Comparing the TOEFL, IELTS, and TOEIC Tests Three popular

Comparing the TOEFL, BELTS, and TOEIC Tests
   International students and workers must take a standardized test of English to move into higher levels of education and employment. There are three popular tests that universities or employers can use. They are the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). This lecture will talk about their difference.
   The Educational Testing Service (ETS), in Princeton, New Jersey, develops and administers both the TOEFL and the TOEIC. It says the TOEIC measures the everyday English skills of people working in an international environment.
   The TOEIC test started in the 1970s. The Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry asked ETS to develop a test for corporations to use. They wanted to know if non-native English speakers could carry out business in English. The TOEIC is based on English used in the workplace. But the test does not require knowledge of special business words. The questions come from real situations like attending a company meeting.
   Organizations sometimes use the TOEIC to measure progress in English training programs. They also use it to consider people for placement at the right level in language programs. ETS says that 14,000 organizations in 150 countries use the TOEIC.
   As to the TOEFL, there are several versions. Many U.S. universities require the Internet-based TOEFL, or the TOEFL IBT, on a computer for international student admissions. Another TOEFL is the paper-based TOEFL, or TOEFL ITP. It is part of ETS’s institutional testing program. TOEFL ITP is used within institutions for the purpose of placement or to evaluate progress of students. It is not accepted for entrance to universities.
   For young English learners, there are two new TOEFL tests. The TOEFL Junior Test is for young people between 11 and 15 years old. And the TOEFL Primary Test is for those over the age of eight.
   Finally, the IELTS. It has two forms. The Listening and Speaking sections are the same for both forms. In the Reading and Writing sections, however, there are two different tests. The Academic IELTS uses topics and materials covered in undergraduate, graduate, or professional programs. The General IELTS uses topics and material from everyday books, newspapers and magazines.
   And here are Triwik Kurniasari’s view of the tests for your reference. Triwik Kurniasari is a graduate student at an American university. She has taken both the IBT and ITP forms of the TOEFL and the IELTS. She says the paper-based TOEFL is easier. It is similar to the multiple-choice tests students usually take. A major difference between the TOEFL IBT and the IELTS is in the Speaking section. On the IELTS, you have a face-to-face interview with a certified examiner. On the TOEFL IBT, you listen to a situation and record your response using a computer. Ms. Kurniasari explains why the computer-based Speaking section of the TOEFL IBT was more challenging for her.