Learning english

The first thing you need to check is which universities and colleges accept each test. If you really want to go to a certain university and it only accepts IELTS, then that is the test you should do. You can check which institutions accept IELTS and the band score you need here. For TOEFL you should check here.

You should also check if there is a test center in your local area. The test is already stressful without having to do lots of travelling. You can find your local IELTS test centre here.

You should also think about why you want to do the test. If it is for university entrance there is not much difference between the two tests, but if you are not attending university and just need it to move to another country, the General Training paper that IELTS offers is proabably much more suitable for your needs.

IELTS vs TOEFL: Similarities
Both test the four main language skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. They are both standardised tests which- in theory- means that the scores are consistent throughout the world.

There is not much difference in price either, with both costing between $150 and $250 dollars depending on where you do it.

That is where the similarities end and there are many more differences. Below I will look at how each of the four skills are different.

Differences: Speaking
This is probably the biggest difference between the two tests. In the IELTS test you will talk to a real person and in the TOEFL test you will speak to a computer!

Some people find talking to a computer very strange while others actually prefer it.

In the TOEFL test you will be asked 6 questions and it lasts around 20 minutes. You will be asked two questions on familiar topics, such as your home town or family. You will also be asked to summarise information from a text or conversation and to give your opinion. Finally, you will be asked to summarise information from a short conversation.

The IELTS speaking test consists of 3 sections and lasts around 15 minutes. This test is with a real person and feels more like a real conversation. The first part is on familiar topics such as your home, job or studies. You will then be given a topic and you will have one minute to prepare a monologue of between 1-2 minutes. Finally, you will be asked question linked to the topic you spoke about in part 2.

Some of my students have commented that they find the TOEFL test more of a challenge because it feels very unnatural talking to a computer. However, lots of other students (normally the shy ones) actually prefer talking to a computer and don"t like talking to a stranger.

Another point I should add is students have remarked that they can clarify information with examiners and ask them occasionally to repeat a question. This is obviously not available in the TOEFL test.

What is IELTS?
The IELTS is an English language test that is used for educational, immigration and occupational purposes, and is accepted by over 10,000 institutions across 140 countries worldwide. Jointly owned by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia, and Cambridge Assessment English, IELTS is an international language test, meaning that you can use either UK or US spelling. Depending on the entry requirements of your study programme, you might need to take either the Academic or General Training IELTS exam.

What is TOEFL?
The TOEFL test seeks to test your ability to communicate in English in specifically academic, university and classroom-based settings. It is accepted by over 8,500 institutions across 130 countries, including the UK, USA and Australia, as well as all of the world"s top 100 universities. TOEFL is administered by US-based organisation the Education Testing Service, and so is conducted in American English. This test is more likely to be favoured by American institutions.

General differences
Aside from the different styles of English each exam is are based on, TOEFL exam questions are almost entirely multiple choice, whereas IELTS requires you to respond to a range of different question types such as short answer, gap-filling and short essay tasks. The IELTS is significantly shorter than the TOEFL exam, taking approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes versus four hours to complete.

There is only one type of TOEFL exam that is done entirely on the computer, whereas there are two types of IELTS that are both completed on paper. Students applying for English-speaking tertiary programmes will need to sit the Academic IELTS exam, whereas the General Training exam is used to meet immigration and some occupational requirements.

IELTS and TOEFL favour different modes of thought and problem solving. As TOEFL is primarily multiple choice, students will need to be able to think analytically to weigh up the differences between their options. IELTS requires more use of memory, and draws on broader comprehension skills as students are faced with different question styles.

Exam Structures
Speaking
Whilst both exams have a speaking component, the IELTS speaking test is taken face-to-face with an examiner. In the TOEFL exam, you"ll answer six questions into a microphone which are recorded and later sent to a group of six reviewers. Your IELTS speaking score will only be determined by a single examiner. The IELTS test will take between 11-14 minutes and may not necessarily be on the same day as the other exam components, whilst the TOEFL will take about 20 minutes and is always on the same day as the rest of the exam.

