TOEFL iBT® test · Choosing a test
TOEFL vs IELTS in 2026
If you compared these two tests before 2026, that comparison is now out of date. In January 2026 the TOEFL iBT® test was rebuilt — it is shorter, partly adaptive, and reported on a new 1–6 band scale. IELTS did not rebuild its test: it is changing how the test is delivered during 2026, but says the skills assessed, the test construct and the way results should be interpreted are unchanged. So the gap between the two widened from one side only, which is exactly why it is worth re-running the comparison before you book.
One 2026 change on the IELTS side. IELTS has announced that from mid-2026 it will stop offering a paper-based test and deliver all tests on computer, with exact timelines varying by market. In selected markets it is introducing a "Writing on Paper" option, letting you handwrite your Writing answers while taking the computer-based test. IELTS states this does not change the skills assessed, the test construct, or how institutions should read results — so it affects your test-day experience rather than the comparison below.
The short answer
Both tests are widely accepted for university admission and for many visa routes, both assess reading, listening, writing and speaking, and neither has a pass mark — your target is set by the institution you are applying to. The real differences in 2026 are how long you sit there, what the tasks look like, and who you speak to:
- TOEFL is now the shorter test by a wide margin — under two hours, against 2 hours 45 minutes for IELTS.
- TOEFL is fully computer-delivered, including Speaking, which is recorded. IELTS Speaking is a live interview with a trained examiner.
- TOEFL uses many short tasks; IELTS uses fewer, longer ones — notably two extended writing tasks and long reading passages.
- The scales are different and do not convert cleanly: TOEFL 1–6, IELTS 0–9.
Side by side, as of 2026
| TOEFL iBT® (from Jan 2026) | IELTS Academic | |
|---|---|---|
| Total time | About 90 minutes of section work; under two hours in the seat | 2 hours 45 minutes |
| Scheduled break | None | None between Listening, Reading and Writing |
| Section order | Fixed: Reading → Listening → Writing → Speaking | Listening → Reading → Writing, then Speaking |
| Reading | 50-item base form, about 30 min, two-stage adaptive | 40 questions, 60 min, three long passages |
| Listening | 47-item base form, about 29 min, two-stage adaptive | 40 questions, about 30 min |
| Writing | 12 items, about 23 min, three task types | 2 tasks, 60 min |
| Speaking | 11 items, about 8 min, recorded by computer | 3 parts, 11–14 min, live examiner |
| Adaptive? | Yes — Reading and Listening are two-stage adaptive | No |
| Score scale | 1–6 in half bands, per section and overall | 0–9 in half bands, per section and overall |
| Versions | One test | Academic and General Training |
TOEFL figures follow ETS's published January-2026 test specifications. IELTS figures follow the published test format and scoring information on ielts.org. Both organisations can revise their tests — confirm current details with the official provider before you book.
Length: the difference that changed most
This is the single biggest shift. The pre-2026 TOEFL ran to roughly two hours; the rebuilt test finishes about 90 minutes of section work, and you are typically done in under two hours once directions are included. There is no scheduled break, because the test is short enough not to need one.
IELTS still runs 2 hours 45 minutes. Listening, Reading and Writing are taken back to back on the same day; Speaking is a separate 11–14 minute appointment that may fall on the same day or on a different day, depending on the centre.
Practically: if sustained concentration is your weak point, the 2026 TOEFL is materially kinder. If you prefer more time per question and dislike being rushed, the IELTS pacing is more generous — 60 minutes for 40 reading questions is a very different rhythm from about 30 minutes for 50 TOEFL items.
Speaking: recorded, or a real conversation
This is the difference candidates feel most strongly, and it is worth being honest that people split in both directions.
TOEFL Speaking is delivered by computer. You speak into a microphone; your answers are recorded and scored afterwards. The 2026 section is about eight minutes and uses two task types: Listen and Repeat, where you repeat seven spoken sentences word for word, and Take an Interview, a simulated interview with four questions at 45 seconds each. Nobody reacts to you or interrupts, and the prerecorded prompts do not change in response to what you say.
IELTS Speaking is a live interview with a trained examiner across three parts: familiar questions about yourself, a longer solo turn on a given topic after a short preparation period, and a two-way discussion on more abstract themes.
If a person watching you speak makes you freeze, TOEFL removes that variable entirely. If you speak far better when there is a human to respond to — and you find talking to a microphone unnatural — IELTS plays to that.
Writing: short and functional, or long and essayistic
The two writing sections now barely resemble each other.
TOEFL Writing is about 23 minutes across three task types: Build a Sentence (assembling a reply from jumbled tiles), Write an Email (a scenario-driven email in 7 minutes) and Write for an Academic Discussion (a 10-minute contribution to an online class discussion). Nothing you write is long. The section rewards fast, accurate, appropriately-pitched writing rather than essay construction.
