Is TOEFL vs IELTS which is easier one of those questions where the answer is just “it depends”? I used to hate that answer, but after trying both, that was honestly my experience.
For me, TOEFL felt easier overall because I get nervous talking to strangers. Speaking into a microphone was awkward, but I preferred that over the IELTS face-to-face speaking test. In IELTS, I felt more pressure because the examiner is right there reacting to you, and if I stumbled once, I got in my own head.
That said, IELTS felt more natural in reading and listening. The English sounded a bit more everyday to me, while TOEFL sometimes felt more academic and lecture-heavy. If you are okay with university-style passages and taking notes fast, TOEFL might suit you more.
Writing was weirdly the opposite for me. I liked TOEFL writing because it felt more structured, especially the integrated task. IELTS writing felt more open, which some people love, but I kept overthinking what the examiner wanted.
So my personal answer to TOEFL vs IELTS which is easier:
- TOEFL was easier for me for speaking and writing structure
- IELTS felt easier for me in listening and more natural English overall
If your anxiety is mostly about speaking in front of a person, I would seriously consider TOEFL. If you hate speaking to a computer and prefer a more human format, IELTS might feel easier even if people online say otherwise.
Curious if anyone else took both and had the complete opposite reaction.