IELTS and TOEFL: What the Tests Are, How Scores Work and Who Sets the Requirement
IELTS and TOEFL iBT are English-language tests reported on different scales, so there is no single score that works everywhere. Two separate parties set requirements: the institution (for admission to a programme) and the immigration authority (for the visa, where it asks for a test). They can differ, and which tests are accepted can differ too.
Read Two Requirements, Not One
When you ask “what score do I need?”, the honest answer is “for what?”. A university may set a minimum overall score and minimum scores per skill for a programme. A visa authority may set its own language level, accept only certain tests, or leave the language check to the institution. A score that satisfies one does not automatically satisfy the other.
- Admission requirement: set by each institution, often programme by programme. Check the programme page.
- Immigration requirement: set by the destination authority, where one exists. Check the official visa page.
- Test version and delivery: some authorities accept only particular versions or exclude tests taken entirely online or at home. Check before you book.
- No universal score: this page does not give one, and neither does any official source we checked.
IELTS and TOEFL iBT Side by Side
| IELTS | TOEFL iBT | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | IELTS (ielts.org) | ETS (ets.org) |
| Versions | Academic; General Training; IELTS for UKVI; IELTS for UKVI Life Skills | TOEFL iBT, taken at a test centre or at home |
| Skills tested | Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking | Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking |
| Score scale | Band scale 0 to 9, in whole and half bands | 1 to 6 in half-band steps since 21 January 2026; a comparable 0 to 120 score is also shown during a transition period |
| Overall score | Average of the four sections, rounded to the nearest half band | Average of the four sections, rounded to the nearest half band |
What IELTS Is For and How It Is Built
The IELTS provider describes the versions by purpose:
- IELTS Academic is the version for study at undergraduate or postgraduate level or for professional registration.
- IELTS General Training is described as intended for migration to countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK, and for sub-degree training or study.
- IELTS for UKVI is accepted by UK Visas and Immigration as proof of English for people who wish to live, work or study in the UK. IELTS for UKVI Life Skills is a separate UK government-approved test that assesses speaking and listening only.
The Academic test has four sections and runs about 2 hours 45 minutes: Listening (about 30 minutes), Reading (60 minutes), Writing (60 minutes) and Speaking (11 to 14 minutes). Listening and Speaking are the same in Academic and General Training; Reading and Writing differ. The provider states it can be taken at a test centre or online.
On scoring, Listening and Reading each have 40 questions converted to the 0 to 9 band scale; Writing and Speaking are marked against published criteria. IELTS recommends treating results as valid for two years, although individual organisations may accept them for longer or shorter. Confirm each institution’s and authority’s own rule.
What TOEFL iBT Is For, and the January 2026 Change
TOEFL iBT is ETS’s test of the four academic English skills, offered at test centres and at home. ETS introduced a new score scale and a new test design on 21 January 2026, so older preparation material and older score reports may describe a different test.
- Current structure (ETS content page): Reading about 30 minutes; Listening about 29 minutes; Writing about 23 minutes; Speaking about 8 minutes. ETS says to allow about two hours, and the test is adaptive, so time and items can vary.
- Scoring: four section scores and an overall score on a 1 to 6 scale in half-band steps. The overall score is the average of the four sections, rounded to the nearest half band.
- Transition period: for two years from January 2026, score reports show a CEFR level, the 1 to 6 scores and a comparable 0 to 120 overall score. From January 2028 reports will show the 1 to 6 scale only.
- Before the change: ETS describes the previous scale as 0 to 120.
Because institutions and authorities are moving between scales, read requirement wording carefully to see which scale a stated minimum refers to.
Bands, Scales and the Conversion Question
IELTS bands and TOEFL scores are not the same scale, and neither provider publishes a single official conversion between them. ETS states that score-comparison tables are general guiding tools and cannot predict the exact score a test taker would receive on a different test, and it advises institutions to set their own minimums, with reference to CEFR levels, rather than relying on historical equivalents.
Practical consequences:
- Do not convert a score yourself and assume it meets a requirement. Use the test named in the requirement.
- Look for section minimums as well as the overall score. A requirement that applies to all four skills is not met by a high overall score with one low section.
