English practice
French practiceIELTS or TOEFL: what actually differs
Two English exams that most universities treat as interchangeable, run by two organizations that score them nothing alike. One reports bands from 0 to 9; the other moved to a 1 to 6 scale in January 2026 and still prints the old numbers alongside.
Checked August 8, 2026
Side by side
| What is being compared | IELTS | TOEFL iBT |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | Jointly owned by the British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press & Assessment. | ETS, which builds, delivers and scores the TOEFL iBT. |
| How you sit it | At a test centre or remotely online. IELTS states the format is the same wherever it is taken. | As the TOEFL iBT. ETS notes the test adapts as you take it, so timings and the number of items can vary. |
| How long it takes | Two hours and 45 minutes. | About two hours. ETS publishes base times of 30 minutes reading, 29 listening, 23 writing and 8 speaking, and asks you to allow around two hours because those times exclude directions. |
| What is in it | Four sections: listening, about 30 minutes; reading, 60 minutes; writing, 60 minutes; speaking, 11 to 14 minutes. | Four sections: reading, 50 items; listening, 47; writing, 12; speaking, 11. |
| How it is scored | Band scores from 0 to 9 in whole and half bands, with an overall band that is the average of the four sections rounded to the nearest half band. | 1 to 6 in half-point increments since 21 January 2026, per section and overall, the overall being the average of the four sections rounded to the nearest half band. |
| When you get results | 1 to 5 days on computer, up to 13 days on paper, 6 to 8 days for IELTS Online. | Three days in your ETS account, with the PDF score report available a day later. |
| How long results last | The IELTS partners recommend a maximum of two years, and that an older Test Report Form be accepted only with proof the test taker has kept their English up. | Two years from the test date. ETS states it will not report or send scores after two years. |
| Canadian immigration | On IRCC's approved list for Express Entry, in the General Training version only. One Skill Retake is not accepted. | Not on IRCC's approved list for Express Entry. |
| What it costs | No single global fee is published: the test centre sets it, so ask the centre you would book with. | ETS publishes a fee per country. For a test taken in Algeria it lists US$255, excluding VAT and other applicable taxes. |
Each column states what that exam's own organization publishes. The IELTS column describes IELTS Academic, whose speaking and listening papers are shared with General Training.
So which one
What actually decides it
The place you are applying to. Most universities accept both and name the score they want in one of the two systems, which makes the decision for you. When both are accepted, decide on logistics and price rather than on which exam suits you better, because nobody publishes evidence for that.
Read the TOEFL scale carefully
TOEFL score reports moved to a 1 to 6 scale on 21 January 2026. For a two-year transition period, reports also carry a comparable total on the old 0 to 120 scale, and ETS says institutions are updating their published requirements at different times. If a university page still asks for a number out of 120, your report carries both, so you do not have to convert anything yourself.
Both relate to the CEFR, but not in the same way
ETS built the new scale to align with the CEFR and publishes the mapping. IELTS deliberately publishes a continuum rather than a band-to-level table, and says so in as many words. Our two conversion pages go through each of them, quotes included.
Sources
Every line in the table is what the awarding body publishes about its own exam. Where a figure is not published anywhere we could check, the line says that instead of guessing one.
- IELTS Academic test format and sectionsIELTS, checked August 8, 2026
- IELTS scoring in detail: band scores explainedIELTS, checked August 8, 2026
- Verifying IELTS resultsIELTS, checked August 8, 2026
- Getting and sharing your resultsIELTS, checked August 8, 2026
- TOEFL iBT test contentETS, checked August 8, 2026
- Understand your TOEFL iBT scoresETS, checked August 8, 2026
- TOEFL iBT test registration feeETS, checked August 8, 2026
- Express Entry: Language test resultsImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, checked August 8, 2026
If you cannot get a seat
Sessions are organized by approved centers, on their own calendars, at their own prices. That is why the next date near you can be weeks or months out, and why two cities can have very different waits for the same exam. It is a real constraint and no website can fix it for you.
What we can do is smaller, and worth saying plainly: our free exam gives you a CEFR level today, so you find out whether you are ready before you pay for a session and wait for it. It is not accepted by immigration authorities, universities or employers who ask for one of the exams on this page, and nothing we issue changes that.
How our own exam reports a level
Fennec360 Certified runs its own free CEFR exam, scored out of 100. These are the bands it uses. They are a separate thing from the tables above: our exam has its own questions, its own scoring, and its own scale.
| Level | In plain words | Our score |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | Beginner | 0-34 |
| A2 | Elementary | 35-49 |
| B1 | Intermediate | 50-64 |
| B2 | Upper Intermediate | 65-79 |
| C1 | Advanced | 80-89 |
| C2 | Proficiency | 90-100 |
This is not a conversion. A score on our exam does not become a score on any exam named on this page, and no exam board recognizes it as one. What it gives you is your own CEFR level, from a full exam you can sit today.
Questions people actually ask
Which one is easier?
Neither organization publishes anything that supports an answer, so we do not have one. What differs concretely is the shape: TOEFL is shorter and adaptive with more items, IELTS is longer with a face-to-face style speaking section.
Do universities accept both?
Most do, and they state the score they want in one of the two systems. Check the exact page for your program and your year rather than a general list, because requirements move.
Can I use TOEFL for Canadian permanent residence?
No. IRCC's approved English tests for Express Entry are CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core. TOEFL is not on that list.
My score is out of 120. Is it still usable?
Yes. Scores are valid for two years from the test date whichever scale they were issued on, and reports on the new scale also carry a comparable total on the 0 to 120 scale during the transition period.
Where does the free Fennec360 exam fit in?
It gives you a CEFR level in English in about 50 minutes, free, which tells you whether a paid sitting is worth booking yet. It is not an IELTS band or a TOEFL score and no institution accepts it as one.
Not sure which level you are at yet?
Before you book a session you may wait months for, find out whether you are near the level your file needs.
Take a free CEFR exam and find out. About 50 minutes, four languages, no appointment and no card.
Our exam gives you a CEFR level and a certificate anyone can verify. It does not replace any official exam.