TOEIC, TOEFL or IELTS? Which English Test to Aim For If You're Heading to Australia

When you decide "I want to get an English qualification," the first thing many people get stuck on is the difference between TOEIC, TOEFL and IELTS.

TOEIC is the name that comes up most often around job-hunting and changing jobs. TOEFL is used for admission to universities overseas. IELTS appears again and again around study abroad and migration to Australia and other English-speaking countries. Plenty of people know all three names yet still aren't sure which one they should actually be studying for.

Choosing the right test matters especially if you're planning to attend a language school overseas for short-term language study abroad, or if you want to learn English through a Working Holiday. Pick a test that doesn't match your purpose, and you can end up putting in the study time only to find the result doesn't actually help in the situations where you wanted to use it.

This article sets out the differences between TOEIC, TOEFL and IELTS in a way that's easy to follow whether you're a student, a working professional, or a middle-aged or older reader considering a second career — along with a way of thinking about it that's useful if you're just starting out with English.

First, the short answer: choosing by purpose

No single English qualification is simply "the best." What matters is what you want to use your English for.

If you want to demonstrate your English ability for job-hunting, changing jobs or promotion within the Japanese job market, TOEIC is the obvious place to start. The TOEIC Listening & Reading Test is scored from 10 to 990 — there's no pass or fail, just a score that shows your current level. It's familiar to Japanese companies and universities alike, and its main strength is how easy it is to put on a Japanese CV or résumé.

If you're considering university or postgraduate study overseas, on the other hand, TOEFL and IELTS become the candidates. From January 2026, TOEFL iBT has been moving to a new 1–6 score scale (in addition to the traditional 0–120 scale), with the old-scale score shown alongside it for comparison for two years.

If you're thinking about studying in Australia, and have future study, visas, migration or a step towards professional registration in view as well, IELTS is an extremely practical test. IELTS scores all four skills — listening, reading, writing and speaking — on a band scale from 0 to 9.

Put simply, it breaks down like this.

What is TOEIC? The test that makes your English ability visible in Japan

TOEIC is an English test that is particularly well known within Japan. It measures business English and everyday comprehension, and is widely used for job-hunting, changing jobs, internal promotion, and requests for transfer to an international division.

On the TOEIC Listening & Reading Test, Listening is scored from 5 to 495 and Reading from 5 to 495, for a combined total of 10 to 990. It isn't a pass/fail test — it simply expresses your current English ability as a score.

As a benchmark for a Japanese CV, 600 or above is a good first target. Even if you're not confident in English, a score in this range makes it easy for a reader to see that you've kept up your English study and have a solid foundation.

If you want to make a stronger case for yourself, 730 or above is the benchmark to aim for. If you're thinking about international business, trade, tourism, hotels, aviation, foreign-affiliated companies or international divisions, a score of 730+ carries far more weight on your CV.

Once you reach 800 or above, employers tend to see you as someone who can confidently take on work that involves English. That said, the TOEIC Listening & Reading Test doesn't directly measure speaking or writing ability. So if you're thinking about actually living or working overseas, it's important to build up your conversation practice alongside your TOEIC score, not instead of it.

What is TOEFL? The academic English test for university admission

TOEFL is used mainly by people considering admission to a university or postgraduate programme in an English-speaking country. It's built around academic English — listening to a lecture, reading specialist texts, stating an opinion, writing a report.

TOEFL iBT measures all four skills — reading, listening, speaking and writing. From 21 January 2026, a new score scale of 1 to 6 (in 0.5 increments) has been introduced, making the correspondence with the CEFR much clearer. During the transition period, which runs until January 2028, the equivalent score on the old 0–120 scale is also shown.

In terms of the old scale, admission to a university overseas typically calls for around 80, while more competitive universities and postgraduate programmes may ask for 90 to 100 or above. Under ETS's new scale, a score of 80 on the old scale corresponds roughly to 4, 90 to 4.5, and 100 to 5.

TOEFL is a test built around using English as a tool for academic study. It's a little specialised if all you're planning is short-term language study abroad, but it's a strong option if you're thinking further ahead to a university, postgraduate programme or vocational college overseas.

What is IELTS? The test to know about if Australia is on your mind

IELTS is an English test used widely in Australia, the UK, Canada, New Zealand and elsewhere. It's used for a broad range of purposes — study abroad, further study, visas, migration, and professional registration.

IELTS assesses all four skills — listening, reading, writing and speaking — on a band scale from 0 to 9. Scores are given as whole numbers or in 0.5 increments, for example 5.5, 6.0, 6.5 or 7.0.

For anyone considering study in Australia or a Working Holiday, IELTS's real strength is that preparing for it builds English ability that's close to what you'll actually use in daily life and study. Because it develops all four skills — reading, listening, writing and speaking — in balance, the studying carries over naturally into classes on the ground, finding a share house, job-hunting, interviews and everyday conversation at work.

As a target score, aiming for an Overall band of 5.0 to 5.5 gives you a clear, achievable goal for basic study-abroad preparation. If you're looking further ahead to a vocational college or university, an Overall band of 6.0 to 6.5 or above is the benchmark to work towards. Since the score required varies by visa and by institution, you'll need to check the latest requirements with your school and with the Australian government before you actually apply. The Australian government changed its handling of which English tests can be used for visa purposes on 7 August 2025 (as of July 2026); several tests, including IELTS and TOEFL iBT, are accepted, but fully online tests are not generally accepted.

