Introduction to TOEFL iBT

Session 1
Monday, September 5, 2022
 What is TOEFL?
• The Test of English as a Foreign
Language (TOEFL) is a
standardized test designed to
measure the ability to
understand and to use English as
it is used in a North American
academic setting, such as a
university.
• The TOEFL is produced and
administered by the Educational
Testing Service (ETS), a private,
not-for-profit company based in
Princeton, New Jersey.
• Before 1998: discrete language
skill, for example, vocabulary,
sentence structure, writing.
• 1998: the TOEFL Computer-
based Test (CBT)
• 2005: the TOEFL Internet-based
Test (iBT)
 TOEFL iBT Highlights
• Measures receptive (listening • August 2019: ETS revised the
and reading) & expressive TOEFL iBT to create a shorter
(speaking and writing) skills test.
equally. • Overall, it takes 3 hours to
• Measures integrated skills complete (previously it was 3.5
• Uses authentic language hours).
• Allows note-taking.
 TOEFL iBT
Section Total Time Tasks
Reading 54-72 minutes Read 3-4 passages
Answer 10 questions on each passage
Listening 41-57 minutes Listen to 2-3 conversations
Answer 5 questions on each conversation
Listen to 3-4 lectures
Answer 6 questions on each lecture

Speaking 17 minutes Speak about a familiar experience (1 independent task)

Summarize a reading and/or a listening passage (3
integrated tasks)

Writing 50 minutes 1 integrated task: write an essay based on a reading and

a listening passage (20 minutes)
1 independent task: write an essay based on a prompt
only (30 minutes)
 TOEFL iBT Scores
• Each section of TOEFL iBT is
scored on a scale of 0 to 30.
• The four section scores are then
added together for a total score
of 0 to 120.
 TOEFL iBT Score Range
Skill Level
Reading Advanced (24–30); High-Intermediate (18–23)
Low-Intermediate (4–17); Below Low-Intermediate (0–3)
Listening Advanced (22–30); High-Intermediate (17–21)
Low-Intermediate (9–16); Below Low-Intermediate (0–8)
Speaking Advanced (25–30); High-Intermediate (20–24)
Low-Intermediate (16–19); Basic (10–15)
Below Basic (0–9)
Writing Advanced (24–30); High-Intermediate (17–23)
Low-Intermediate (13–16); Basic (7–12)
Below Basic (0–6)
PBT and iBT TOEFL Score Conversion
PBT TOEFL Score iBT TOEFL Score
640 – 677 111 – 120
590 – 639 96 – 110
550 – 589 79 – 95
513 – 549 65 – 78
477 – 512 53 – 64
437 – 476 41 – 52
397 – 436 30 – 40
347 – 396 19 – 29
311 – 346 6 – 18
310 0 -5