TOEFL® Young Students Series

A key member of the ETS TOEFL family intended for students from 5-17 years old

Flexible application and test format

Detailed score reports

Wide range of uses and high acceptance of results

Test results are mapped to CEFR and Metametrics® Lexile®Measures

Administrated by ASDAN China, the official cooperation partner with ETS®

About TOEFL® Young Students Series

Now more than ever, countries are introducing English as a second language at earlier stage of eduction. The TOEFL® Young Students Series, a key member of the ETS TOEFL family, is an extension of the TOEFL test designed for students in the lower and middle school age groups. The TOEFL® Young Students Series consist of two tests, the TOEFL Primary® test and the TOEFL Junior® test. In 2020, ASDAN China was delegated by ETS GLOBAL to be the official administrator of TOEFL® Young Students Series in China, providing reliable and high-quality English Assessment Service for Chinese schools and students

About ETS

Founded in 1947, ETS (Educational Testing Service) develops rigorous, research-based assessment products and services to improve education quality and promote education equality for people around the world. It also conducts educational researches, analyses and policy studies. With more than 10,000 exam centres located in more than 180 countries and territories, ETS develops, administers and evaluates more than 50 million tests each year, including the TOEFL, GRE, TOEIC and The Praxis Series exams.

Reasons for Choosing TOEFL® Young Students Series

A Key Member of the ETS TOEFL® Family

Flexible Testing
and Fast Scoring

Informative Score Reports

Wide Use and High Acceptance of Results

Scores Corresponding to CEFR Standard

Lexile® Measures for Tailoring Reading Choice

Test Overview

TOEFL Primary® Test TOEFL Junior® Test
Test Introduction The newest member of the TOEFL family, designed for English learners of ages 8+ , is tailored to the cognitive ability and knowledge range of younger students. A standardized English proficiency test for students at middle-school age and above from non-native English speaking countries. It is a reliable measure of students' English communication skills and can be used to support U.S. high school applications.
Classification Reading and Listening Step 1 Reading and Listening Step 2 Standard Test
Format Paper delivered Paper delivered Paper delivered
Applicable Groups Lower elementary grades Higher  elementary grades Aged 11-17
Sections Listening Reading Listening Reading Listening Comprehension Language Form and Meaning Reading Comprehension
Number of Questions 36 36 36 36 42 42 42
Time 30 30 30 30 40 25 50
Scale Scores 100-109 104-115 600-900
Score Levels

1–4 Stars

1–5 Badges

Level 1–5

TOEFL Primary® Test and TOEFL Junior® Test

TOEFL Primary® Tests

Test Introduction

The TOEFL Primary® Tests are an English language assessment developed by ETS specially for young English learners. It helps to set the right foundation and guide students to the next steps of English learning. Intended for students of 8+, the tests measure students' English communication skills and monitor their progress in English classes, providing valuable feedback about students' abilities for teachers and parents.
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, laying a solid step on a student's path to reaching his or her full potential.


Test Contents and Structures

TOEFL Primary® Reading and Listening tests are paper delivered test. It assesses students' knowledge, skills and abilities to achieve the core goal of English language learning , that is, communication. The test consists of 2 levels: Step 1 and Step 2. The test format is multiple-choice.

Listening and Reading - Step 1

The test is intended for students at the earlier stages of English learning. Its content covers:
  • Familiar contexts (e.g. school, home, playground);
  • Basic formulaic expressions;
  • Basic vocabulary and phrases related to common objects and people;
  • Short and simple requests and directions;
  • Short and simple text relevant to everyday experiences

Test Content and Structures

Section Number of Questions Number of Examples Total Number of Questions Time
Reading 36 3 39 30 Minutes
Listening 36 5 41 30 Minutes

Listening and Reading - Step 2

Intended for students who have acquired some English communication skills. Its content covers:
  • Basic expressions, requests, phrases and directions;
  • Simple short stories and topic discussions about everyday experiences;
  • Unfamiliar words given sufficient contextual clues;
  • Simple content-based texts

Test Contents and Structures

Section Number of Questions Number of Examples Total Number of Questions Time
Reading 36 1 37 30 Minutes
Listening 36 3 39 30 Minutes

Scoring and Reporting

  • Detailed and comprehensive,TOEFL Primary® score reports highlight what students have accomplished as English language learners and where they are ready to improve. The report includes respective score level, respective score range, ability description and corresponding CEFR levels.
  • Due to rapid development of English proficiency of younger learners, ETS recommends that TOEFL Primary®  scores not be used beyond 1 year.
  • TOEFL Primary® scores on each section are mapped to CEFR levels, helping parents and teachers to measure students' abilities based on internationally accepted standards.
Section CEFR Level Below A1 CEFR Level A1 CEFR Level A2 CEFR Level B1
Reading 101 102-106 107-113 114-115
Listening 101 102-106 107-113 114-115

Certificate of Achievement

TOEFL Primary® Reading and Listening-Step 1 Certificate Example

TOEFL Junior® Tests

Test Introduction

TOEFL Junior® Tests, intended for students aged 11 to 17, are part of the TOEFL Family of Assessments and provide real insight into students' English communication skills, helping teachers and parents make the best decisions and guide students on a path to success.
TOEFL Junior® Tests measure students' English language proficiency in academic environment and everyday life. It includes Reading Comprehension, Listening Comprehension, and Language Form and Meaning that reflect students' ability to use English in an English-medium instructional environment.


Test Contents and Structure

TOEFL Junior® is a paper-delivered test that consists of three main sections:

Listening Comprehension

Using secondary school life as a background, the three major listening materials - classroom instructions, conversations, academic lectures and discussions - are used to examine students' English listening skills in an English-speaking environment.

Language Form and Meaning

Closely related to students' daily lives and school experiences, questions are designed to evaluate students' communication and language application skills in an English-speaking environment.

Reading Comprehension

The texts in this section covers two types of contexts, either academic or non-academic, and their genres can vary a lot. It's designed to evaluate student's ability to read in an English-speaking Environment .

Test Content and Structures

Section Number of Questions Scale Scores Time
Listening Comprehension 42 200-300 40 Minutes
Language Form and Meaning 42 200-300 25 Minutes
Reading Comprehension 42 200-300 50 Minutes
Total 126 600-900 115 Minutes

Scoring and Reporting

  • TOEFL Junior® score reports are a valuable tool to guide students. The reports include the student's section and overall scores, a description of students' English language ability, and each section's score is mapped to a CEFR® and Lexile® level.
  • TOEFL Junior® score reports can help not only assess the student's skill level, but identify the student's strength and weakness, pointing out areas for improvement and providing advice about reading choices.
  • Availability: TOEFL Junior® test scores are available for 2 years after the test date.
Section CEFR Level Below A2 CEFR Level A2 CEFR Level B1 CEFR Level B2
Listening Comprehension Below 225 225-245 250-285 290-300
Language Form and Meaning Below 210 210-245 250-275 280-300
Reading Comprehension Below 210 210-240 245-275 280-300

Certificate of Achievement

Students' Reading Level with MetaMetrics® Lexile® Measures

The score reports for the reading section of both the TOEFL® Primary and TOEFL Junior® tests include Lexile measures, which is an internationally recognized measure for an English language learner's reading level and the difficulty of texts. The Lexile Measure Reading Database is a useful tool for students to quickly find books that match their reading level.

*Beginning Reader (BR) represents readers/texts with a Lexile measure below 0L. The reading level of the reader/the difficulty of the text increases as the number after the BR code decreases, and vice versa.

Host Schools

TOEFL Junior® Host Schools