GeneralGuide
IELTS vs TOEFL: Key Differences in 2026
The updated TOEFL takes about 2 hours, adapts to your answers and is scored from 1 to 6. IELTS Academic takes 2 hours 45 minutes and is scored from 0 to 9. TOEFL changed in January 2026, so check the date of any comparison.
What changed in January 2026
ETS moved the TOEFL iBT to a new 1 to 6 score scale on January 21, 2026 source: ETS. The table further down shows the four sections and their tasks.
A comparison written before then describes the old test.
How the two tests work
The updated TOEFL has a shorter stated time than IELTS, and ETS offers a home option for it. The table shows both tests. IELTS figures are for the Academic test, and Academic or General Training explains which one you need.
| IELTS Academic | TOEFL iBT (updated) | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | 2 hours 45 minutes | about 2 hours, and it varies |
| Scored on | bands 0 to 9 | 1 to 6 in half steps |
| Scores arrive | computer: 1 to 5 days | 3 days after the test |
| Taken | at a centre, or online | at a centre, or at home |
source: ielts.org source: ielts.org source: ielts.org source: ETS source: ETS
The TOEFL adapts as you answer, so its time and its number of items may vary. At home, a live human proctor, meaning a person, monitors the test source: ETS.
At a centre, you can take IELTS on computer, with Speaking face to face with an examiner. In some countries, IELTS Online is available for the Academic test only source: ielts.org. IELTS test format and timing gives the IELTS side in full, and Computer or paper IELTS covers the change in delivery.
What is inside the updated TOEFL
The times below are approximate base times, and the test time does not include directions source: ETS.
| Section | Items | Approx. base time | Tasks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 50 | 30 minutes | Complete the Words, Read in Daily Life, Read an Academic Passage |
| Listening | 47 | 29 minutes | Listen and Choose a Response, Listen to a Conversation, Listen to an Announcement, Listen to an Academic Talk |
| Writing | 12 | 23 minutes | Build a Sentence, Write an Email, Write for an Academic Discussion |
| Speaking | 11 | 8 minutes | Listen and Repeat, Take an Interview |
Allow about two hours for the whole test source: ETS. The base times add up to 90 minutes and leave out directions, so the total is longer. The task names differ from the IELTS ones. Is IELTS hard? describes the IELTS side skill by skill.
Can you compare the scores?
ETS and ielts.org both publish tables, and they do not agree on the new scores.
ETS publishes a table that sets the 1 to 6 scale beside IELTS, for TOEFL tests taken on or after January 21, 2026 source: ETS.
ielts.org publishes a table for TOEFL iBT tests taken before January 2026, on the old 0 to 120 scale source: ielts.org.
Neither table names tests taken from January 1 to 20, 2026. This guide gives no equivalence of its own. The IELTS to TOEFL converter shows each table separately, with its source and date, and does not combine them.
ETS also puts a comparable 0 to 120 score on reports for two years source: ETS. That figure comes from the new test, not the old one. ielts.org's table covers only earlier tests.
If you took the TOEFL in or after January 2026, ask your organisation which score it uses. To find your IELTS overall band from four section scores, use the band score calculator.
Which score does your organisation ask for?
Start with the requirement.
It may name a TOEFL score on the old 0 to 120 scale or on the new 1 to 6 scale. It may name IELTS only. The organisation decides which tests it accepts and what score it needs.
Check the entry requirements for your country, institution or association before you choose a test source: ielts.org.
If you can choose, these differences show up in the owners' pages:
- You want to test at home. TOEFL has a Home Edition source: ETS. IELTS Online is for Academic only and is not accepted for immigration source: ielts.org.
- You want a person to hear your Speaking. IELTS Speaking is a face-to-face interview source: ielts.org.
- You want results fast. TOEFL scores arrive 3 days after the test source: ETS. IELTS on computer takes 1 to 5 days source: ielts.org.
The TOEFL facts come from ETS's test content, scores, score scale update and resources pages, which show no date. The IELTS facts come from ielts.org's Academic test page, Ways to take IELTS, IELTS Online, Speaking format, IELTS scoring in detail and test types pages and its Compare IELTS page. All were last checked on 14 October 2026. Both owners change their tests, so check the pages again close to your booking.
Other comparisons: IELTS vs PTE Academic covers marking by AI, and IELTS vs the Duolingo English Test covers the one-hour home test.
Frequently asked questions
Is TOEFL easier than IELTS?
None of the owner pages we read says so. The tests are built differently. The updated TOEFL has 12 Writing items and 11 Speaking items source: ETS. IELTS has two Writing tasks and three Speaking parts source: ielts.org.
ETS offers a 40-minute sample of the TOEFL iBT source: ETS, and ielts.org links IELTS Academic sample test questions source: ielts.org. Try both.
Do old TOEFL comparison tables still work?
Only for earlier tests. ielts.org's table covers TOEFL iBT tests taken before January 2026. A table on a blog may be older still.
- Written by
- Compass IELTS Editorial Team, the team behind the Compass IELTS band score tools and practice tests
- Published
- Sources
- Words in a quote box, and sentences just before a source link such as ielts.org, come from the test owners. Everything else is our explanation. Facts about the test come from official sources, linked where we use them. Read our editorial policy.
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