the toeic test - ets · pdf file2 worldwide report 2012 the toeic background questionnaire is...

ETS — Listening. Learning. Leading.®

R e p o R t o n t e s t t a k e R s w o R l d w i d e

2012

Listening AnD reADing

The TOEIC ® Test

Worldwide Report 2012 1

Table of Contents

Page

TheTOEICBackgroundQuestionnaire........................................................................................................................2

DescriptionofTOEICL&RTestTakersin2012..........................................................................................................3

MeanTOEICScoresAcrossNativeCountries.............................................................................................................4

RelationshipAmongListeningandReadingTOEICScores........................................................................................6

TestTakersbyDemographicVariables.........................................................................................................................6

Age.......................................................................................................................................................................11

Gender..................................................................................................................................................................12

Education.............................................................................................................................................................13

AcademicMajor...................................................................................................................................................14

EmploymentStatus..............................................................................................................................................15

TypeofIndustry...................................................................................................................................................16

TypeofJob...........................................................................................................................................................18

YearsSpentStudyingEnglish..............................................................................................................................19

TypeofLanguageSkillMostEmphasizedWhenStudyingEnglish...................................................................20

DailyEnglishUseRequirement...........................................................................................................................21

MostFrequentlyUsedLanguageSkill.................................................................................................................22

DifficultywithEnglishAffectingCommunication..............................................................................................23

TimeSpentinaNativeEnglish-SpeakingCountry.............................................................................................24

PurposeforLivinginaNativeEnglish-SpeakingCountry.................................................................................25

TOEICTest-TakingExperience...........................................................................................................................26

PurposeforTakingTOEICL&RTest..................................................................................................................27

AppendixA–TOEICBackgroundQuestionnaire......................................................................................................28

AppendixB–ResponseRatestoEachBackgroundQuestion...................................................................................30

AppendixC–CorrelationsBetweenListeningandReadingbyRegion....................................................................31

2 Worldwide Report 2012

TheTOEICBackgroundQuestionnaireisaself-surveythatgathersinformationaboutTOEICtesttakers’educationalbackground,workexperience,English-languagestudyanduseandtheTOEICtest-takingexperience.ResponsestothequestionnaireenableuserstolearnmoreaboutthebackgroundsofpeoplewhotakethetestandsomeofthefactorsthataffecttheirTOEICscoresandrelatedimprovementinEnglishproficiency.TesttakersareaskedtocompletetheTOEICBackgroundQuestionnairebeforetakingtheTOEICtest.

TheTOEICBackgroundQuestionnaireispresentedinAppendixA.

ThisreportisbasedontheinformationgatheredfromalltesttakerswhocompletedtheTOEICBackgroundQuestionnaireadministeredin2012.

ThevastmajorityoftesttakersincludedinthisreportarefromAsia,andsotheresultsmaynotberepresentativeofotherregions.Inaddition,theresponseratesvariedacrossdifferentbackgroundquestions(AppendixB).Consequently,careshouldbetakeninmakinginferencesbasedonthisdata.

Pleasenotethatallpercentageswithinthetextareroundedtothenearestwholenumberandinsomecasesmaysumtomorethan100percent.Alsonotethatalltablesandfiguresreflectresultsonlyforcategoriescontaining500ormoretesttakers.

The TOEIC® Background Questionnaire


Description of TOEIC Listening & Reading (L&R) Test Takers in 2012

BackgroundinformationwascollectedfromthetotalgroupoftesttakerswhotooktheTOEICL&RTestin2012,eitherthroughthePublicTestingProgramortheInstitutionalTestingProgram.Thefollowingisageneraldescriptionofthetesttakersincludedinthisanalysis.Asnotedearlier,thenumberoftesttakerswhorespondedtoeachbackgroundquestionvariedacrossquestions.

• Thelargestproportionoftesttakers(38%)werebetween21and25yearsofage

• 57%oftesttakersweremale

• Mosttesttakers(58%)hadanundergraduatedegreeorwerepursuingone

• 25%ofthetesttakersmajoredinEngineering/Architecture,while20%majoredinBusiness

• 35%oftesttakerswereemployedfull-time,while53%werefull-timestudents

• 31%oftesttakersworkedinscientific/technicalprofessions,and17%workedinclerical/administrativepositions

• 31%oftesttakersselectedReadingastheirmostoftenusedEnglish-languageskill

• Only12%oftesttakershadspentsixmonthsormoreinanativeEnglish-speakingcountry

• 45%oftesttakersusedEnglish1to10%oftheirdailylife

• 81%hadspentmorethan6yearsstudyingEnglish

• 47%oftesttakerswhotooktheTOEICtestin2012hadpreviouslytakenitonthreeormoreearlieroccasions

• 30%hadtakentheTOEICtestforjobapplicationpurposes


Mean TOEIC Scores Across Native Countries

Table1isorganizedbythenativecountryoftesttakersandshowstheaveragetestscoresofallindividualsfromagivencountry.Pleasekeepinmindthatthenativecountryofatesttakerisnotnecessarily

thecountryinwhichheorshetooktheTOEICtest.Onlycountrieswithmorethan500TOEICtesttakersareincludedinthistable.


