be scored from 0 to 4.
For Writing section, The 2 tasks are rated from 0 to 5. The sum is
converted to a scaled score of 0 to 30. The Writing section is scored
by two aspects. First, evaluating the integrated writing task for
development, organization, grammar, vocabulary, accuracy and
completeness. Second, rating the independent writing essay on overall
writing quality, including development, organization, grammar and
vocabulary.
(TOEFL Score Scales, 2019)13
Statistical The data presented in the Reference below are based on test takers
distribution of scores who took the TOEFL iBT® test between January 2017 and December
2017.According to this, we can clearly see: In 2017, the average score
of TOEFL was 80 points, and the average score of listening, speaking,
reading and writing was about 20 points.
(Test and Score Data Summary for TOEFL iBT® Tests Test and Score
Data)14

12 Comparing IELTS and the Common European Framework. (2019). [ebook] IELTS USA. Available at:
https://www.ielts.org/-/media/pdfs/comparing-ielts-and-cefr.ashx [Accessed 25 Apr. 2019].
13 Ets.org. (2019). TOEFL iBT: Understand Scores. [online] Available at: https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/scores/understand/

[Accessed 25 Apr. 2019].

14 Test and Score Data Summary for TOEFL iBT® Tests Test and Score Data (January 2017– December 2017 Test Data)

Available at: ww.ets.org/toefl

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Evidence of The TOEFL official website shows a large number of references that
reliability can provide evidence for their examinations, which mainly discusses
the idea of the test or the revision.
(C. A. Chapelle, M. K. Enright, & J. M. Jamieson, 2008)15

Evidence of validity A comprehensive yet user-friendly account of the essential concepts,

procedures, and research results that assure the quality of scores for
all members of the TOEFL Family of Assessments. Besides, In book
Building a Validity Argument for the Test of English as a Foreign
Language16, several scholars have using different method and trying
to prove the validity of the TOEFL Test from various aspects.

Discussion
TOEFL is an English test for undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees in the United

States and Canada. IELTS is primarily facing the Commonwealth countries.These are the

most popular overseas exams in China that I have chosen to study, the comparison can give

me a clearer understanding of the current situation of Chinese foreign language education, in

order to carry out better career planning. From the perspective of the examination form,

IELTS and TOEFL are divided into four parts: listening, speaking, reading and writing, and

the calculation results of each of the four sections are finally converted into total scores. The

total score of IELTS is the average of the total scores of listening, speaking, reading and

writing, while the total score of TOEFL is the total of the four scores. It can be seen that

both the IELTS and TOEFL test require a comprehensive test of the students’ English

language proficiency, and they pay equal attention to the four skills of listening, speaking,

reading and writing. Currently, IELTS and TOEFL scores are valid for two years. In terms

of applicability and recognition, although some countries’ receiving institutions may prefer

15 Cumming, A. (2010). Book Review: Chapelle, C. A., Enright, M. K. and Jamieson, J. M. (Eds) Building a validity argument
for the Test of English as a Foreign LanguageTM. New York and London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2008. 370 + xiii
pp. ISBN 0-8058-5456-8 (paperback). Language Testing, 27(2), 286–288. https://doi.org/10.1177/02655322100270020902
16Chapelle, C., Enright, M. and Jamieson, J. (2007). Building a validity argument for the Test of English as a Foreign
Language TM. 1st ed. New York: Routledge.
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one of them, with the continuous promotion of the two tests on the global scale, it is believed

that the final new TOEFL and IELTS scores will be worldwide.

Besides, IELTS have different places with TOEFL test. The IELTS speaking test is a

immediately conversation between the examiner and the candidate. Candidates can

communicate with the examiner through eye contact, body language and other

“humanization” methods. In the Speaking part of TOEFL test, candidates will wear

headphones to listen to the questions, then think within a limited time, and finally answer the

question with microphone within the specified time. Throughout the process, the candidates

face the machine, screen prompts and countdown instructions. This “human-machine

dialogue” experience requires high standards for the candidates’ psychology. Without

considerable training, candidates will feel nervous, stressful and even at a loss. Although they

are divided into listening, speaking, reading and writing, respectively, the four tests of the

IELTS test are relatively independent. The subjective part of the IELTS test is basically the

process in which the test taker is free. The section two in Writing part, generally allows

candidates to discuss a contemporary social issue and present their views on a particular issue.

