What Do All Those Letters Mean - English Proficiency Tests for International Students

Sep 30, 2026

Commonly used English proficiency tests for international students are summarized, focusing on TOEFL and IELTS. The content clarifies what TOEFL score formats mean, including institutional versus international testing, verification and validity, and test-center differences between Internet-based and paper-based delivery. It compares TOEFL PBT sections, time limits, and question counts with iBT skills-based tasks, then outlines IELTS organization, sections, scoring bands, and the structure of listening and reading portions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Commonly Used English Tests

TOEFL: Official Score Meaning

TOEFL Test Formats and Structure

TOEFL PBT Sections

TOEFL iBT Tasks and Sections

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

IELTS Listening Section

IELTS Reading Section

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What do all those letters mean?
| | English Proficiency Tests for International Students NAFSA State Meeting ~ June 21, 2010 Heidi Vellenga, Assistant Director Marlin Howard, Director Indiana University Intensive English Program | Commonly used English tests y TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) y Developed by ETS (Educational Testing Services) Princeton, NJ y PBT y TWE y CBT y iBT y IELTS (International English Language Testing System) y Developed by Cambridge (UK) y PTE (Pearson Test of English) y Developed by Pearson Education (publisher) What’s an “official” TOEFL score? y Institutional TOEFL (PBT, no TWE) y International TOEFL (iBT or PBT (select countries)) y U.S.: Alaska, California, DC, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin y TOEFL scores expire after two years y TOEFL scores (iBT) can be verified by ETS TOEFL The TOEFL test is offered in two formats: the Internetbased Test (TOEFL iBT™) or the Paper-based Test (TOEFL PBT). The format you take depends on the location of your test center. y TOEFL iBT is offered 30 – 40 times a year at more than 4,500 authorized test centers throughout the world. Most test takers take the internet-based test. y TOEFL PBT is offered six times a year in areas where Internet-based testing is not available. [http://www.ets.org/bin/getprogram.cgi?test=toefl](http://www.ets.org/bin/getprogram.cgi?test=toefl) PBT Test Locations (3-6 times annually) Afghanistan, Algeria, American Samoa, Angola, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guadeloupe, Guinea, Iceland, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Micronesia, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands Antilles, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad/Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe (81 countries) [http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/tclists/PBT_view_all.html](http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/tclists/PBT_view_all.html) TOEFL PBT (Paper-based Test) | Test | Section | Time Limit | No. of Questions | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | TOEFL PBT | Listening
Comprehension | 30-40 minutes | 50 | | | | Structure and
Written Expression | 25 minutes | 40 | | | | Reading
Comprehension | 55 minutes | 50 | | | TWE | Test of Written English | 30 minutes | 1 topic | | TOEFL iBT (internet-based test) During the test, students are asked to perform tasks that combine more than one skill, such as: •Read, listen and then speak in response to a question •Listen and then speak in response to a question •Read, listen and then write in response to a question | Section | Time Limit | Questions | Tasks | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Listening | 60 – 90 minutes | 34 – 51 questions | Listen to lectures, classroom discussions and conversations, then answer questions. | | Reading | 60 – 100 minutes | 36 – 70 questions | Read passages from academic textsand answer questions. | | Break | 10 minutes | — | — | | Speaking | 20 minutes | 6 tasks | Express an opinion on a familiar topic; speak based on reading and listening tasks. | | Writing | 50 minutes | 2 tasks | Write essay responses based on reading and listening tasks; support an opinion in writing. | The IELTS: International English Language Testing System y University of Cambridge ESOL, the British Council and IDP:IELST Australia y Offered world wide [including the US] y Four

FAQs

What does TOEFL stand for, and what are the two main TOEFL formats?

TOEFL refers to an English proficiency test offered in two formats: the Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT) and the Paper-based Test (TOEFL PBT). The format depends on the location of the test center.

What is the difference between an institutional TOEFL score and an international TOEFL score?

The document states that institutional TOEFL refers to a PBT format with no TWE, while international TOEFL can be iBT or PBT depending on select countries.

How are the IELTS sections structured and how are scores reported?

IELTS has four sections: Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing. Scores are reported in 1–9 bands (9 is the highest), with section and total scores reported.

Sep 30, 2026

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