TOEFL vs IELTS in 2026: format, scores, and which one to take

Both tests are accepted widely, so the choice between them is usually about which format suits you and which test the institution's page lists. One more thing: the TOEFL® iBT changed on 21 January 2026, and a TOEFL vs IELTS comparison written before that date describes a TOEFL that no longer exists.

This guide compares the 2026 TOEFL with IELTS Academic, the version for undergraduate and postgraduate study.

The two tests side by side

	TOEFL iBT, from 21 January 2026	IELTS Academic
Sections and order	Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking	Listening, Reading, Writing, then Speaking
What is inside	12 task types (3 Reading, 4 Listening, 3 Writing, 2 Speaking); up to 50 and 47 items in Reading and Listening, 12 in Writing, 11 in Speaking	Listening 4 parts of 10 questions; Reading 3 sections, 40 questions; Writing 2 tasks; Speaking 3 parts
Time	1 h 23 min to 1 h 29 min; ETS says to allow about two hours	2 hours 45 minutes
How Speaking is done	At the computer: 7 sentences to repeat, then 4 questions from a recorded interviewer. Scored by ETS's AI engine with human oversight	A face-to-face interview with an examiner, 11 to 14 minutes, recorded
Adaptive?	Reading and Listening, in two stages	No
Score scale	1 to 6 in half steps for each section and for the overall band; each band is linked to a CEFR level	A 9-band scale; section scores in whole and half bands
How results are reported	Four section bands, an overall band and a CEFR level; for two years from January 2026, a comparable 0 to 120 total too	A Test Report Form with an overall band and the four section bands

What the 2026 TOEFL asks you to do

There are 12 task types across the four sections, and most items are short. Three of them test the basics at speed: a paragraph with letters missing (Complete the Words), words to put in order (Build a Sentence) and sentences to repeat (Listen and Repeat). The rest are short texts and recordings with questions, two pieces of writing (an email and a discussion post) and an interview of 4 questions from a recorded interviewer.

Reading and Listening are adaptive in two stages; Writing and Speaking are the same for everyone on the same form.

Each section gets a band from 1 to 6 in half steps, and every band means the same CEFR level in every section: a 4 is B2, a 5 is C1, a 6 is C2.

Where the two tests differ most in practice

Speaking is the biggest difference. On the TOEFL you speak to a microphone: you repeat sentences you hear, then a recorded interviewer asks four questions and you answer each one straight away, with nobody to rephrase a question. On IELTS you sit opposite an examiner for 11 to 14 minutes: questions on familiar topics, a talk of about two minutes from a task card, then a discussion that goes deeper into the same topic. The interview is recorded, but the person asking is in the room.

Task length is the next difference. The 2026 TOEFL is many short tasks back to back, up to 50 Reading items in about 30 minutes, with nothing longer to write than a discussion post. IELTS Academic gives you three reading sections, 2,150 to 2,750 words of text in total, in 60 minutes, then two writing tasks of at least 150 and at least 250 words in another 60.

The adaptive second part is a TOEFL thing; on IELTS everyone works through the same paper. In TOEFL Reading and Listening your first module decides which second module you get, and your score counts both how many items you got right and how hard they were. So the first 20 scored items of each section carry extra weight, and racing through them is an easy way to drop a band.

Scoring style differs too. The TOEFL scale is short, 1 to 6 in half steps, each value tied to a CEFR level; ETS built it to tell a university which level you have, and it does not try to separate a 97 from a 98. The IELTS scale runs from 0 to 9 in half bands, so it has more steps, and ielts.org gives each whole band a label, from "Modest" at 5 up to "Expert" at 9. One rule is the same on both tests: the overall score is the average of the four sections, rounded to the nearest half band.

How to decide

Four questions you can answer yourself:

1. What does the institution list? Read the English requirement in full. If it names one test, the decision is made. If it lists an old TOEFL score out of 120, ask admissions which 1 to 6 band they accept; do not convert it yourself. If it lists IELTS, check whether it wants Academic or General Training.
2. Would you rather speak to a person or to a microphone? IELTS Speaking is a face-to-face interview; TOEFL Speaking is recorded prompts and a microphone, scored by an engine. Think about the last time you spoke English under pressure and which would have gone better.
3. How do you do with short timed tasks? The TOEFL is up to 120 items in under 90 minutes, many of them one sentence long. IELTS gives you an hour for three reading sections and an hour for two writing tasks. One of these rhythms will feel more natural to you.
4. Which test date fits? Both scores are valid for two years. Check which test you can book before the deadline, and whether a second attempt would fit too.

You can find out your TOEFL band in about 90 minutes before you decide: the free mock scores all four sections, Speaking included. If you hold an older TOEFL score out of 120, the score converter shows the band it maps to.

Is TOEFL easier than IELTS?

Neither is easier as a rule. Both tests measure the same four skills. What differs is the shape of the work: many short items at a computer with recorded speaking prompts on the TOEFL; long passages and two writing tasks on IELTS, plus an interview with an examiner. The test that matches how you already use English will feel easier, and that fit is personal.

Can I convert a TOEFL band to an IELTS band?

There is no official conversion. ETS maps its bands to CEFR levels and to the old 0 to 120 scale, and IELTS publishes its own band descriptors; nobody publishes a table that pairs the two, so any you find is somebody's estimate. If you hold a score for one test and the university lists the other, ask admissions. Our guide to the band scale covers the conversions ETS has published.

Which test is accepted more?

Both are accepted widely. The count to check is one: does your programme accept the test you plan to take? That is on the institution's own page; if the page looks out of date, an email to admissions settles it. A total of accepting institutions tells you nothing about yours, so we don't quote one.

TOEFL® is a registered trademark of ETS. Skorway is not endorsed or approved by ETS or by the organisations that run IELTS. Mock bands are practice estimates, not official scores.