English Language Tests TOEFL and other English language tests: Who should take these? When and how to take them?

Introduction ● Whether or not you need to take a language test for university admission typically has nothing to do with your citizenship. If your first/native language is not English, you will likely need to take an English language proficiency test if you want to study at an Anglophone university. ● TOEFL and IELTS are the most common exams.

TOEFL ● Reading: 60-80 minutes ○ Read three or four passages from academic texts and answer questions. ● Listening: 60-90 minutes ○ Listen to lectures, classroom discussions, and conversations, and answer questions. ● Speaking: 20 minutes ○ Express an opinion on a familiar topic; speak based on reading and listening tasks. ● Writing: 50 minutes ○ Write essay responses based on reading and listening tasks; support an opinion in writing. ● Maximum score is 120; each section is scored on a scale of 0-30, with 30 being the best. ● Cost $190, internet-based ● Test locations in Bethesda, College Park, Columbia, DC, Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Vienna etc. Tests offered almost every weekend.

IELTS ● Total test time is 2 hours and 45 minutes. ● Listening: 30 minutes ○ Listen to four recordings of native English speakers and then write your answers to a series of questions. ○ Assessors will be looking for evidence of your ability to understand the main ideas and detailed factual information, the opinions and attitudes of speakers, the purpose of an utterance and evidence of your ability to follow the development of ideas. ● Reading: 60 minutes ○ 40 questions designed to test a wide range of reading skills: reading for main ideas, reading for detail, skimming, understanding logical argument and recognising writers' opinions, attitudes and purpose. ○ Three long texts taken from books, journals, magazines, newspapers ● Academic Writing: 60 minutes ○ Task 1 - you will be presented with a graph, table, chart or diagram and asked to describe, summarise or explain the information in your own words. ○ Task 2 - you will be asked to write an essay in response to a point of view, argument or problem. ● Speaking: 11–14 minutes ○ Assesses your use of spoken English. Every test is recorded. The examiner will ask you general questions about yourself and a range of familiar topics, such as home, family, work, studies and interests. You’ll be asked to talk about a particular topic, and then will be asked further questions about the topic. ● Scored on a nine-band scale, with 9 being “expert user,” 6 being “competent user,” etc. You’ll receive a band score for each section and an overall band score. ● Cost: $225, paper-based ● Test location in Arlington, VA. Test offered nearly every weekend.

Requirements for English language proficiency vary by university. ● It’s important to check each college’s website to find out their requirement. ● Some universities say that if a student’s first/native language is not English, then he or she must submit test results that prove English proficiency (regardless of country of citizenship or location of the high school). ● Other universities (many Anglophone universities in Canada) will waive the English proficiency requirement if a student is in OIB or Group 4 English. ● Example: Drexel University will waive the language test requirement if you have received a minimum score of 600 on the SAT Critical Reasoning section or a minimum score of 27 on the ACT English section. ● Example: Suppose you are a US citizen but your native language is Arabic. ○ George Washington University: you would not need a test: ■ "TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE scores are required of all applicants who are not citizens of countries where English is the official language." ■ https://graduate.admissions.gwu.edu/english-language-requirements ○ American University: you would need a test, as the requirement is tied to native language rather than citizenship: ■ "Regardless of citizenship, applicants whose first language is not English must generally take one of the following exams and achieve the indicated scores in order to demonstrate English proficiency." ■ http://www.american.edu/ocl/isss/english-requirements.cfm ○ Princeton: you would need a test: ■ "If English is not your native language and you are attending a school where English is not the language of instruction, you must take TOEFL….” ■ https://admission.princeton.edu/applyingforadmission/application- checklist ● Check each institution’s website to confirm requirements. If their policy is unclear for your situation, call the admissions office. ● Even if you think the TOEFL/IELTS requirement does not apply to you, contact the university to ensure that the requirement is waived for you. ○ Example: Dartmouth says that students studying in a school at which English is not the language of instruction submit TOEFL/IELTS. The student in question is a native English speaker and has lived in the US his entire life, despite attending Rochambeau and studying in French. So, the university waived the requirement for him upon request. ○ Make sure you ask the admissions office! Otherwise, your application could be sitting in limbo as “incomplete” because the technical system sees that you attend Rochambeau and assumes that the university is waiting on scores from a language test.

Test score requirements vary by university: ● Very competitive institutions, like Oxford, require higher TOEFL/IELTS scores: ○ TOEFL: Oxford requires at least an overall score of 110 with component scores of at least: Listening 22, Reading 24, Speaking 25, and Writing 24. ○ IELTS: Oxford requires an overall score of 7.0 (with at least 7.0 in each of the four components) ● Other example: American University (admit rate 25%) requires at least 80 on TOEFL with no section below 20, and at least 6.5 overall on IELTS with no band score below 6.0. ● Simply obtaining the minimum score does not guarantee admission. Admissions officers will look at other parts of your application (essays, recommendation letters, short answer responses, etc.) to gauge your proficiency. ● You must request to have your scores sent to each university. ● Important to check university online application portals to ensure all application materials have been received.

When to take the tests? ● Scores are generally considered valid by universities for two years, so the summer between première and terminale is a good time to take the test. ● Check the test dates and register online. ● Review sample test questions on the tests’ websites, and take advantage of prep books at your local library.