IELTS or TOEFL in Morocco: how to choose the right English test in 2026

IELTS or TOEFL in Morocco? For a university in the United States, Canada or Europe, both tests are widely accepted: pick the one your programme asks for, then the one whose format suits you. For some UK visas and for Canadian immigration, the decision is already made: TOEFL is not on the official lists, so you need IELTS (UKVI or General Training) or another approved test.

Both exams also changed in 2026: a new format and score scale for TOEFL iBT, and IELTS now on computer at the British Council in Morocco. Here is what you need to decide without getting it wrong, and then to prepare.

What changed in 2026: both tests in detail

IELTS: Academic, General Training and UKVI

IELTS, run jointly by the British Council, IDP and Cambridge University Press & Assessment, tests Listening (30 minutes), Reading (60 minutes), Writing (60 minutes) and Speaking (11 to 14 minutes), so just under three hours in all. Each part is scored from 0 to 9 in half bands, and the overall band is their average.

Listening and Speaking are the same in every version, but Reading and Writing differ:

• IELTS Academic: university-style texts, and a first writing task where you describe a graph, table or diagram. This is the version for higher education.
• IELTS General Training: everyday and workplace texts, and a letter as the first writing task. This is the version for immigration and some work plans.
• IELTS for UKVI: the same content, taken in person at a centre approved for UK visas. In Morocco, the British Council offers it in Rabat and Casablanca.

According to the British Council in Morocco, all its IELTS tests have been on computer since 30 April 2026, with Speaking still a real interview with an examiner. IELTS Online, taken from home, exists only in the Academic version and cannot be used for a UK visa.

IELTS One Skill Retake lets you resit a single skill, once, within 60 days of a full computer-delivered test. The British Council in Morocco offers it, but Canada's Express Entry, for example, does not accept it.

TOEFL iBT: shorter, adaptive, scored out of 6

Since 21 January 2026, the ETS TOEFL iBT has changed in depth. Reading and Listening are adaptive: the difficulty adjusts partway through each section based on your answers. The sections are:

• Reading: complete the words, everyday texts, an academic passage.
• Listening: choose a response, conversations, announcements, academic talks.
• Writing: build a sentence, write an email, an online academic discussion.
• Speaking: listen and repeat sentences, then a simulated interview.

The sections take about 90 minutes in total, and ETS advises allowing roughly two hours. Everything is on computer, Speaking included: you talk into a microphone, with no examiner in front of you. You can sit it at an authorised test centre or at home with TOEFL iBT Home Edition, watched by a live proctor through your webcam.

Each section and the total are scored from 1 to 6 in half points, the total being the average of the four sections rounded to the nearest half point. According to ETS, 4 matches CEFR level B2 and 5 matches C1. Until January 2028, the score report also shows your CEFR level and a comparable overall score out of 120, which helps when a university still asks for "TOEFL 90". The details are on the official TOEFL iBT scores page.

Be wary of prep books from before 2026, which are easy to find second-hand: they describe a test that no longer exists.

IELTS and TOEFL compared

Which test for which country?

The country often decides for you. If your destination or field is not settled yet, start with our guide to choosing a path after the bac.

United Kingdom

For a Student visa at degree level or above, the required level is B2, and the university can assess your English itself, sometimes with a test that is not a SELT. Below that, and for other visas that require an English test, you need an approved SELT: IELTS for UKVI, PTE Academic UKVI, LanguageCert SELT or Skills for English UKVI. No TOEFL. Ask the university before you book, and check the official UK Student visa page.

United States and Europe

The vast majority of American universities accept both tests, each with its own minimum, sometimes per skill. With the new scale, check whether the requirement is stated out of 6 or still out of 120. In Europe, English-taught programmes generally accept either test. For studying in French, you need a different exam: see our DELF B2 guide for Morocco.

Canada

Canadian universities generally accept IELTS Academic and TOEFL iBT, but check programme by programme. Immigration through Express Entry is a different matter: in English, only CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core are accepted (TEF Canada and TCF Canada in French), with results less than two years old. The official list is on the IRCC website. If you are thinking of studying and then staying, plan ahead.