The presentation of ideas is very free, and the process of argumentation can be very personal,

because IELTS writing is not about the correctness of opinions, but the ability of candidates

to prove their views with appropriate arguments. The same is true for IELTS speaking test.

All questions are not standard. Each candidate can give a completely different answer based

on his own experience and understanding. In the subjective part of TOEFL test, half of the

score is determined by the integrated task. For this kind of question, the candidate’s answer

should based on a “standard answer.” Because, there is some form of intrinsic connection
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between the reading and listening materials involved in the integrated task, and the candidate

does not accurately discover this intrinsic link when answering such questions, then the score

will be affected. From this perspective, the oral and written scores of TOEFL test can not be

arbitrarily selected by the candidates. In contrast, IELTS’s subjective exams are much more

free. At least at this stage, TOEFL scores can only be used for study abroad applications,

while the IELTS test is classified into Academic and General Training. IELTS scores are used

for studying abroad and applying for immigration, so the IELTS test is more widely used.

In summary, the IELTS test and TOEFL test have some in common, but there are also

many differences in many aspects. It is believed that for a long period of time, TOEFL and

IELTS will become the mainstream of the language test for studying abroad. For which exam

to choose, candidates need to make decisions based on their own circumstances, especially

the requirements of the receiving organization.

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References

Bellingham, L. (1995). The relationship of language proficiency to academic success for

international students. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 30(2), 229-232.

British Council official website.What is IELTS?

Links: https://www.britishcouncil.org/exam[Online] Last access time:3/17/2019

Comparing IELTS and the Common European Framework. (2019). [ebook] IELTS USA.

Available at: https://www.ielts.org/-/media/pdfs/comparing-ielts-and-cefr.ashx [Accessed

25 Apr. 2019].

Cotton, F., & Conrow, F. (1998). An investigation of the predictive validity of IELTS amongst

a group of international students studying at the University of Tasmania. International

English Language Testing System (IELTS) Research Reports 1998: Volume 1, 72.

Chapelle, C., Enright, M. and Jamieson, J. (2007). Building a validity argument for the Test of

English as a Foreign Language TM. 1st ed. New York: Routledge.

Cumming, A. (2010). Book Review: Chapelle, C. A., Enright, M. K. and Jamieson, J. M.

(Eds) Building a validity argument for the Test of English as a Foreign LanguageTM.

New York and London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2008. 370 + xiii pp. ISBN

0-8058-5456-8 (paperback). Language Testing, 27(2), 286–288.

https://doi.org/10.1177/02655322100270020902
 14

Ets.org. (2019). TOEFL iBT: Understand Scores. [online] Available at:

https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/scores/understand/ [Accessed 25 Apr. 2019].

Feast, V. (2002). The impact of IELTS scores on performance at university (Doctoral

dissertation, Flinders University)

Feldt L.S & Brennan R. L. (1989). Reliability. In Linn (Ed): Educational Measurement, 3rd

Edition. American Council on Education: Macmillan.

Fiocco, M. (1992). English proficiency levels of students from a non-English speaking

background: A study of IELTS as an indicator of tertiary success. Unpublished research

report, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia.

Ielts.org. (2019). IELTS test format. [online] Available at:

https://www.ielts.org/about-the-test/test-format [Accessed 25 Apr. 2019].

Ielts.org. (2019). IELTS Scoring Calculate your band score. [online] Available at:

https://www.ielts.org/ielts-for-organisations/ielts-scoring-in-detail [Accessed 25 Apr.

2019].

IELTS official website The Demographic data 2017

Links: https://www.ielts.org/teaching-and-research/demographic-data [Online] Last

access time:3/17/2019
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Test and Score Data Summary for TOEFL iBT® Tests Test and Score Data (January 2017

December 2017 Test Data) Available at: ww.ets.org/toefl

TOEFL official websites Why take the TOEFL test Link: https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/about

Last access time:3/17/2019

TOEFL official websites TOEFL iBT Test Section Link:

https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/about/content Last access time:3/17/2019