Where the IELTS exam features a range of different accents speaking in English, TOEFL only features American speakers.

Writing
The written component of the TOEFL exam is typed as opposed to the paper-based IELTS exam. TOEFL requires you to complete two tasks, the first of which will be a five-paragraph essay between 300-350 words. For the second task, you will need to take notes from a section of text and lecture excerpt on the same topic, and use them to construct a 150-225 word response. The IELTS writing test also has two sections, the first of which however requires you to summarise or explain information presented in a graph, chart, table or diagram. In the second, you"ll need to write a 200-250 word response to a prompt that offers a point of view, argument or asks you to write in a particular language style.

Reading
The reading tests for both exams are quite similar: the TOEFL reading test is made up of three-five reading sections you will have 20 minutes to complete, each drawn from academic content you"d be likely to encounter in a classroom. You will have to answer a series of multiple choice questions testing how well you"ve understood the texts.

The IELTS reading test has three sections also each 20 minutes long and with texts academic in nature, but with a wider range of question types that could be anything from ‘fill in the gaps" to short answer. Questions are also designed to test how well you"ve understood the text in its particular use of language, ideas and style.

Listening
Tests vary quite significantly in their listening components. The TOEFL listening test is between 40-60 minutes long, and involves you listening to excerpts from university lectures or conversations on a university campus. You will be required to take notes whilst listening and answer a series of multiple choice questions afterwards. In the IELTS listening test, students can answer questions whilst they are listening to the recordings, and will need to respond to a number of different question types and exercises of different lengths.

Scoring
The speaking and writing sections of the TOEFL are graded based on how they appear as a whole, including your range of vocabulary, writing style and grammar. Those of the IELTS are considered based on separate grades of individual criteria such as your use of logic, cohesion, grammar and fluency. For example, an essay with a logical progression of ideas but poor grammar will score higher in a TOEFL exam, whereas an essay with strong grammar and vocabulary that is weaker in expressing an idea will do better by the IELTS criteria.

The IELTS is graded on a band system from 1-9, with your overall score being an average of your separate scores in all four tests. Your overall score will be rounded to the nearest half-band, i.e. if your overall average is 6.25, it will be rounded up to a final score of 6.5. TOEFL is a single test that is graded out of 120 points.

And now that you"ve decided on the test you"re going to take, why not start browsing undergraduate, postgraduate, vocational and doctorate courses abroad now!

TOEFL vs IELTS
BY KATE HARDIN ON NOVEMBER 5, 2013 IN FAQ: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TOEFL, TOEFL VS IELTS, TOEFL VS OTHER TESTS
The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and IELTS (International English Language Testing System) are two of the most widely-accepted tests to certify your English proficiency. The decision to take the TOEFL vs IELTS will ultimately depend on a number of factors. At this point, you may even be asking, "What is the TOEFL test?" or "What is the IELTS?" Read on to discover which test is best for you.

what is the toefl test
EXAM TOEFL IELTS
Length About 4 hours long 2 hours and 45 minutes long
Locations Available at over 500 locations in the US, over 4,500 worldwide Available at 59 locations in the US, about 900 worldwide
Price Cost is usually between 160 and 200 USD Cost varies widely even within the same country; usually is around 200 USD
Scoring Score on a sliding scale from 0 to 120 Score in any of 9 "bands," or levels
Does Magoosh offer prep? Yes! Magoosh TOEFL Prep Yes! Magoosh IELTS Prep
TOEFL vs IELTS at a glance
The TOEFL and IELTS exams are fairly different, and therefore some people will find that they are naturally better suited for one than they are for the other. You probably want to know which test you should study for. But before we discuss their similarities and differences, remember that both IELTS and TOEFL are standardized tests. This means that, with some coaching and practice (like we have in the Magoosh TOEFL free trial), you can learn to do well on whichever exam you decide to take. Let"s talk more specifically about each exam...