IELTS or TOEFL in Morocco: decide in 5 questions

1. Is the test imposed? A UK visa that needs a SELT, Express Entry, or a programme that accepts only one test: the decision is already made.
2. Which exact version? Academic or General Training, UKVI or not, at a centre or at home. Booking the wrong version can mean sitting the whole thing again.
3. Where are you comfortable speaking? Facing a person who keeps the conversation going (IELTS), or alone in front of a microphone with short, timed answers (TOEFL)?
4. How do you read? IELTS asks for an hour of focus on three long texts. TOEFL moves through short, varied tasks at a brisk pace.
5. Where and when can you sit it? From Tiznit, the nearest IELTS centre is in Agadir. Authorised TOEFL centres are mainly in the big cities, such as Amideast in Rabat and Casablanca, and Home Edition needs a computer, a webcam and a room where you are alone. Allow time for results and a possible second attempt before your deadline.

Fees change, so rely on the official websites, not on figures shared on social media. And if you are still unsure, try a free official sample of each test.

A 6 to 10 week preparation plan

Week 1: the diagnostic

Take an official test under real conditions: ETS offers a free sample of about 40 minutes, and the IELTS website publishes sample questions. Compare each skill with the score you need. If following a simple conversation is hard work, focus on general English first: 6 to 10 weeks will not be enough.

Weeks 2 to 7: skill by skill

• Listening: 20 to 30 minutes a day, then listen again with the transcript. In IELTS, a spelling mistake in an answer costs you the mark.
• Reading: for IELTS, skimming, scanning and True / False / Not Given questions. For TOEFL, the "complete the words" task tests spelling and grammar at the same time.
• Writing: at least two corrected pieces a week, typed rather than handwritten. IELTS: at least 150 words for Task 1 and 250 for Task 2. TOEFL: the email and the academic discussion.
• Speaking: record yourself every day. IELTS: Part 2, where you speak for one to two minutes on a topic. TOEFL: repeat sentences exactly, answer briefly and in a structured way.
• Vocabulary: active recall and spaced repetition rather than rereading lists. The testing effect is well documented (Roediger and Karpicke, 2006), and our effective study methods explain the technique.

Final weeks: mock exams

Sit two or three full tests, timed and on computer. After each one, give most of the following week to your weakest skill. And book your test date early, as places get scarce before application deadlines.

Common mistakes for French and Arabic speakers

• False friends: actually means "in fact", eventually means "in the end", and a library is not a "librairie".
• Plurals that do not exist: informations, advices, researches, equipments.
• Tenses borrowed from French: not "I live here since 2020", but "I have lived here since 2020".
• Never-ending sentences: chaining ideas with commas or repeated "and" hurts clarity and your score.
• Pronunciation: p and b, v and f, the "th" sound, and stress in long words. The TOEFL "listen and repeat" task makes these very obvious.
• Memorised templates: examiners spot them, and an off-topic answer is penalised.

Preparing alone or with support?

If your level is close to your target and you stick to a regular plan, the free official resources may be enough. Support helps most when Writing and Speaking are holding you back, because progress there is slow without correction.

In Tiznit, ApexLingua, the ApexTiz language programme, prepares students for TOEFL and IELTS on the real exam format: a short placement test first, lots of speaking corrected out loud, 4 to 6 hours a week, in groups of 15 at most or one-to-one, on site or by video. See the foreign languages programme.

Frequently asked questions

Is TOEFL easier than IELTS?

Neither is easier in itself. TOEFL is shorter and fully computer-based, while IELTS gives more time per task and has a face-to-face Speaking test. Your result on an official sample of each is the best guide.

What IELTS score do I need to study abroad?

It depends on the programme. For the UK, the British Council quotes requirements often between 6 and 7 for undergraduate study, and between 6.5 and 7.5 for postgraduate study or the most selective universities, sometimes with a minimum per skill. Aim for the exact figure each programme sets.

How long are IELTS and TOEFL scores valid?

Two years from the test date for TOEFL iBT. For IELTS, two years is the recommended period, but each organisation can set its own rule.

Where can I take IELTS near Tiznit?

The British Council lists Agadir among its test locations in Morocco, along with Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakech, Fes, Oujda, Tangier and Tetouan. Dates and fees, which change, are on the official British Council Morocco page.