IELTS, TOEFL or Cambridge: which English test should a school student take?

The short version, by situation

The tests side by side

Thresholds vary by course band; the examples are the ranges each university publishes across its bands.

What each test feels like

IELTS Speaking is an 11 to 14 minute conversation with a human examiner, which some teenagers find reassuring and others find intimidating. TOEFL Speaking is recorded into a microphone with no human present, and the whole test is on screen; its Reading and Listening now adapt to the student's answers, so two candidates see different questions. Cambridge Speaking is done in pairs, with a long turn and a collaborative task, which rewards students used to classroom discussion. Cambridge also tests grammar and vocabulary explicitly in Use of English; IELTS and TOEFL test them only through the other skills.

Paper versus computer matters less than families expect: IELTS and Cambridge offer both, with the same content and scores, and the centre decides what is on offer. TOEFL is computer-only.

Validity and timing

The two-year rule shapes the calendar. IELTS recommends that organisations accept a result for two years from the test date, TOEFL, Duolingo and PTE results are treated the same way, and universities apply the rule when the application is assessed, not when the course starts. For a university application in the final school year, that means sitting IELTS or TOEFL in that year or the one before, not at 15.

Cambridge certificates have no expiry date. A student who takes C1 Advanced at 16 still holds a valid certificate at 18, subject to any recency rule the university sets. That is the strongest argument for the Cambridge route for students who want the test done early, and it is why German, Austrian and Swiss schools build B2 First and C1 Advanced into the upper years.

Is one of them easier?

No. All three providers map their scores to the CEFR, and universities set their thresholds from those mappings, so the level required is the same whichever test the student sits. What differs is the format. A student who writes well but speaks hesitantly may score higher on Cambridge, where Speaking is one of four papers and partly collaborative; a student who reads fast and types well may prefer TOEFL; a student who likes talking to an adult may prefer IELTS. The diagnostic in our first lesson uses sections from each test for exactly this reason.

Be wary of claims that a particular test is 'easy to score high on'. Universities notice when a test inflates, and they adjust thresholds or drop the test; King's College London does not list Duolingo and VU Amsterdam states it does not accept it.

Duolingo and PTE Academic

• Duolingo English Test: about one hour, online at home, scored 10 to 160, about US$70 according to secondary sources, results valid two years. Accepted by Warwick (110 to 130 by band) and by US boarding schools such as Andover, Hotchkiss and Midland. Not listed by King's College London; VU Amsterdam states it is not accepted. Not a UK visa test. Use it only when every university on the list names it.
• PTE Academic: a two-hour computer test at a centre, scored 10 to 90, accepted by over 4,000 universities per Pearson, valid two years, and it cannot be taken at home. It is common for Australia and accepted by many UK universities; for students from German-speaking countries it rarely adds anything over IELTS.