Oh, yes.
Toilets seem to be the easiest choice for me; nevertheless they will definitely
not get me into a good university abroad. (But anything can happen.)
For those
who don’t know what I’m talking about, TOEFL & IELTS – both are
standardised English testing systems for foreign students who are going to
study (or people who want to work) in an English-speaking country (or at a
university that provides courses led in the English language). For those who
still have no clue, there is a big, red button with a cross inside it in the upper-right
corner. For those who have no idea what it’s good for and why I’ve just
mentioned it, do the world a favour and cut off your internet connection.
I
personally would prefer a certificate which would last a lifetime not just two
years. But the advantage is that it is impossible to fail these tests, unless
you are an ultimate idiot. So, which one is better?
Let’s work out
the differences, this will help me to decide. Wow, I’ve just found out that you
need to score 7 bands in each field at IELTS to apply for 189 or 190 visa in
Australia. The maximum is 7-8 bands (depending on the field [reading,
listening, writing, and speaking]). But that doesn’t matter it’s the General
training not the Academic version.
Anyway, I’ve read about the scoring
systems, which are quite different, but they are actually not what bothers me.
The speaking part is the biggest difference, though. When taking IELTS, you talk to an examiner
directly. However, at TOEFL you speak into a microphone and the audio is sent
to an examiner. Even though this might be the deciding factor, both ways still
have their pros and cons.
So, I decided to ask those who have taken
at least one of these tests. Fortunately, I didn’t have to address anyone directly
since this is a pretty common topic among international students. Nevertheless,
what I’ve found out is that TOEFL concentrates on colloquial English and,
especially, the American English. On the other hand, IELTS is aimed on exactitude,
proper grammar (British spelling!) and, thus, it’s more difficult for most
students. Moreover, at IELTS you may hear more than just a British or an
Australian accent, they suppose you can deal with the Scottish or Irish one.
Preparation
is the longest part of taking the test and takes much effort. What about its
efficiency? Of course, the tests vary every year but TOEFL is always A, B, C,
D,… (at least the reading part), however, IELTS asks you questions, wants you
to put appropriate headlines above the paragraphs, etc. I’m not saying that
there’s no way of being “prepared” for IELTS but it’s much harder than the
predictable TOEFL.
As
regards the reading part– I’ve mentioned some facts above. Most people agreed
on that TOEFL is harder for those who struggle to understand the context and
the text as a complex. IELTS basically asks you to rewrite what’s in the
article.
To me, the speaking part is always the hardest
so let me be a little selfish and let me try to balance the advantages and
disadvantages of speaking to the microphone/ face to face. As I read, the
examiner doesn’t necessarily need to be passive when you’re being examined.
They can help you by explaining the question if you don’t understand it or
correcting you and, thus, improving your performance. And the examiner might
help me to avoid the thing I always do, not depending whether it’s in Czech or
in English, an official school essay or just an article, which is burbling off
topic. I cannot prevent myself from doing it when talking into a microphone.
Nonetheless, I won’t be so nervous when speaking while nobody’s in the room.
As you can
see, choosing the test you’d like to take is highly individual. Therefore I’m
asking you not to only read this article but search the web to get some more
information. Official TOEFL and IELTS websites are worth visiting, too.
love & peace
Ciray
