exam guide · English

TOEFL iBT — Test of English as a Foreign Language

The TOEFL iBT is ETS's computer-based test of academic English, accepted by more than 13,000 institutions (ETS, 2026) and redesigned in January 2026. Here is the current format, how the new 1–6 score works and how to prepare — with a free practice bank for reading, listening, grammar and academic vocabulary.

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at a glance

Provider
ETS (Educational Testing Service)
Where
On a computer at an authorised test centre, or at home monitored by a live human proctor
Sections
Reading (50 items, 30 min) · Listening (47 items, 29 min) · Writing (12 items, 23 min) · Speaking (11 items, 8 min). ETS notes that items and timing may vary as the test adapts
Total time
About 90 minutes of timed sections; ETS says to allow approximately two hours in all, as the section times exclude directions
Scoring
1–6 in half-point steps for each section and overall (overall = average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band). No pass mark
Comparable 0–120 score
For two years, from January 2026 to January 2028, the report also shows a comparable overall score on the old 0–120 scale: the midpoint of the matching range, e.g. 90 beside a 4.5
CEFR alignment
6 = C2 · 5–5.5 = C1 · 4–4.5 = B2 · 3–3.5 = B1 · 2–2.5 = A2 · 1–1.5 = A1
Validity & results
Scores are valid for 2 years from the test date and appear in your ETS account 3 days after the test; MyBest scores combine your best section scores across attempts
Fee
Set per testing location (ETS lists it by country); rescheduling US$69, express registration within 7 days of the test US$49 (ETS fee list, October 2026)
Where to register
Online through an ETS account or by phone. ETS runs the dates itself: at test centres more than 170 times a year, and at home 24 hours a day, 4 days a week. It advises registering about 4 months before your chosen date

What the TOEFL iBT is and who takes it

TOEFL — the Test of English as a Foreign Language — is run by ETS and measures the four academic English skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing. ETS describes it as widely preferred by universities in the United States, and it is accepted by more than 13,000 institutions (ETS, 2026) for undergraduate and graduate admission.

It is taken entirely on a computer — at an authorised test centre or at home under a live human proctor — and the Speaking section is recorded rather than spoken to an examiner. That makes it the natural choice if you would rather talk to a microphone than to a person, and a poorer one if you would not.

Test structure: the January 2026 format

ETS reworked the TOEFL iBT for tests from 21 January 2026, with a new list of task types. The four sections — always in the order Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking, with no scheduled break — add up to about 90 minutes of timed work; ETS says to allow approximately two hours in all, because the section times exclude directions. Reading and Listening are multistage adaptive: how you do on the first module decides whether the second is easier or harder, and you cannot go back once the second has begun — which is why ETS says items and timing may vary. If you prepared with older material, the reading and listening comprehension skills carry over, but check the task list below against ETS's own content page rather than an older book's.

  • Reading — 50 items, 30 minutes: Complete the Words (restore the missing letters in a paragraph), Read in Daily Life (everyday texts) and Read an Academic Passage.
  • Listening — 47 items, 29 minutes: Listen and Choose a Response, Listen to a Conversation, Listen to an Announcement and Listen to an Academic Talk.
  • Writing — 12 items, 23 minutes: Build a Sentence (put the pieces of a sentence in order), Write an Email and Write for an Academic Discussion — a short post giving and supporting your view in a class discussion thread.
  • Speaking — 11 items, 8 minutes: Listen and Repeat, and Take an Interview. Both are recorded.

How the 1–6 score works

Since January 2026 each section and the overall result are reported on a 1–6 scale in half-point steps. The overall score is the average of the four sections rounded to the nearest half band — an average of 5.25 is reported as 5.5. The scale is built to line up with the CEFR: 6 is C2, 5–5.5 is C1, 4–4.5 is B2, 3–3.5 is B1, 2–2.5 is A2 and 1–1.5 is A1.

For a two-year transition after January 2026 — until January 2028 — the report also carries a comparable overall score on the previous 0–120 scale, the midpoint of the matching range: a 4.5 is shown alongside 90, the middle of its 86–94 range, and a 5 covers 95 to 106. Many institutions still publish their requirements on the old scale, so you may need to read both.

There is no pass mark; each institution sets its own cut-off. Scores are available in your ETS account 3 days after the test and are valid for 2 years from the test date. Your score report also carries MyBest scores — your highest section scores combined across your attempts.

Registering, fees and what to watch

Register online through an ETS account or by phone through your country's contact. ETS's own advice is to register about four months ahead of your chosen test date. The fee depends on the testing location; ETS lists it per country, so we do not quote one here. Rescheduling costs US$69, and registering within seven days of the test adds a US$49 express fee (ETS fee list, October 2026).

One detail catches people every year: the name and date of birth you register with must exactly match your ID on test day. If they do not, you cannot take the test and the fee is not refunded.

How to prepare

The TOEFL rewards academic reading stamina and fast, clean listening far more than rare vocabulary. Two months out, most of the gain is in shape and pace, so practise at a computer, timed, from the start.

