IELTS vs TOEFL 升学指导季度说明
Hello parents and students! First of all, let me say that I’m very excited about the start of the 2021-2022 school year! The beginning of this year has marked a return to normalcy around the International Department as we have nearly every teacher and student in classrooms. Students have had a chance to get settled in their classes and hopefully parents have signed up for Edmodo Parent accounts so they can see what’s going on in the classroom. I have recently visited our grade 12 students to talk with them about their journey to university. 家长们，同学们，你们好！首先，对于 2021-2022 学年的开始我倍感兴奋！今年年初，国 际部几乎所有的老师和学生都回到教室，这标志着国际部恢复了常态。学生们有机会在课 堂上安心学习，希望家长们也已经注册了 Edmodo，这样他们就可以了解到教室里发生了 什么。最近我与 12 年级的学生进行了面谈，与他们谈论了他们的大学之旅。
“…The vast majority of our students will need to take IELTS or TOEFL. 绝大部分学生将参加雅思或托福考试.”
One of the topics that came up during the visit was the difference between IELTS vs TOEFL and whether or not our students even needed to take the exams since they are attending a Canadian high school. These are all great questions and the answers may vary depending on the student and where they want to attend university. First, the vast majority of our students will need to take IELTS or TOEFL. This usually includes native speakers. Most universities require students to take a language exam if their first language isn’t English or they attended high school in a non-English-speaking country. Some universities will allow for students to submit their grade 12 ELA grade in lieu of a test score, but students are going to apply to many universities so it’s likely that at least one school will require the test. 面谈期间出现的话题之一是有关雅思和托福的区别，他们就读的是加拿大高中，我们 的学生是否需要参加考试。这些都是很好的问题，答案要取决于学生进入大学的地方而有 所不同。首先，我们的绝大多数学生都需要参加雅思或托福考试。这通常包括母语是英语 的学生。如果他们的第一语言不是英语或他们在一个非英语的国家就读高中，大多数大学 要求学生参加语言考试。一些大学允许学生使用他们的 12 年级的英语成绩来代替语言考 试分数，但是由于学生将申请多所大学，很可能至少有一所学校要求语言考试。
The next question is: Which test is best for me? Historically, students have generally submitted TOEFL scores to universities in the USA and submitted IELTS scores to Commonwealth countries (i.e. the UK, Canada, Australia). Today, the vast majority of universities around the world will accept either TOEFL or IELTS. There is no reason to take both exams. Regardless of which one you choose, you will likely need to study in order to perform well. Both tests cover similar material, but the TOEFL iBT is all computer-based. This means no handwriting. It is scored on a 0-120 scale, with many universities asking for scores from 80-90. The IELTS test is scored on a 1-9 scale, with most universities requiring a 6.0-6.5 for admission. Universities also sometimes require certain sections of the test to not fall below a certain threshold (i.e. IELTS Overall 6.5 with no section below 6). IELTS is done with a live examiner, so if you’re especially shy, this may not be the most suitable exam for you. 下一个问题是：哪种考试对我来说最合适？过去学生们通常向美国的大学提交托福成 绩，向英联邦国家（即英国、加拿大、澳大利亚）提交雅思成绩。如今世界上绝大多数大 学接受托福或雅思。没有理由同时参加这两项考试。无论你选择哪一个，你都可能需要通 过学习才能有好的成绩。这两项考试涵盖了相似的材料，但托福网考是基于计算机的，这 意味着没有手写。它的分数是 0-120 分，许多大学要求 80-90 分。雅思考试的分数是 1-9 分，大多数大学的入学分数是 6.0-6.5 分。大学有时也要求考试的单项成绩不低于某个门 槛（即雅思总成绩为 6.5 分，单项成绩不能低于 6 分）。雅思考试由现场考官完成，如果 你特别害羞，这可能不是最适合你的考试。
Some parents have asked if scheduling a test in another city or region will give their child an advantage. I think this is certainly untrue for the TOEFL, and likely untrue for the IELTS. IELTS examiners travel a lot, so it’s unlikely that your child will get a significantly different score just from traveling to another city. It is true that students may score higher their second time just because they have more familiarity with the exam. I usually encourage students to take IELTS or TOEFL early in their grade 11 year so the child can gain experience with the test and gauge their likely future score. Another tip that I would give is to avoid using word lists or books full of “IELTS words”. This rote style of learning can be daunting and makes it easy to get definitions confused. I encourage students to READ! Read everything: Travel information, literature, academic papers, news, blogs, etc. Note down the words you don’t know and look them up. Record these in a notebook. Make sentences and paragraphs using the words. Learning in context is better than learning in isolation. 一些家长问，在另一个城市或地区考试对他们孩子来说是否有优势。我认为这对托福 考试肯定是不现实的，当然对雅思考试也可能是不现实的。雅思考官是流动性的，所以你 的孩子不太可能通过去另一个城市而获得显著不同的分数。的确，学生可能会在第二次考 Counselors Quarterly October, 2021 试中得分更高，仅仅是因为他们对考试更加熟悉。通常我会鼓励学生在 11 年级的早期参 加雅思或托福考试，这样孩子就可以获得考试的经验，并评估他们将来可能获得的分数。 我要给出的另一个建议是避免使用单词表或满是“雅思词汇”的书本。这种死记硬背的学习 方式可能会让人望而生畏，并且容易混淆定义。我鼓励学生们去阅读！阅读所有内容：旅 游信息、文学、学术论文、新闻、博客等。写下你不懂的单词，然后进行查询。把这些记 录在一个笔记本上。用这些单词来造句子和写段落。在情境下学习比孤立地学习效果更好。
No matter which test you choose to take, remember that you aren’t competing with others on your language test scores. Universities only use these tests to determine if your English ability is suitable for undergraduate studies. Once you have met the requirement for the universities you will apply to, there is no advantage in getting a higher score. If your class grades are good but you can’t quite meet the language test requirements, many universities have pathway programs that allow for students to attend English classes until they are ready to start their university degree. 无论你选择参加哪种考试，请记住，没有必要在语言测试分数上和其他人进行竞争。 大学只使用这些测试来确定你的英语能力是否适合本科学习。一旦你达到了你将申请的大 学的要求，那么获得更高的分数就没有任何优势了。如果你的学校成绩很好，但你没达到 语言成绩的要求，许多大学都有桥梁课程，让学生参加英语课程，直到他们做好了进入大 学学习的准备。
Sources: Barron’s IELTS, studyincanada.com
信息来源：Barron’s IELTS, studyincanada.com
Until next time,
Kevin P Jones
Guidance Counselor
Clifford School
升学指导
祈福英语实验学校