Short-term study abroad or a short Working Holiday: how many weeks of test preparation do you need?

For a short-term language study abroad period of 1 to 12 weeks, or for English study during a Working Holiday of 1 to 17 weeks, it's more realistic to focus on getting comfortable with English and building the ability to use it in daily life, rather than expecting to push your test score up dramatically.

On an Australian Working Holiday visa, you can study for up to 4 months while doing short-term work (up to 4 months per visa, under condition 8548). Four months works out at roughly 17 weeks, which fits neatly with a plan to attend an English school during a Working Holiday.

Here's a simple way to think about how much time you'll need for test preparation.

Naturally, your results will depend on your English level before you leave. For example, if you're already around TOEIC 600 and study seriously for eight weeks, aiming for a score in the 700s is entirely realistic. On the other hand, if you've been away from English for a long time and want to reach IELTS 6.5 in a short period, preparation before you leave — not just study once you're there — becomes important.

The best choice for students

For university and vocational-college students, TOEIC is the easier test to get started with if you're keeping an eye on job-hunting for the Japanese market. If it's your first time taking on an English qualification, TOEIC 600 is a good first target.

That said, if you're thinking about eventually studying at a university, vocational college or postgraduate programme in Australia, it's worth getting used to IELTS at an early stage too. Because IELTS also assesses speaking and writing, it builds more than exam English — it builds your ability to explain things in English and to write down your own opinions.

For short-term study abroad, a manageable approach is to spend the first 1 to 4 weeks on general English, then move on to IELTS preparation once you've settled in.

The best choice for working professionals

For working professionals, the right choice depends on your purpose.

If you're focused on changing jobs, promotion, or internal appraisal in the Japanese job market, TOEIC is the practical choice. If you're aiming for a department that uses English, or for tourism, hotels, trade, overseas sales or a foreign-affiliated company, TOEIC 730+ is a good first target.

If, on the other hand, you want to do short-term study abroad in Australia, experience life there through a Working Holiday, or keep the possibility of working or living overseas in view for the future, IELTS-style study suits you better. That's because IELTS also tests your actual speaking and writing ability, so it translates directly into English you can use in daily life once you're there.

For working professionals, even 3 to 8 weeks of short-term study abroad is genuinely worthwhile. It suits people using paid leave or a career-break scheme without leaving their job, people using the gap before changing jobs, and people revisiting English study as a marker of a new stage in their career.

The best choice for middle-aged and older readers considering a second career

Learning English isn't only for the young. If anything, for middle-aged and older readers thinking about a second career, English is a force that widens the choices open to the rest of your life.

Wanting to enjoy travelling abroad more. Wanting to try a short stay overseas someday. Wanting to chat with your children or grandchildren while abroad. Wanting to try work that involves meeting visitors from overseas. If these are your goals, there's no need to aim for a difficult test from the outset.

Setting yourself a TOEIC goal is one good option, and if you'd like to enjoy a short stay at a language school overseas while learning English, we'd recommend starting with a general English course rather than IELTS preparation.

If you've been away from English for a while, your first goal doesn't need to be a high score — being able to ask someone to repeat themselves, ask for directions, explain what you'd like, and give a simple self-introduction is more than enough. From there, you can take on TOEIC or IELTS if and when you need to.

The trend from here on: not just scores, but usable English

For anyone starting out with English, the important thing is not to chase test scores alone.

Of course, your TOEIC score, your TOEFL score and your IELTS band score all matter. A number you can put on your CV makes your effort visible.

But if you're considering short-term study abroad or a Working Holiday, what matters more is whether you can actually use English once you're there.

Can you follow what's said at the airport? Can you tell your homestay family what you'd like? Can you ask a question in class? Can you order at a cafe? Can you talk about your experience at a part-time job interview? Can you ask for help when you're in trouble?

These are skills that are hard to pick up from desk study alone. That's exactly why it's worth learning English on the ground, even for a short period.

The trend in English learning from here on isn't simply "get a high score" — it's building both kinds of ability at once: the English you can prove with a score, and the English you can actually use in the field.

If you're unsure, IELTS-style study is the recommendation for short-term study in Australia

If you're not sure whether to choose TOEIC, TOEFL or IELTS, and you're considering short-term study abroad or a Working Holiday in Australia, we'd recommend IELTS-style study.

There are three reasons. First, it lets you build all four skills — reading, listening, writing and speaking — in balance. Second, it fits well with study, further education and visas in Australia. Third, preparing for it tends to carry over naturally into English you can use in daily life once you're there.

That said, TOEIC remains a strong choice if job-hunting or changing jobs within Japan is your first priority, and TOEFL if university admission overseas comes first. What matters is choosing according to your own purpose.

※Test systems and visa English requirements are subject to change. This article reflects information as of July 2026. Before applying, please always check the latest information from ETS, the official IELTS website, and the Australian Department of Home Affairs.

References: ETS, IELTS (official), Australian Department of Home Affairs