If you have undertaken your undergraduate studies abroad, in an English speaking nation, you may apply for a waiver of the English Proficiency tests. If not, you will have to take either the IELTS or the TOEFL as proof of your English Proficiency. 

Both the IELTS and TOEFL are widely accepted across universities in the UK. Most universities in the UK accept the IELTS because it is a test conducted by IDP or British Council, which are both UK based testing bodies. However, universities are also beginning to accept TOEFL. 

First, let’s talk about IELTS. 

IELTS Academic Version

The IELTS Academic Version has four components: 

• Listening lasts for 30 minutes and encompasses four recorded monologues and conversations.
• Reading lasts for 60 minutes and entails three long-reading passages with subsequent tasks
• Writing, which lasts for 60 mins and encompasses two written tasks  
• Speaking test lasts about 11-14 mins and is a face – to – face interview that includes short questions, speaking at length about a familiar topic, and a structured discussion

Each of these four components is graded on a scale of 0 to 9. Your total IELTS score is the average of these four individual scores. A good score is considered to be a band 7, while a great score is band 8 or more. The total duration of the IELTS is 2 hours 45 mins. 

IELTS is conducted multiple times in a year, and you can take the date as per your perusal. It is wise to choose a date, well in advance of your application deadline. The score is valid for two years, which means you can send in your scores to your preferred university within two years of taking the test.

Now, let’s talk about TOEFL.

TOEFL

Many universities in the UK are now accepting TOEFL. So if you have taken the TOEFL instead of the IELTS, there is no need to worry. The TOEFL is administered by ETS, the same body that administers the GRE test. 

The four areas of that the TOEFL tests you on are 

• Reading contains about 30 – 40 questions – where you will read passages and respond to questions,
• Listening entails about 28 – 39 questions – where you will answer questions about a brief lecture or classroom discussions. 
• This shall be followed by a break of 10 mins, after which you will begin with the
• Speaking section that will entail 4 tasks – talking about a familiar topic, or discussing a material you have read. 
• Writing section, which will have two tasks; wherein you read a passage, listen to a recording and type your response. 

Each of the four sections is scored out of 30 points and the total is calculated by adding the scores of each section. A good TOEFL score is within the range of 90 – 100, and a great TOEFL score is above 110. The duration of the test is 3 hours 30 mins. 

Like the IELTS, the TOEFL can also be taken multiple times a year and is valid for two years. 

We would suggest you take the IELTS as it is preferred by most universities. A good time to take either of the tests is 4 months before the deadline round, as this will give you enough time to improve your score, should you have to retake it.

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