Put Your Students on the Right Path, Right From the Start
The TOEFL Primary® tests are the first step on a student's path to reaching his or her full potential. The tests measure students' English communication skills and progress in English classes — and provide meaningful feedback about their abilities to both you and their parents.
The tests are designed to:
- assess the academic and social English-language proficiency of young students ages 8+
- provide a snapshot of each student's ability in listening, reading and speaking
- support teaching and learning by giving information about students' abilities in relation to a widely accepted international standard
Learn more about how you can use the TOEFL Primary tests.
- The TOEFL Primary® Reading and Listening Test — Step 1 is designed for young students at the beginning stages of learning English.
- The TOEFL Primary® Reading and Listening Test — Step 2 is designed for young students who have acquired some communicative English skills.
- The TOEFL Primary® Speaking Test is suitable for young students at various levels of English‐language speaking proficiency.
Learn more about test content to see what each test measures.
Preparing Your Students for Success
The TOEFL Primary program helps your students improve their English skills both before and after the test. Handbooks with sample questions help you, students and their parents know what to expect on test day. After test day, MetaMetrics® Lexile® reading measures linked to TOEFL Primary reading scores make it easier to select books at students' reading levels and improve their English reading proficiency over time.
Learn more about test preparation.
How the Tests Are Administered and Scored
The TOEFL Primary program offers convenient and flexible tests that help you measure your students' progress in English. Each test provides reliable administration, skill measurement and scoring, with meaningful and detailed feedback. Scores are valid for 1 year.
| Listening and Reading Tests | Speaking Test | |
|---|---|---|
| Test Administration | Institutional Testing: Schools request test administration dates at their institution for their own students | Contact your local network office to find out testing dates and locations |
| Testing Method | Multiple choice | Constructed response |
| Test Delivery | Paper delivered, digitally delivered or remote proctored* | Digitally delivered or remote proctored* |
| Scoring | Scored by a local ETS Preferred Network office Score levels:
|
Scored by ETS-trained raters Score levels: 1–5 Ribbons |
* Available on the following digital platforms: Windows® PC, Mac®, iPad®, Android™ and Chromebook™
Understanding and Using Scores
The TOEFL Primary program offers certificates of achievement based on a student's score level. It's 1 way to provide students and parents with a sense of accomplishment. Plus, TOEFL Primary scores are mapped to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) levels to give students the ability to see their level on a global scale and to give you a more in-depth understanding of your students' English proficiencies.
Learn more about TOEFL Primary scores.
Part of the TOEFL® Family of Assessments
The TOEFL Primary tests are part of the TOEFL® Family of Assessments, which also includes the TOEFL iBT® test, the TOEFL® Essentials™ test, the TOEFL ITP® Assessment Series and the TOEFL Junior® tests. Based on the rich heritage of the TOEFL test, the TOEFL Primary tests uphold ETS's high standards for developing valid and reliable assessments that support educational purposes and reflect the latest research innovations.