The TOEFL is a language test for non-native English speakers, and is commonly used as an entrance exam at universities and graduate schools. Because of this, the TOEFL offers only academic English. On the other hand, the IELTS offers an academic option as well as a general test; this is generally the preferred test for immigration purposes to the UK and Canada.

The IELTS academic test and the TOEFL compared to the IELTS general test are both more difficult, but they are usually the only options if you want to study at any level higher than secondary school. No matter which test you take, be aware that the scores all expire 2 years after your test date. (And if you"re curious, you can see how the scores on the two exams compare here).

When you compare the format of the IELTS with the TOEFL format, you will notice a couple of things. First of all, both of them have four basic sections, each of which tests a basic skill (reading, listening, speaking, writing). But while the TOEFL only tests academic subjects, the IELTS academic option will have academic reading and writing sections combined with general listening and speaking sections. Overall, the IELTS has more of a real-world feel than the TOEFL. Deciding how hard the TOEFL is versus the IELTS truly depends on your English background.

1. Make some Native Korean Friends
Having some language partners who can converse with you in Korean is really important. Living in Korea for a few months or years is the best way to improve Korean speaking but it"s not possible for everyone. But in this age of internet, it"s not very difficult to find some Korean friends online who would like to help you with your Korean. You can find language exchange partners in Facebook groups, sites like Italki or apps like Hellochat. If you are not able to find native Korean friends, Korean speaking people from any country should do as well.

May be, having a long phone conversation in Korean everyday is not feasible but even a random 5-minute chats over Kakao or Facebook Messenger will help you improve your Korean speaking skills.

The language of chat or instant messaging is very similar to spoken language. So it"s very close to having a verbal conversation.

2. Join a Korean Language Learners Community
There are so many communities of Korean language learners on Facebook, Reddit and other places. Join some of them, share your knowledge, ask things and help other learners. Again, communicating in a forum chat or Facebook post thread is very similar to having an oral conversation and it will help you frame better sentences and respond in an effective way. You can also find language partners in these communities and practice Korean speaking with them.

Here is our Facebook Community: TOPIK GUIDE Korean Study Group

3. Read Aloud
Read at least 10-20 Korean sentences everyday. They can be from your textbook, an online newspaper, a blog or comic book or anything else. Always read them aloud and try to focus on your pronunciation and intonation. Reading Korean aloud not only makes your vocal cords adjust with Korean sounds but it also makes you feel comfortable speaking Korean words and sentences. Your get more in sync with Korean sounds.

4. Record Yourself and Listen
Choose a random topic and try to speak about it for 2-3 minutes. Record yourself and listen to the recordings. Notice where your pronunciation was incorrect or where you were short of proper words or which grammar were difficult to use. This will help you understand your weak points better and also give you confidence that you can speak. You can also record yourself when reading something in Korean.

5. Start Writing in Korean Everyday
Most of us use social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram everyday. Try to write something in Korean on these platforms everyday. You can also create a blog (using free platforms like Blogger and WordPress) and write your thoughts or share your knowledge about Korea in Korean language. In the beginning, you will feel too self-conscious putting your Korean writing in public but with time, you will start feeling confident.

Writing and Speaking both involve language production or expressing yourself using your language skills. If your Korean writing skill improves, chances are that your speaking will also improve with it.

Also Check: 10 Ways to Improve your Korean Writing Skills

6. Do Virtual Role Plays
Role plays are one of the most common speaking activities used in Korean language classrooms. The problem is that you need a language partner to do a role play. But there is a way out. If we are are ready to play the role of both the characters in a conversation, we can do the role plays alone.

Let"s say if there is a role play of shopping in a Korean market and there are two people involved in conversation - a shopkeeper and a customer. You can speak the dialogues of both characters one by one. That"s a really good way to practice speaking.

