ETS issues official score reports which are sent independently to institutions and are valid for two years following the test.
[6] 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.
[7] In 1965, The College Board and ETS jointly assumed responsibility for continuing the TOEFL testing program.
Nations that are part of the English-speaking world (from most Commonwealth realms to former British colonies e.g., Hong Kong SAR or former/protectorates of the United States (Philippines, Puerto Rico), where English is the de facto official language, automatically grant a TOEFL exemption with some restrictions (e.g., residents of Quebec are required to take TOEFL while the rest of Canada is exempt – also inclusive of Commonwealth nations where English is not an official language e.g., Mozambique or Namibia (English is co-official but spoken by 3% of the population).
However, this does not apply to some Commonwealth nations outside the Anglosphere, due to the IELTS, such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc., even though they may have English as the de facto official language.
The TOEFL Internet-based test (iBT) measures all four academic English skills: reading, listening, speaking, and writing.
[citation needed] Initially, the demand for test seats was higher than availability, and candidates had to wait for months.
[10] Now, people who wish to take the test create an account on the official website to find the closest place.
However, it is taken at home while a human proctor watches through a web camera (usually built-in to most laptops) and via sharing of the computer screen.
It consists of the Listening, Reading, and Writing sections, with scores that are on the same scale as the Internet-Based Test.
The minimum TOEFL iBT scores range from 64 (Conservatorium van Amsterdam)[18] to 110 (University of Oxford).
It should not replace the need for the TOEFL iBT test, which is administered securely and includes Speaking and Writing components.
TOEFL ITP scores are mapped to the CEFR and test takers are provided with a certificate of achievement.
[22][23] ETS also offers the TOEFL Junior tests, a general assessment of middle school-level English-language proficiency.
TOEFL Junior scores are mapped to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and test takers are provided with a certificate of achievement.
Note: the above comparison scores are provided by ETS, the company that creates the TOEFL tests.