English Oral Exam Preparation Lessons
Preparing for the IELTS and TOEFL is as much about learning test-taking techniques as it is knowing English itself. At Just Say It English, our oral test preparation courses just don’t work to improve your vocabulary and grammar, but focus on how you should approach the exam, and be aware of any situations that can help you improve your score. Learn the test-taking skills you need to score high today! Register below!
Improve Your Score. Take Our Intensive Course!
9-Hour IELTS Preparation Course
Each Lesson is 1.5 hours long.
TEOFL Preparation Course currently being developed.
Which should you take?
This is the most common exam. If you are seeking to immigrate to a country that requires an English exam, IELTS would be the exam to take. Also most non-American colleges and universities only take the IELTS. Basically, if you need to take an English exam outside of the US, chances are you need to take the IELTS. Also, most companies outside of the US use the IELTS as well.
How are they different?
IELTS has a more laid back, conversational approach to the oral exam. Students are given a basic topic that is not very complex, and asked to give their opinion. They might be asked direct questions, or ask to describe something, like a picture. However, even though the exam is more laid back, the IELTS is more likely to punish any errors.
TOEFL is almost exclusively for admissions to colleges and universities in the United States, and some in Canada (however, many Canadian colleges and universities take either). However, many companies based out of the US that have language requirements might prefer the TOEFL over the IELTS. The TOEFL exam is administered by Educational Testing Services, the world’s largest private educational and assessment organization. Therefore, they also administer a number of tests outside of TEOFL, such as the Graduate Record Examinations, or GRE. Still, it is more focused on American colleges and universities.
Unlike IELTS, which tests your oral skills based on a “speaking test”, TOEFL’s speaking evaluation is based on a number of tests, which can combine speaking, reading, and listening skills. TOEFL also has more time constraints to it. Unlike the laid back approach of the IELTS, the TOEFL is a very “hurried up” approach which requires students to provide their response to a complex question in as little as 60 seconds. Also, because it is more geared toward admissions to American universities, there are also “academic specific” and “campus situation” questions that are more likely to be student-specific.
The Verdict: Which One Is Better?
Unless you absolutely have to take the TOEFL, it is highly recommended that you take the IELTS instead. The IELTS is much more diverse when it comes to which institutions accept your exam results. In addition, if you perform poorly in a section of the exam, it’s easy to find where you did poorly in the IELTS, unlike the TOEFL that has a lot of integrated parts, which doesn’t give you a clear answer on where you can improve.Â