Take one random role play situation everyday, create a conversation (you can write it beforehand or do it spontaneously) and do the role play.

7. Listen to Korean Radio
Listening is an integral part of oral communication skills. If you can"t understand spoken Korean well, you won"t be able to hold a successful conversation, no matter how good you are at speaking. Listening to Korean radio channels is a really good way to improve your Korean listening as well as speaking skills. You can install Korean radio apps on your smartphone or use websites like Tunein to listen to your favourite Korean radio channel.

Listening to radio can be more effective than watching visual media like movies or drama because on radio you focus only on sounds. There are no visual distractions and mostly the radio announcers speak in a very clear and soothing way. You can clearly hear every inflection in their voice, which part of their sentences they emphasise on, what their tone is, how the convey different emotions and so on. Try to find some radio programs where they have talks about general life, Korean society, culture etc. as these talks would be easier to understand than news, political or economy talks.

8. Watch Korean TV Shows
Korean movies and dramas are definitely very helpful in improving your Korean speaking skills but here I would like to specially recommend Korean TV shows. TV shows have a kind of spontaneity and authenticity that the movies and dramas mostly lack. There are many Korean TV shows that involve child actors or foreigners. The language difficulty level of these shows is generally not very difficult and they are very interesting as well. You can also try watching some popular comedy shows. These comedy shows sometimes also involve commentary of current social and political issues which will also help you understand Korea better.

9. Don"t be Afraid of Making Mistakes
One of the biggest barriers in speaking Korean is the fear of making mistakes and being laughed at. You have to get rid of this fear. There are no language learners that don"t make mistakes. In fact the successful language learners make a lot of mistakes. This is how they experiment with language and learn new things. If you make a mistake and people laugh, laugh with them. Learning a new language is like being a child again. Enjoy this phase.

10. Don"t Procrastinate - Start Speaking Korean from Today
Many learners think they would start speaking after they learn and practice a bit more. May be from next week or from next month. The thing is that you will never feel confident enough. The key is to start speaking today today, actually now.

I have been learning Korean for 10 years; currently writing a PhD thesis in Korean; and I still feel my Korean is not good enough. I still sometimes make silly mistakes and my Korean friends have a good laugh. Those are actually the best moments of the language learning journey.

Don"t think, you will feel confident after memorising 1000 more words or learning 20 more grammar patterns. You won"t. Your Korean is good enough to start speaking now. People talk to you to communicate, to share thoughts and feelings, not to judge your grammar or vocabulary. So stop worrying about it. Don"t procrastinate. Start speaking Korean from today.

To make the "L" sound, your tongue should touch the back of your front teeth and the top of your mouth, just behind your teeth. Try it now: Say the word "light." Say it a few times. Feel where your tongue is in your mouth. Make sure it touches the top of your mouth.
To make the "R" sound, your tongue should not touch the top of your mouth. Pull your tongue back to the middle of your mouth, near where it naturally rests if you weren"t saying anything. As you say the sound, your lips should be a little rounded. Try it now: Say the word "right" a few times. You should feel air blowing between your tongue and the top of your mouth as you speak. You should also feel your lips get a little rounder when you make the sound.
Now for the "TH" sound. This one may seem strange if you don"t have a similar sound in your native language. To make this sound, put your tongue between your top and bottom teeth. Your tongue should stick out a little between your teeth, and as you push air out of your mouth, let some air escape between your tongue and teeth-that"s what makes the sound. Try it now: Say the word "think." Repeat it a few times. Make sure you push your tongue between your teeth.
Now that you know where to put your tongue, can you hear the difference?

For a more detailed explanation on how to make those three sounds correctly, watch this video from the Woosong University, this one from Club English, or any number of other pronunciation guides you can find on YouTube.

If you can"t figure out what to do with your tongue to make the right sound, try asking someone. Ask them to say a word with that sound, then tell you where they put their tongue. They probably never thought about it before either!

