TOEFL ITP vs iBT vs IELTS vs Prediction Test

Your campus asks for a “TOEFL® certificate”, a scholarship asks for “TOEFL or IELTS”, a job posting asks for “an English score”. So which one do you take: TOEFL ITP, TOEFL iBT, IELTS, or just a TOEFL Prediction test?

Picking the wrong test is expensive. You lose preparation time and a registration fee that ranges from a few hundred thousand to several million rupiah. This article compares all four by format, skills tested, scoring, recognition, and cost. (The slides below are in Indonesian.)

Quick Summary: Four Tests, Four Purposes

TOEFL ITP: an official ETS test for domestic needs in Indonesia (thesis defense, graduation, civil service, state-owned companies, domestic scholarships). It is run through authorized campuses and institutions.
TOEFL iBT: an official, computer-based ETS test for studying abroad, especially in the US and Canada.
IELTS: an international test from the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge, strongest in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe, and also used for visas and migration.
TOEFL Prediction: a practice test made by the institution itself. Not an ETS certificate, best used for practice.

1. Format and Length

TOEFL ITP has 140 multiple-choice questions in about 115 minutes. It used to mean paper and answer sheets, but many test centers now also offer a digital version on site or online with a remote proctor. The format stays the same: multiple choice, A to D.

TOEFL iBT is taken entirely on a computer, at a test center or through the Home Edition. Since January 21, 2026, the iBT uses a new, shorter format of about 1.5 hours of testing. Reading and Listening are now adaptive, so the difficulty adjusts to your answers.

IELTS takes about 2 hours 45 minutes. The biggest difference is Speaking: in IELTS you are interviewed face to face by an examiner, while in TOEFL iBT you speak into a microphone and your answers are recorded. Note that the British Council in Indonesia stopped offering paper-based IELTS on June 21, 2026, so only the computer version remains there.

2. Skills Tested

Test	Sections	Speaking & Writing?
TOEFL ITP	Listening (50 questions), Structure & Written Expression (40), Reading (50)	No
TOEFL iBT	Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking	Yes
IELTS	Listening (40 questions), Reading (40), Writing (2 tasks), Speaking (interview)	Yes

Because TOEFL ITP only tests comprehension (listening, grammar, reading), universities abroad generally do not accept it for admission. They want proof that you can write and speak.

The 2026 iBT also changed its Writing tasks. They now include building a sentence, writing an email, and writing a response to an academic discussion. If you find older material about long essays or integrated tasks, it no longer matches the current format.

3. Scoring

TOEFL ITP: a scale of 310 to 677. Each section is converted to a scaled score (Listening 31 to 68, Structure 31 to 68, Reading 31 to 67), then summed, multiplied by 10, and divided by 3. Full details are in how TOEFL ITP scores are calculated.

TOEFL iBT: since January 2026, the main score uses a 1 to 6 band scale (in 0.5 steps), aligned with the CEFR. During the transition period, score reports still show the old 0 to 120 scale as well, so requirements written on the 0 to 120 scale can still be matched.

IELTS: bands 0 to 9 in 0.5 steps. The overall band is the average of the four components.

Rough score equivalents

There is no official table that maps ITP directly to IELTS, so treat these as rough guides:

TOEFL ITP	TOEFL iBT (0 to 120)	IELTS
about 500	about 60	about 5.5 to 6.0
about 550	about 80	about 6.5

Always check which test and minimum score your target institution asks for. Don’t rely on conversions.

4. Recognition and Validity

TOEFL ITP: used for graduation requirements at Indonesian universities, civil service and state-owned company recruitment, and domestic scholarships. Usually not enough for scholarships abroad.
TOEFL iBT: recognized by thousands of universities in more than 160 countries, very common in the US and Canada.
IELTS: the main standard in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and many European universities, and accepted by thousands of US universities. The General Training module is used for work visas and migration.
TOEFL Prediction: often not accepted for official selection. Use it for practice only.

TOEFL ITP, TOEFL iBT, and IELTS scores are generally treated as valid for 2 years from the test date.

5. Cost in Indonesia (as of October 2026)

Test	Approximate cost
TOEFL Prediction	about Rp80,000 to Rp200,000, some are free
TOEFL ITP	about Rp625,000 to Rp700,000
TOEFL iBT	about US$200, or Rp3.2 million to Rp3.75 million depending on exchange rate and payment route
IELTS	Rp3.6 million at the British Council (IELTS for UKVI Rp4.06 million)

A breakdown by provider is in TOEFL test fees. Prices change, so check the official provider’s website before paying.

So, Which One?

Your need	The right test
Thesis, graduation, civil service, state-owned companies, domestic scholarships	TOEFL ITP
Studying in the US, Canada, or at a university that asks for TOEFL	TOEFL iBT
Studying in the UK, Australia, Europe, or a work visa	IELTS
Checking your level before an official test	TOEFL Prediction or self-practice

The safest rule: read the official requirements of your target institution and take the test named there. If unsure, ask the committee directly. For a general overview of TOEFL, see the complete TOEFL guide.

Ready for TOEFL ITP?

If the test you need is TOEFL ITP, practicing in the same format helps a lot.

Kawan EPT (formerly Kawan TOEFL) has 7,400+ questions with explanations for every answer option, a full 140-question timed simulation with per-section results, a score estimate on the 310 to 677 scale from your last 10 practices, a diagnostic test, Weakness Drill, and Grammar, Reading, and Listening lessons. Free on Google Play Store.