TOEFL to be shortened, streamlined

The Test of English as a Foreign Language will be shortened from three hours to less than two hours from July 26, test administrator ETS announced in Beijing on Tuesday.

As a result, TOEFL will have streamlined instructions and navigation throughout. A new "writing for an academic discussion" task will replace the previous independent writing task. There will be a shorter reading section and all unscored test questions will be removed.

ETS plans to add more afternoon test sessions after July 26 to accommodate test takers' needs.

Test takers who have already registered have the option to reschedule their test date for free if they would like to experience the new test.

The TOEFL score scale will remain the same, so their requirements are the same, too.

Amit Sevak, president and CEO of ETS, said: "China is a big deal for ETS. Thanks to China's sheer scale and the government's commitment to quality education, every investment in China has the potential to have a massive impact."

In the past, the majority of Chinese students went to the United States for international studies.

Today, Chinese students choose to go to the US, United Kingdom, Australia, many European countries and even the Middle East, he said.

Moreover, there are more Chinese students studying abroad and returning to the country to work, he said.

"After the COVID-19 pandemic, there is going to be a significant increase in the number of Chinese students studying abroad, but they will be divided into different countries and there will be more balance between undergraduate and postgraduate studies, which will shift more toward undergraduate studies."

More international students will also study in China, with countries wanting to strengthen ties with China after the pandemic, he said.

When he lived and taught at China Foreign Affairs University in 1995 and 1996, he met many bright and hardworking students, and later met many such Chinese students in the US, he said.

"I am very inspired by China, and I really believe what happened in China over the past 45 years since the reform and opening-up policy is one of the most important historic events in all of our lifetime."

In the last 45 years, thanks to the Chinese government's investment in the people, economy and institutions, hundreds of millions of people's lives have improved, he said.

Besides the economic and social development, there is a universal recognition that if you can help their children receive a good education, you can change their trajectory, he added.