Exams Home
There are a large number of English exams available and the majority
of these are taken by people aiming to get into university. Here is a
rundown of the major exams available.
- IELTs
This exam is ideal for those
seeking places in universities in England, Australia and New
Zealand.
- TOEFL®
This exam is for students
who wish to study in the US and Canada.
- Cambridge Main Suite
This suite of exams is designed for to cover a wide-range of age
ranges and abilities.
Most universities will not require you to sit an English exam
if you have taken English GCSEs, A-levels or SATs.
Exam suites compared
| TOEIC |
TOEFL®
CBT |
TOEFL®
IBT |
IELTS |
Cambridge
Exams |
BULATS |
Common
EU Framework |
| 0 - 250 |
0 - 30 |
0 - 8 |
0 - 1 |
|
0-19 |
A1 (Breakthrough) |
| 33 - 60 |
9 - 18 |
1 - 1.5 |
|
| 255 - 400 |
63 - 90 |
19 - 29 |
2 - 2.5 |
|
| 93 - 120 |
30 - 40 |
3 - 3.5 |
KET |
20-39 |
A2 (Waystage) |
| 405 - 600 |
123 - 150 |
41 - 52 |
4 |
PET |
40-59 |
B1 (Threshold) |
| 153 - 180 |
53 - 64 |
4.5 - 5 |
|
| 605 - 780 |
183 - 210 |
65 - 78 |
5.5 - 6 |
FCE |
60-74 |
B2 (Vantage) |
| 213 - 240 |
79 - 95 |
6.5 - 7 |
CAE |
75-89 |
C1 (Effective proficiency) |
| 785 - 900 |
243 - 270 |
96 - 110 |
7.5 - 8 |
CPE |
90-100 |
C2 (Mastery) |
| 905 - 990 |
273 - 300 |
111 - 120 |
8.5 - 9 |
|
|
Which is easier?
- TOEIC is the easiest, because it doesn't test as many elements
in English language.
- If you are strong at speaking then IELTs is a good bet.
- The TOEFL® ibt is much harder to beat with exam preparation
courses than previous editions of the test, however if you learn
academic specific vocabulary it is still easier than the Cambridge
Advanced examination.
- The Cambridge suite-exams require a good all-round knowledge
of English and are harder to beat with exam oriented lessons.
Which is the most widely recognised?
- TOEIC is only really recognised in Japan and South Korea
- TOEFL® is excellent for American universities
- IELTs should be your choice for British, Australian and New
Zealand universities
- The Cambridge suite are recognised by most British universities
and a number of other establishments around the world. The Cambridge
suite does NOT have an expiry date, so you can use a Cambridge
pass for life.
What about BULATs and the European Framework?
- BULATs is a commercial exam, which companies use to measure
the English of their employees
- The common EU framework is designed to provide a standard across
European languages and is being used by a number of organisations
to standardise their testing.
Other Exams
TOEIC
This exam is for employers in S.Korea and Japan.
MUET
MUET is a Malaysian examination used in local universities and
is often demanded for students to graduate or enter university.
Tourism Project Meeting prompts (264KB
PDF)
Cue cards to encourage speaking and roleplay in a meeting context.
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