TOEFL® ITP

A reliable assessment of academic English

The Test of English as a Foreign Language Institutional Testing Programme (TOEFL® ITP) tests are paper-based and use 100 per cent academic content to evaluate the English-language proficiency of non-native English speakers, giving you confidence about your students’ ability in a real-world academic setting.

All questions are multiple choice, and are answered by filling in an answer sheet. The tests evaluate skills in three areas:

  • Listening comprehension measures the ability to understand spoken English as it is used in colleges and universities.
  • Structure and written expression measures recognition of selected structural and grammatical points in standard written English.
  • Reading comprehension measures the ability to read and understand academic reading material in English.

TOEFL® ITP test format

Level 1 (intermediate to advanced): 2 hours

Section

Number of questions

Admin. time

Score scale

Listening comprehension

50

35 minutes

31–68

Structure and written expression

40

25 minutes

31–68

Reading comprehension

50

55 minutes

31–67

TOTAL

140

115 minutes

310–677

Level 2 (high beginning to intermediate): 1 hour and 10 minutes

Section

Number of questions

Admin. time

Score scale

Listening comprehension

30

22 minutes

20–50

Structure and written expression

25

17 minutes

20–50

Reading and vocabulary

40

31 minutes

20–50

TOTAL

95

70 minutes

200–500

Content and settings for the TOEFL® ITP tests

Academic topics

  • Arts: fine arts, crafts, theatre, dance, architecture, literature, music, film, photography
  • Humanities: history, political science, government, philosophy, law
  • Life sciences: palaeontology, biochemistry, animal behaviour, ecology, anatomy, physiology, genetics, health science, biology, agriculture
  • Physical sciences: geology, astronomy, chemistry, geology, earth science, engineering, meteorology, energy technology, oceanography, physics
  • Social sciences: anthropology, sociology, education, geography, archaeology, psychology, economics, business management, marketing, communications

Campus-life topics

  • Classes: class schedules, class requirements, library references, assignments (papers, presentations, readings), lecturers, studying, field trips
  • Campus administration: registration, housing on and off campus, study abroad, internships, university policies
  • Campus activities: clubs, committees, social events

General topics

  • Business: management, offices, official documents, law
  • Environment: weather, nature, climate, environment
  • Food: types of food, restaurants
  • Language and communication: mail, email, telephone use, leaving messages, requests for information
  • Media: TV, newspapers, internet
  • Objects: descriptions of objects, equipment
  • Personal: family members, friends, health, emotions, physical characteristics, daily routines
  • Planning and time management: future events, invitations, personal schedules
  • Purchases: clothing, shopping, banking, money
  • Recreation: sports, games, concerts, plays, art, books, photography, music, parties and gatherings, public lectures
  • Transportation: travel, driving, parking, public transport, travel reservations
  • Workplace: applying for a job, on-campus employment, work schedules

Seven ways you can use the TOEFL® ITP assessment series

  • The TOEFL® ITP tests measure core English skills using 100 per cent academic content similar to the content of actual classroom tasks. This makes the tests an essential tool for:
  • placement in intensive English-language programmes requiring academic English proficiency at a college or graduate level
  • progress monitoring in English-language programmes focusing on academic English
  • exiting English-language programmes by demonstrating proficiency in English listening and reading
  • admission to short-term, non-degree programmes in English-speaking countries where the sending and receiving institutions agree to use TOEFL® ITP scores
  • admission to undergraduate and graduate degree programmes in non-English speaking countries where English is not the dominant form of instruction
  • admission to and placement in collaborative international degree programmes which feature English-language training
  • scholarship programmes, as contributing evidence of proficiency in academic English.

Administration and scoring
Flexible administration
The TOEFL® ITP assessments are reliable, convenient and flexible to use. The tests are organised by Knowledge Merchandising using your own facilities, staff and resources. Scores are provided for your own internal use to assess student and curriculum development and are not shared with other institutions.

Because you are using your own staff and facilities to administer the test, you can choose when you want to test, as well as the size of the group. Multiple test forms allow you to administer the test throughout the year and as often as you need. You’ll have an instruction manual to guide you through the test administration.
Reliable scoring
After your institution has administered the tests, ETS mark them and report the scores back to you, both in total and by section. Segmenting the scores shows which specific skills need improvement and enables teachers to tailor their instruction accordingly. We return the scores quickly, usually within seven days of receiving the answer sheets.

Detailed score reports

  • All TOEFL® ITP score reports include:
  • individual information for you to give each of your students
  • institutional information and a score roster for internal use only
  • separate scores for each section to assist you in determining which skills need more work,

enabling you to tailor your teaching to meet the needs of each student.

Individuals who wish to have score reports sent to other institutions or agencies must take the TOEFL iBT® (internet-based) test. TOEFL® ITP scores are valid for two years. Because language proficiency can change considerably in a short time, scores more than two years old cannot be reported or verified.

Registration process

To register for and arrange the tests at your university or college, please contact our call centre on +94 114 383 397.