TOEFL
The Test of
English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) measures the ability of non-native
speakers of English to use and understand North American English as it is
spoken, written and heard in college and university settings.
Most people
who take the TOEFL test are planning to study at colleges and universities
where instruction is in English. In addition, many government agencies,
scholarship programs, and licensing/certification agencies use TOEFL scores to
evaluate English proficiency.
History
In 1962, a
national council made up of representatives of thirty government and private
organizations was formed to address the problem of ensuring English language
proficiency for non-native speakers wishing to study at U.S. universities. This
council recommended the development and administration of the TOEFL exam for
the 1963-1964 time frame.
The test was
originally developed at the Center for Applied Linguistics under the direction
of Stanford University applied linguistics professor Dr. Charles A. Ferguson.
The TOEFL
test was first administered in 1964 by the Modern Language Association financed
by grants from the Ford Foundation and Danforth Foundation.
In 1965, The
College Board and ETS jointly assumed responsibility for the continuation of
the TOEFL testing program.
In 1973, a
cooperative arrangement was made between ETS, The College Board, and the
Graduate Record Examinations board of advisers to oversee and run the program.
ETS was to administer the exam with the guidance of the TOEFL board.
Internet-based Test (IBT)
Since its
introduction in late 2005, the TOEFL IBT format has progressively replaced both
the computer-based tests (CBT) and paper-based tests (PBT), although
paper-based testing is still used in select areas. The TOEFL IBT test has been
introduced in phases, with the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and
Italy in 2005 and the rest of the world in 2006, with test centers added
regularly. The CBT was discontinued in September 2006 and these scores are no
longer valid.
Although
initially, the demand for test seats was higher than availability, and
candidates had to wait for months, it is now possible to take the test within
one to four weeks in most countries. The four-hour test consists of four
sections, each measuring one of the basic language skills (while some tasks
require integrating multiple skills) and all tasks focus on language used in an
academic, higher-education environment. Note-taking is allowed during the TOEFL
IBT test. The test cannot be taken more than once a week.
1.
Reading
The Reading section consists of 3–5 passages, each approximately 700
words in length and questions about the passages. The passages are on academic
topics; they are the kind of material that might be found in an undergraduate
university textbook. Passages require understanding of rhetorical functions
such as cause-effect, compare-contrast and argumentation. Students answer
questions about main ideas, details, inferences, essential information,
sentence insertion, vocabulary, rhetorical purpose and overall ideas. New types
of questions in the TOEFL IBT test require filling out tables or completing
summaries. Prior knowledge of the subject under discussion is not necessary to
come to the correct answer.
2.
Listening
The Listening section consists of six passages 3–5 minutes in length and
questions about the passages. These passages include two student conversations
and four academic lectures or discussions. A conversation involves two
speakers, a student and either a professor or a campus service provider. A
lecture is a self-contained portion of an academic lecture, which may involve
student participation and does not assume specialized background knowledge in
the subject area. Each conversation and lecture stimulus is heard only once.
Test-takers may take notes while they listen and they may refer to their notes
when they answer the questions. Each conversation is associated with five
questions and each lecture with six. The questions are meant to measure the
ability to understand main ideas, important details, implications,
relationships between ideas, organization of information, speaker purpose and
speaker attitude.
3.
Speaking
The Speaking section consists of six tasks: two independent tasks and
four integrated tasks. In the two independent tasks, test-takers answer opinion
questions on familiar topics. They are evaluated on their ability to speak
spontaneously and convey their ideas clearly and coherently. In two of the
integrated tasks, test-takers read a short passage, listen to an academic course
lecture or a conversation about campus life and answer a question by combining
appropriate information from the text and the talk. In the two remaining
integrated tasks, test-takers listen to an academic course lecture or a
conversation about campus life and then respond to a question about what they
heard. In the integrated tasks, test-takers are evaluated on their ability to
appropriately synthesize and effectively convey information from the reading
and listening material. Test-takers may take notes as they read and listen and
may use their notes to help prepare their responses. Test-takers are given a
short preparation time before they have to begin speaking. The responses are
digitally recorded, sent to ETS’s Online Scoring Network (OSN) and evaluated by
three to six raters.
4.
Writing
The Writing section measures a test taker's ability to write in an
academic setting and consists of two tasks: one integrated task and one
independent task. In the integrated task, test-takers read a passage on an
academic topic and then listen to a speaker discuss the same topic. The
test-taker will then write a summary about the important points in the
listening passage and explain how these relate to the key points of the reading
passage. In the independent task, the test-taker must write an essay that
states, explains, and supports their opinion on an issue, supporting their
opinions or choices, rather than simply listing personal preferences or
choices. Responses are sent to the ETS OSN and evaluated by four raters.
TOEIC
The Test of
English for International Communication (TOEIC) is "an English language
test designed specifically to measure the everyday English skills of people
working in an international environment."
There are
different forms of the exam: The TOEIC Listening & Reading Test consists of
two equally graded tests of comprehension assessment activities totaling a
possible 990 score; the newer TOEIC Speaking & Writing Test comprises tests
of pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, fluency, overall coherence, and structure
(organization of sentences) totaling a possible 400 score.