  • Read the questions first, then the passage. Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph before anything else; the structure tells you where each answer lives.
  • Listen to something slightly too hard, repeatedly, and shadow it — play a sentence, pause, say it aloud at the same speed. Listen and Repeat in the Speaking section is literally this exercise.
  • Predict the answer type before a listening item starts and note fragments while it plays; you cannot rewind an academic talk.
  • Write for an Academic Discussion rewards a clear, well-supported opinion that engages the thread. ETS says an effective response has at least 100 words; beyond that, relevance and support count for more than extra length. Practise stating your position in the first sentence and supporting it with one concrete reason.
  • Type. Complete the Words and the whole Writing section are typed — only Speaking is spoken — and slow or error-prone typing costs real marks inside the Writing section's 23 minutes.
  • Keep a list of every wrong answer from your timed practice and read it daily; the same three or four causes account for most of them.

How wspell's practice maps to the TOEFL iBT

Our TOEFL bank holds more than 600 practice items in four free sets: Reading (short academic passages, each with one main-idea, detail, inference or vocabulary-in-context question), Listening (short academic and campus conversations and talks as transcripts with a comprehension question), Grammar and sentence structure, and academic Vocabulary. Every item is graded on the spot with an explanation.

The timed mock is not the January 2026 test. It runs three multiple-choice sections — 20 reading questions, 24 grammar and vocabulary questions (a section the real test does not have, so it is practice and stays out of your score) and 15 listening questions, each recording played once as in the real test — on one clock that gives reading and listening the pre-2026 test's minutes per question, and it shows your reading and listening percentage scaled to a rough 0–120 figure, not the new 1–6 bands. Writing and speaking are shown but locked.

Honestly, what it covers and what it does not: the items exercise the comprehension that Read an Academic Passage and Listen to an Academic Talk test, and the grammar behind Build a Sentence and Complete the Words; they are not replicas of those task screens, and the 2026 task types are not in the mock. Speaking and Writing are not auto-graded here — in the real test they are scored by ETS's automated scoring engines together with trained human raters — so use our bank to sharpen the input skills and rehearse the productive ones with recorded, timed practice of your own.

Grammar charts and cheat sheets

The grammar as tables you can take in at a glance — verb tenses, case endings, declensions, prepositions — each on one page to read, print and share.

English grammar tables →

Prepare for it on wspell

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frequently asked questions

What TOEFL score do I need?

There is no pass mark. Institutions set their own cut-offs, and during the 2026–2028 transition many still state them on the 0–120 scale. On the new scale, 4–4.5 corresponds to CEFR B2 and 5–5.5 to C1; ETS publishes the exact concordance, and your report shows both numbers until January 2028. For an Australian visa, check first: ETS's 2026–27 Information Bulletin says only tests taken before 21 January 2026 and the TOEFL iBT Australia are currently approved for Australian visa purposes.

How long are TOEFL scores valid?

Two years from the test date. Your report's MyBest scores combine your highest section scores across attempts, if the institution accepts them.

TOEFL or IELTS — what is the difference?

Both are widely accepted, so start with what your target institution lists. The TOEFL iBT is computer-only, at a test centre or at home, with recorded speaking and a 1–6 score; IELTS is taken on computer at a test centre (its paper version ends from mid-2026) or, in some countries, online, its Speaking test is a live interview with an examiner, and it reports bands from 0 to 9. Pick the format you perform better in.

Can I take the TOEFL at home?

Yes. The TOEFL iBT is offered on a computer at an authorised test centre or at home, monitored by a live human proctor; the format and scoring are the same.

What changed in January 2026?

ETS made Reading and Listening multistage adaptive (your first module decides whether the second is easier or harder), introduced new task types — Complete the Words, Write an Email, Listen and Repeat and Take an Interview among them — and replaced the 0–120 score with a 1–6 scale aligned to the CEFR; a comparable 0–120 score stays on reports until January 2028. The timed sections now come to about 90 minutes, and ETS still says to allow about two hours in all.

When do I get my TOEFL results?

Scores appear in your ETS account 3 days after the test date.

Can I retake the TOEFL?

Yes, as often as you like; you register and pay for each attempt, and your report's MyBest scores combine your best section results across attempts. ETS's Information Bulletin allows only one test in any 3-day period, so two bookings must be at least that far apart.

How long does it take to prepare?

It depends on your starting level and on how much academic English you already read. The honest first step is a timed practice test at a computer: it tells you whether your gap is comprehension, pace or the productive sections, and each of those needs a different plan.

sources

about this guide

TOEFL and TOEFL iBT are registered trademarks of ETS. This site is not endorsed or approved by ETS. The questions and passages in wspell's practice bank are original — written for wspell, not taken from any real or sample paper. The authoritative test content, scores and registration are at ets.org/toefl.

The information here summarises official sources at the date shown and can change — confirm dates, fees and rules on the provider's official pages before you register.

facts verified on October 13, 2026 against the sources above