TOEFL Preparation
One-to-one TOEFL coaching with experienced British teachers who know the new 2026 test inside out. Online anywhere in the world, face-to-face in London.
Tell us your target score and your test date, and your teacher will give you an honest view of what is achievable in the time you have.
What TOEFL is, and who it is for
TOEFL, the Test of English as a Foreign Language, is the English-language test most commonly required by universities in the United States and Canada, and it is accepted by thousands of universities, employers and professional bodies elsewhere. ETS, the organisation that runs it, redesigned TOEFL iBT in January 2026, so anyone preparing now is preparing for a test that looks different to the one their friends or colleagues took a year ago.
The test has four sections, taken together: reading, listening, speaking and writing. Reading and listening are now adaptive, adjusting in difficulty based on how you perform. Scores are reported on a new 1 to 6 band scale alongside the familiar 0 to 120 scale during a transition period running until 2028. The whole test takes around 90 minutes, shorter than the version most preparation books still describe.
The 4 sections of the TOEFL test
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Reading
AdaptiveAcademic passages alongside shorter real-world texts such as emails, notices and messages. New task types include filling in missing letters in academic paragraphs.
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Listening
AdaptiveAcademic lectures, campus conversations and shorter daily-life exchanges. The questions adjust in difficulty as you work through the section.
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Speaking
Reworked for 2026Two task types: repeating spoken phrases accurately, and answering a short simulated interview. Both reward natural, fluent spoken English far more than memorised templates.
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Writing
Practical and academicShort emails, classroom discussion-board posts and structured academic responses. It tests how clearly you can organise an argument under time pressure.
How we prepare you for TOEFL
One teacher, one student
Every TOEFL lesson is one-to-one. Your teacher works on the sections holding you back, in the order that suits you, with the timing and feedback a group class cannot offer. If speaking is your weakest section, that is where the lessons go.
Teachers who know the new test
Our teachers prepare students for the 2026 TOEFL, not the version before it. They know the adaptive reading and listening sections, the new speaking and writing task types, and the 1 to 6 band scale. You will not spend lessons learning techniques designed for a test that no longer exists.
Real English under the surface
The students who score highest are not the ones who have memorised the most templates. The 2026 speaking section in particular rewards genuine fluency over rehearsed answers. We build both: the techniques you need to handle the test, and the underlying English that makes the test easier.
Honest expectations
A good teacher tells you what is realistic. At the consultation we give you an honest view of where you are now and what is achievable in the time you have. If you need a high band in a few weeks and your current level is well below it, we will say so. We are interested in students passing, not in selling lessons.
How long does TOEFL preparation take?
Most students need somewhere between four and six months of regular preparation, depending on where they are starting from and the score they need. The shorter 2026 format helps students who found the length of the old test hard to sustain, though it asks for the same underlying English.
We are wary of publishing confident numbers here. The 2026 test is new for every provider, and any figure that looks precise would be borrowed from the old format rather than earned on the new one. What we can tell you honestly is that consistency matters more than intensity, and that the students who improve most are the ones practising between lessons.
of regular preparation, with practice between lessons.
The honest answer for your situation comes out of the consultation. Your teacher looks at your level now, the score you need and the time you have, and tells you whether the goal is realistic. If it is not, we will say so.
Get an honest view of your timelineHow it works
Book a free consultation
Tell us your test date, your target score, and which sections you are most worried about. We match you with a teacher who is fully up to speed on the 2026 format.
Meet your teacher
Your trial lesson is a real lesson, at the discounted price of £20 for 60 minutes online. Your teacher looks at your current level across the four sections, talks through the new format, and agrees a realistic plan for the time you have. No commitment to a block of lessons at this stage.
Start your preparation
When you are ready, book a block of lessons online or face-to-face in London. Each lesson is built around the test and around you, and your teacher adjusts the plan as your strengths and weaknesses come into focus.
I needed a high TOEFL score for a graduate programme in the United States and I was running out of time. My speaking section was the problem; I had memorised templates that did not fit the new 2026 format. Two months of weekly one-to-one lessons rebuilt my approach around real, spontaneous English, and my speaking band went up by more than a full point. My teacher knew the new test better than anyone I had spoken to.
Questions about TOEFL preparation
What is the difference between TOEFL and IELTS?
Both tests measure your English across reading, listening, speaking and writing, and both are widely accepted. The practical difference is geography and feel. TOEFL is more commonly required by universities in the United States and Canada and is taken entirely on a computer, with a 2026 format that is shorter, adaptive, and reported on a 1 to 6 band scale. IELTS is more commonly required for UK universities, professional registration and UK visas, scores on a 0 to 9 band scale, and has a face-to-face speaking interview. Pick the test your destination institution accepts and prefers. If both are accepted, pick the format that suits the way you work.
See IELTS Preparation How does the new 2026 TOEFL format work?
The 2026 TOEFL iBT is shorter, around 90 minutes in total, and reading and listening are adaptive: the difficulty of later questions adjusts based on how you performed earlier in the section. Speaking and writing have new task types, including a short simulated interview and shorter practical writing tasks alongside the traditional academic ones. Scores are reported on a new 1 to 6 band scale alongside the familiar 0 to 120 scale during a transition period running until 2028. Preparation written for the pre-2026 test is now out of date in several important ways, and we have updated our lessons accordingly.
What score do I need?
It depends on the university or programme you are applying to. Many US graduate programmes have traditionally asked for around 90 to 100 on the 0 to 120 scale; on the new 1 to 6 band scale, comparable requirements typically translate to a band of 4.5 to 5.0. Requirements vary widely and institutions are still updating them during the transition period, so check the current requirement for your specific programme and bring that figure to your consultation.
Can I prepare for TOEFL online?
Yes, and most of our TOEFL preparation is online. It works particularly well for this test because TOEFL itself is taken on a computer. The teaching is the same one-to-one work: a video call, shared documents, recorded speaking practice where it helps, and writing marked together. Online lessons suit students who are working, studying or living outside London, and they remove the travel time that makes weekly preparation hard to sustain.
How online lessons work How many hours of preparation will I need?
A rough guide is one to two hours of lessons a week, plus three to six hours of independent practice between lessons. Students closer to their target score need less; students further away need more. Your consultation is where we give you a realistic number for your situation rather than a general one.
How much does TOEFL preparation cost?
TOEFL preparation is priced the same way as our other one-to-one lessons, with discounts for longer lessons and larger prepaid packages. Full numbers and a calculator are on our pricing page. The consultation is free, and the trial lesson is £20 for 60 minutes online with no obligation to book further lessons.
See pricingReady to start your TOEFL preparation?
Your free consultation is the best place to begin. Talk through your target score and your test date, then try a lesson before you decide anything.