- Check the validity window the institution or authority applies to the test date.
How Requirements Differ by Authority
The examples below are taken from the official pages listed under Official Sources and show how differently language evidence is handled. They are not a complete rule set; each destination’s page controls.
| Destination | What the official page says | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | For a Student visa, English at CEFR level B2 for degree level and above, and B1 below degree level. It can be shown with a Secure English Language Test (SELT), a qualifying UK qualification, an Ecctis assessment of a degree taught in English, or, for degree-level courses at higher education providers, the provider’s own assessment at B2. The UK government list of approved SELTs names IELTS for UKVI, LANGUAGECERT, PTE Academic UKVI, Skills for English UKVI and Trinity tests; TOEFL does not appear on that page. | Which route your provider uses, and that any SELT is an approved one |
| Australia | Test evidence must have been completed within two years before lodging (Regular Evidence level). Tests delivered entirely online or at home are not accepted; the page names IELTS Online and TOEFL iBT Home Edition among examples. From 21 January 2026, TOEFL applicants must select “Taking TOEFL for Australia” when registering for the test to be valid for Australian visa purposes. | The minimum scores in the Home Affairs table and whether you need to provide evidence at all |
| Canada | Admission language rules are set by the institution. Separately, IRCC’s post-graduation work permit page states language levels in Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB): CLB 7 for university programmes and CLB 5 for college and polytechnic programmes, across all four skills. | Which tests IRCC accepts for the CLB requirement, and your programme’s own entry score |
| New Zealand | Immigration New Zealand’s Fee Paying Student Visa page states no mandatory English test, but says English test results can support a genuine-intention case. | Your provider’s entry requirement, which is separate |
| United States | The school accepts you and issues Form I-20. English requirements for admission are a matter for the school’s own admission policy. | The school’s admission page |
| Germany and other European countries | Language requirements usually depend on the programme and its language of instruction, and are set by the university. The German mission publishes the visa requirements. | The programme page and the mission’s visa page |
What IndoWorld Helps With
IndoWorld’s study pages describe test guidance as part of the study-abroad service: IELTS, TOEFL and PTE preparation guidance, and advice on score requirements by destination and institution. In practice we help you:
- match the test and version to the destination and the programme (for example whether a UKVI version is needed),
- find the exact score and section requirements in the institution’s and authority’s own wording,
- plan when to take the test so the result is valid and available when the application needs it,
- read your result against the requirement rather than a conversion table.
This page does not describe coaching classes or score-improvement outcomes, and we make no promise about the score you will achieve. Ask us directly what test-preparation help is available for your situation.
Test Mistakes We See in Planning
- Booking the wrong version, such as a standard test where a UKVI version is required.
- Choosing a home-delivered test for a destination that excludes it.
- Assuming the institution’s minimum is also the immigration minimum, or the reverse.
- Relying on a score-conversion table instead of the test named in the requirement.
- Using pre-2026 TOEFL material or score thinking for the current test.
- Letting a score age past the validity period an institution or authority applies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is IELTS or TOEFL easier?
Neither is easier in general. What matters is which test your institution and authority accept and which format suits you.
Is there an official IELTS to TOEFL conversion?
ETS says comparison tables are only general guidance and cannot predict an individual’s score on another test. Use the test named in the requirement.
IELTS Academic or General Training for study?
The IELTS provider describes Academic as the version for university-level study. Your institution or authority will state which version it accepts.
Does a high score guarantee admission or a visa?
No. A test score is one part of an application. Institutions and authorities decide on the whole file.
Test Providers and Authorities Referred to
- IELTS: Test types ↗
- IELTS: Academic test format ↗
- IELTS: Scoring in detail ↗
- ETS: TOEFL iBT score scale update ↗
- ETS: TOEFL iBT test content ↗
- GOV.UK: Student visa, knowledge of English ↗
- GOV.UK: Approved English language tests for UK visas ↗
- Australian Department of Home Affairs: Student visa (subclass 500) ↗
- IRCC: PGWP eligibility ↗
- Immigration New Zealand: Fee Paying Student Visa ↗
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