IELTS Writing is 60 minutes and two extended tasks. In IELTS Academic, Task 1 asks you to describe visual information such as a chart, table or diagram in about 150 words, and Task 2 is an argumentative essay of about 250 words. (In IELTS General Training, Task 1 is a letter instead.) That is roughly 400 words of composed prose under time pressure.
If you have been trained in essay writing, IELTS is familiar ground. If your strength is quick, precise, practical English, the TOEFL format suits you better — and it is one of the changes that most rewards practising the current format rather than an older one.
Adaptive testing: only one of them does it
The 2026 TOEFL Reading and Listening sections are two-stage adaptive: your performance in the first stage determines the difficulty of the second. That is why the item counts are high (50 reading items, 47 listening items) while the timings stay short — many of the items are small and quick.
IELTS is not adaptive. Every candidate taking a given test version sees the same questions in the same order.
One consequence worth knowing: on an adaptive test, a stretch of questions that suddenly feels hard is not a bad sign. It usually means you did well in the first stage. Candidates who do not expect this often lose confidence mid-section for no good reason.
Scoring: two scales that do not convert cleanly
TOEFL reports each section and the overall test as a band from 1 to 6 in half-band steps, with the overall band being the average of the four sections. During the transition through January 2028, score reports also show a comparable overall 0–120 estimate; they do not add comparable 0–30 scores for each current section. See our full explanation of TOEFL band scores and CEFR, or use the free score converter.
IELTS reports each section and the overall test from 0 to 9 in whole and half bands. The overall band is the average of the four section bands rounded to the nearest half band — an average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band, and one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band.
On TOEFL↔IELTS comparison tables. ETS does publish an official comparison of the 1–6 TOEFL scale against IELTS bands, derived from a concordance study between the previous TOEFL iBT and IELTS together with vertical linking research. It is a legitimate reference — but ETS is explicit that tables like this work as general guides and cannot predict the score an individual would actually get on the other test. We have not reproduced it here as a lookup table, because that framing invites exactly the misreading ETS warns about. Treat any cross-test figure as orientation only, and work from the minimum your programme lists for the specific test you intend to take — institutions set their own equivalences and they are not always symmetrical.
Retakes
Both tests reduce the cost of one weak section, but only one of them lets you resit that section on its own. This is a real asymmetry, and it is often described inaccurately.
- TOEFL MyBest® scores combine your highest score in each section across any test date in the last two years into a single report. Note what this does and does not do: you still sit complete tests every time — MyBest changes how existing results are reported, not what you have to take. Strong sections from different sittings can be counted together, if the institution accepts MyBest.
- IELTS One Skill Retake genuinely lets you resit a single section instead of the whole test. It is limited to one retake per original test, must be taken within 60 days of it, and depends on both your centre offering it and the receiving institution accepting it. It applies to computer-delivered IELTS — which, once paper is retired during 2026, becomes the norm rather than a restriction. If you take the test using the "Writing on Paper" option, a Writing retake has to be taken the same way.
So which should you take?
Start with the only question that can rule one out: what does your university, employer or visa route actually accept? If only one is on the list, the decision is made. If both are accepted, they will usually list a separate minimum for each — compare against those two numbers, not against a conversion table.
If both are genuinely open to you, this is a reasonable way to break the tie:
| If this is true of you… | Lean toward |
|---|---|
| Long tests drain you; you want to be finished quickly | TOEFL |
| Speaking to a person makes you nervous | TOEFL |
| You are strong at quick, practical, functional English | TOEFL |
| You are comfortable on a computer and type fluently | TOEFL |
| You speak much better with a real conversation partner | IELTS |
| Essay writing is a trained strength of yours | IELTS |
| You want more time per question and a steadier pace | IELTS |
| You need General Training (migration or work, not degree study) | IELTS — TOEFL has no equivalent version |
One last practical point. Because the TOEFL changed so recently, a great deal of TOEFL preparation material still teaches the old test — old timings, retired task types, and the 0–120 scale. Whichever test you choose, make sure what you practise on matches what you will actually sit. If you are leaning TOEFL, our summary of what changed in 2026 is the quickest way to check whether your current material is current.
Try the 2026 TOEFL before you decide
The fastest way to know whether the TOEFL format suits you is to sit one. Take a full-length practice mock in the current 2026 format and get a predicted 1–6 band for each section. No card required.
Avermond Test Prep is an independent preparation service for the TOEFL iBT® test. TOEFL® and MyBest® are registered trademarks of ETS; this product is not endorsed or approved by ETS. IELTS® is a registered trade mark of the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge University Press & Assessment; we are not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to any of them, and we do not prepare candidates for IELTS. IELTS details on this page are summarised from publicly published information at ielts.org and are provided for comparison only. Both tests can be revised — always confirm current format, scoring and acceptance with the official test provider and your target institution.