TOEFL ‘Essentials’: A Shorter, Less Costly English Test

TOEFL ‘Essentials’: A Shorter, Less Costly¹ English Test

The TOEFL iBT has been the most common English test for international students seeking entrance to American colleges. This year, there will be a shorter, less costly test called TOEFL Essentials.

The letters T-O-E-F-L stand for Test of English as a Foreign Language. And iBT stands for internet-based test. Both the iBT and Essentials are administered by the American educational company Educational Testing Service, known as ETS.

Since 1964, colleges and universities in the United States have used the TOEFL to measure an international student's level of English. And schools in Australia, Canada and other English-speaking European nations started using the International English Language Testing System, or I-E-L-T-S, in 1989.

These two tests have been the main choices for colleges to measure English ability. In recent years, companies including Duolingo and EF Education First, have developed new English language tests that are low-cost or free and easy to use. These tests aim to do more than just offer more choices in the college admissions process. Some people use them to measure their English proficiency² for employment.

The new TOEFL Essentials

Srikant Gopal is the executive director of the TOEFL program at ETS. He said the new TOEFL Essentials is shorter and less costly than the TOEFL iBT.

The TOEFL iBT takes about three hours to complete. And it costs $200 or more, depending on where in the world you live. The TOEFL Essentials takes 90 minutes and is expected to cost about $100.

While Essentials is shorter, Gopal said it still measures students' academic and general English ability. He explained that ETS made the test "adaptive," which means the test will give a student a harder question if they answer the previous question correctly.

"What we've built into TOEFL Essentials, for example, is many new and innovative³ features, such as a personal video statement or a multi-stage adaptive design, and to really offer something very unique and something that's distinctly different from TOEFL iBT."

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, ETS only offered its test in-person at centers around the world where test-takers could be watched by proctors. When testing centers closed last year, ETS moved quickly to develop a secure home-testing system to watch students and speed up the launch of Essentials.

Gopal noted⁴ security is important for university admissions. And he said that makes the TOEFL test different from those of its competitors.

Gabriel Guillen teaches language studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. He took the TOEFL in 2010 before studying for a higher degree in the U.S.

"This is good news for the field, and for...students who are applying for college in the U.S.," Guillen said.

He noted that it is not a coincidence that ETS created a shorter and less expensive test, given the popularity of the Duolingo English test. The test is accepted by many universities, takes one hour to complete and only costs $49.

"I don't know the insights of ETS, but it is pretty obvious for anyone that they are responding to the competition of Duolingo."

Most of the schools contacted by VOA said they are still waiting for more information about the new TOEFL Essentials.

Anneli Richter is the Associate Dean for Graduate Admissions at Duke University. In an email, she said, "the school is reviewing the test and has not decided⁵ yet whether to accept it."

Some schools like Temple University Law School, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the University of San Francisco have told ETS they will accept results from the new test. And ETS said it will publish a list of universities that intend to accept the Essentials test after the first phase of testing.

Registration⁶ for TOEFL Essentials starts June 17 and the first test date is August 21. ETS said it will continue to offer iBT because most universities do not have experience with the new test. And students who are considering the Essentials test can also practice on the ETS website.

The correct answer for this question is the second choice, "Until August 15."

The company also sent the following example of a listening question. On the test, students will listen to audio and then answer questions.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Jennifer Wilson from the career center. Thank you all for attending this resume-building workshop. Today my colleagues and I will cover several useful strategies on how to make your resume stand out to potential employers. First, I want to give the floor to my colleague Pierre Moreau, who will go over the Career Center services such as career advising help with internships and one-on-one appointments."

The correct answer is the fourth choice: "listen to a short talk on the Career Center."

Words in This Story

administer –v. to manage the operation of (something, such as a company or government) or the use of (something, such as property)

proficiency –adj. good at doing something

academic –adj. relating to schools and education

innovative –adj. introducing or using new ideas or methods

stage –n. one section of something that includes a series of steps

unique –adj. something that is different from everything else

distinctly –adv. different in a way that you can see, hear, smell, feel, etc. : noticeably different

proctor- n. a person who watch students who are taking an examination

coincidence- n. a situation in which events happen at the same time in a way that is not planned or expected

insight –n. an understanding of the true nature of something

phase –n. a part or step in a process : one part in a series of related events or actions

sample –n. a small amount of something that gives you information about the thing it was taken from

1 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

2 proficiency   

n.精通，熟练，精练

参考例句：

• He plied his trade and gained proficiency in it.他勤习手艺，技术渐渐达到了十分娴熟的地步。
• How do you think of your proficiency in written and spoken English?你认为你的书面英语和口语熟练程度如何？

3 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？