History
The
Educational Testing Service (ETS) developed the TOEIC test to measure
achievement in using English in a business setting. The Asahi Shimbun national
daily's evening edition interviewed Yasuo Kitaoka who was the central figure of
the Japanese team that conceived the basic idea of the TOEIC test.
According to
an Aug. 11, 2009 Japan Times article, "In the 1970s, Kitaoka began
negotiating with ETS to create a new test of English communication for use in
Japan. ETS responded that it required a nonprofit organization to work with as
their partner. Kitaoka tried to enlist the help of the Ministry of Education,
but their bureaucrats did not see the need for a new test to compete with the
STEP Eiken, an English test already backed by the ministry. To overcome this
opposition, Kitaoka received help from his friend, Yaeji Watanabe. Watanabe's
influence as a retired high-ranking bureaucrat from the Ministry of
International Trade and Industry (renamed the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and
Industry, or METI) proved crucial to TOEIC's establishment.
Watanabe had
remained in contact with his old ministry while working on the board of
directors for the World Economic Information Services (WEIS) and as chairman of
the Japan-China Economic Association, both public-interest corporations
operating under MITI. Watanabe declined an interview request, but his memoirs
describe how he overcame Ministry of Education opposition to the TOEIC by
taking cover "behind the ministry of trade shield." Watanabe
convinced his old ministry it should play the lead role in establishing a new
English test, and formed a TOEIC Steering Committee under the WEIS umbrella.
Members of the committee included other retired MITI bureaucrats and
influential business leaders.
Government
support secured, ETS began developing the test in 1977. In 1979, English
learners in Japan filled in the first of many TOEIC multiple-choice answer
forms."
ETS's major
competitors are Cambridge University, which administers the IELTS, FCE, CAE,
and CPE and Trinity College London, which administers GESE and ISE exams.
·
TOEIC Listening & Reading Test
The TOEIC Listening & Reading Test is a two-hour multiple-choice test
consisting of 200 questions evenly divided into listening comprehension and
reading comprehension. Each candidate receives independent scores for listening
and reading comprehension on a scale from 5 to 495 points. The total score adds
up to a scale from 10 to 990 points. The TOEIC certificate exists in five
colors, corresponding to achieved results:
·
orange (10–215)
·
brown (220–465)
·
green (470–725)
·
blue (730–850)
·
gold (855–990)
·
TOEIC Speaking & Writing Test
The TOEIC Speaking & Writing Test was introduced in 2006. Test takers
receive separate scores for each of the two tests, or can take the Speaking
test without taking the Writing test. The Speaking test assesses pronunciation,
vocabulary, grammar, and fluency, while the Writing test examines vocabulary,
grammar, and overall coherence and organization. The tests are designed to
reflect actual English usage in the workplace, though they do not require any
knowledge of specialized business terms. The TOEIC Speaking Test takes
approximately 20 minutes to complete; the TOEIC writing test lasts
approximately 60 minutes. Each test has a score range between 0-200, with test
takers grouped into eight proficiency levels.
·
Institutional TOEIC Test
In addition to the official TOEIC tests, there are also versions that
individual businesses and educational institutions can purchase for internal
use. These "Institutional" TOEIC tests can be administered at the
organization's own choice of location and time to their employees or students.
Benefits of TOEIC
1. Benchmarking Tool
·
Verifies
current level of English proficiency
·
Identifies
strengths and weakness and supports to set learning goals
·
Monitors
progress in English
2. Serves Multiple Purposes
·
Provides
English language credentials global employers needs and supports migration
·
Proves
the English Skills required to succeed in workplace
3. Reliable, Fair and Valid
·
Measures
everyday English Skills needed in the global workplace.
·
Uses
real world examples of spoken and written English collected from workplace around
the world.
·
Measure
the intended attributes only
4. Convenience and Flexibility
·
Test
can be administered at a business location at choice and online.
·
Separation
of listening & Reading from Speaking and Writing offers more flexibility
5. Highly Accurate
·
Offers
quantifiable standard of performance with consistent and accurate scoring.
·
Grounded
with principle research in preparing and testing.
·
Answers
are Distributed among multiple raters to avoid discrimination and improve
Quality.
IELTS
International
English Language Testing System, is an international standardised test of English
language proficiency. It is jointly managed by University of Cambridge ESOL
Examinations, the British Council and IDP Education Pty Ltd, and was
established in 1989.
There are
two versions of the IELTS:
The Academic Version and the General Training Version:
·
The Academic Version is intended for those who want to
enroll in universities and other institutions of higher education and for
professionals such as medical doctors and nurses who want to study or practise
in an English-speaking country.
·
The General Training Version is intended for those planning to
undertake non-academic training or to gain work experience, or for immigration
purposes.
IELTS is
accepted by most Australian, British, Canadian, Irish, New Zealand and South
African academic institutions, over 3,000 academic institutions in the United
States, and various professional organisations. It is also a requirement for
immigration to Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
No minimum
score is required to pass the test. An IELTS result or Test Report Form is
issued to all candidates with a score from "band 1"
("non-user") to "band 9" ("expert user") and each
institution sets a different threshold. There is also a "band 0"
score for those who did not attempt the test. Institutions are advised not to
consider a report older than two years to be valid, unless the user proves that
he has worked to maintain his level.