4. Break words down into sounds.
Words are made up of syllables, or parts. The word "syllable," for example, has three syllables: syl-la-ble. Turning words into parts can make them easier to pronounce.

To check how many syllables a word has, place your hand flat just under your chin. Say the word slowly. Each time your chin touches your hand, that"s a syllable.

You can even write the word down in parts. Leave a space or draw a line between each syllable (every syllable should have at least one vowel: a, e, i, o, u, y). Now try saying the word. Say it slowly and pause after each syllable. Isn"t that easier?

If you"re having trouble with syllables, you can check out How Many Syllables. This website shows you the syllables in any word you look up, and even shows you how to pronounce it.

5. Add stress to sounds and words.
English is a stressed language. That means some words and sounds are more important than others. You can hear this when you say a word out loud. For example, the word "introduce" is pronounced with a stress at the end, so it sounds like this: "in-tro-DUCE."

Sometimes where you put the stress in a word can change the word"s meaning. Say this word out loud: "present." If you said "PREsent," you are talking about a noun that means either "right this moment" or "a gift." If you said "preSENT," you are talking about a verb that means "to give or show."

There are rules for where the stress goes in each word. Here"s one rule:

Most two-syllable nouns are stressed on the first syllable, and most two-syllable verbs are stressed on the second syllable.
That"s just like the word "present." Here"s another example: the noun "ADDress" is the place where you live, and the verb "addRESS" is to speak to someone.

If this all sounds too complicated, don"t worry about memorizing all these rules-the best way to learn is by listening and practicing. Remember that most native English speakers don"t know the rules either, they just say what "sounds right." With enough practice, you can get what sounds right too.

Sentences have stresses too; some words are more important, and are said with more clarity and strength than the rest of the sentence. Try reading this sentence aloud: "I ate some toast with butter in the morning."

The sentence should have sounded like this (the bold words are the stressed ones): "I ate some toast with butter in the morning." Notice how you slow down every time you get to an important word, and quickly pass over the less important ones?

Keep practicing by reading out loud, having conversations and listening well to where others place stress when they speak.

6. Use pronunciation podcasts and videos.
There are some excellent video and audio guides on English pronunciations that you can use to improve. The English Language Club has videos that show how to make different sounds in English. Rachel"s English has friendly videos on how to speak and pronounce American English in everyday conversations.

If you like podcasts better, Pronuncian has over 200 audio files that help with everything from pronunciation to stress and pitch (how you raise and lower your voice while you speak).

If none of these are what you"re looking for, there are many more to choose from. Find the one that"s right for you.

7. Record yourself.
One way to tell if all your practice is working is to record yourself with a camera. Use a camera and not just a sound recorder because it"s important to see how you speak, not only hear it.

You don"t need to download any special software to record yourself; most computers and mobile devices have built-in video recorders. You can use PhotoBooth on a Mac or Movie Moments on a Windows computer. Your phone or mobile device also has a video capturing app, usually as part of the camera app.

Compare your recording to someone else saying the same words or sounds. Find a video of your favorite part from a movie, like this clip from "Earth to Echo." Choose one or two sentences and record yourself trying to match the stress, tone and pronunciation of the video. Then you can compare the two and see what you did differently, and try again.

Ask a friend or watch a video to check. If your pronunciation doesn"t sound the same, ask yourself some questions: Are you moving your mouth the right way? Is your tongue in the right place? Are you stressing the right part of the word? Use everything you learned in this article!

8. Practice with a buddy.
As always, "Practice makes perfect!" And it"s easier to practice with a friend. Find someone to practice pronunciation with, either in person or through online communities like Language Exchange or InterPals.

Practicing with a buddy (friend) will give you a chance to try everything you learned, and learn new things from each other. Plus, it"s fun!

Pronunciation is as important to learning English as vocabulary and grammar. Thanks to these eight tips, you"ll soon be on your way to pronouncing English like a native.