Mean TOEIC Scores across Native Countries

Table1isorganizedbythenativecountryoftest-takersandshowstheaveragetestscoresofallindividualsfromagivencountry.Pleasekeepinmindthatthenativecountryofatest-takerisnotnecessarilythecountryinwhichheorshetooktheTOEICtest.Onlycountrieswithmorethan500TOEICtest-takersareincludedinthistable.

368 (95)

350 (98)

332 (115)

307 (113)

309 (96)

340 (97)

311 (99)

278 (118)

275 (109)

255 (102)

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

Europe

Africa

North America

South America

Asia

2012 Worldwide TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores

ReadingMeans(SD) ListeningMeans(SD)

Figure1:MeanTOEICScoresbyRegion

*Note- All charts reflect results only for categories containing 500 or more test takers. Mexico is included in the data for North America.

Figure 1: Mean TOEIC Scores by RegionNote: All charts reflect results only for categories containing 500 or more test takers. Mexico is included in the data for North America.

Reading Means (SD) Listening Means (SD)

2012 Worldwide TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores


Table 1: Mean Performance by Native Country

CountryListening Reading Total

Mean (SD)* Mean (SD)* Mean (SD)*BANGLADESH 466 (48) 433 (59) 899 (102)

SRI LANKA 464 (55) 429 (60) 893 (110)

NEPAL 458 (52) 421 (64) 879 (112)

GERMANY 451 (67) 415 (75) 866 (135)

INDIA 449 (65) 409 (78) 858 (138)

PAKISTAN 444 (84) 406 (99) 850 (179)

CANADA 422 (73) 386 (84) 808 (151)

PORTUGAL 422 (81) 377 (93) 799 (168)

SWITZERLAND 412 (95) 367 (99) 779 (188)

CHINA, PEOPLE`S REPUBLIC 389 (82) 358 (90) 747 (165)

FRANCE 377 (88) 350 (88) 727 (169)

ITALY 364 (84) 346 (85) 710 (161)

JORDAN 385 (107) 311 (127) 697 (228)

COSTA RICA 370 (91) 323 (94) 694 (177)

RUSSIA 373 (92) 321 (105) 694 (189)

MALAYSIA 376 (94) 312 (110) 688 (197)

MOROCCO 364 (93) 322 (97) 686 (182)

SPAIN 346 (107) 338 (100) 684 (200)

PHILIPPINES 370 (77) 308 (95) 678 (164)

TUNISIA 349 (98) 311 (100) 661 (192)

CAMEROON 340 (86) 307 (85) 646 (162)

SENEGAL 338 (92) 306 (88) 643 (172)

REUNION 335 (98) 308 (97) 642 (189)

ALGERIA 338 (101) 297 (102) 635 (195)

KOREA (ROK) 342 (86) 285 (94) 628 (172)

COLOMBIA 317 (119) 285 (115) 601 (226)

POLAND 332 (109) 264 (117) 597 (217)

BRAZIL 308 (125) 284 (122) 592 (241)

PERU 311 (118) 277 (112) 587 (223)

CHILE 306 (107) 269 (101) 575 (198)

MEXICO 308 (115) 249 (112) 557 (220)

ECUADOR 282 (97) 271 (96) 553 (183)

TURKEY 306 (118) 248 (122) 553 (234)

EGYPT 297 (132) 255 (127) 552 (252)

SAUDI ARABIA 321 (128) 230 (146) 551 (267)

GREECE 316 (102) 223 (102) 539 (196)

TAIWAN 295 (99) 244 (103) 539 (194)

HONG KONG 281 (111) 232 (121) 513 (225)

JAPAN 284 (91) 229 (98) 512 (180)

THAILAND 280 (104) 219 (101) 499 (198)

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 294 (101) 201 (109) 495 (197)

VIETNAM 245 (92) 225 (97) 470 (182)

MACAO 266 (92) 200 (93) 467 (178)

ALBANIA 227 (118) 196 (117) 423 (229)

INDONESIA 195 (92) 149 (84) 344 (168)

*SD=Standard Deviation


Relationship Among Listening and Reading TOEIC Scores

ThecorrelationbetweenthetwosectionsoftheTOEICtestwasabout0.85.(AppendixCpresentsthecorrelationsbetweenListeningandReadingacrossregions.)Thisisconsistentwithearlierresearch(e.g.,Woodford,1982)andwiththefindingspresentedinthe2011WorldwideDataReport.Thislevelofcorrelationindicatesthatthetwomeasuresarecloselyrelated,giventhatbothmeasuredtesttakers’proficienciesinusingEnglishinbusinesscommunication,andtesttakerstendedtoputforththesameamountofefforttostudybothskillstogether.

Test Takers by Demographic Variables

Table2presentsthenumberandpercentageoftesttakersfallingintodifferentdemographiccategories,aswellastheaverageTOEICListeningComprehension,ReadingComprehensionandTotalscoresforeachcategory.Morein-depthinformationabouttesttakersinthesecategoriesisshownlaterinthisreport.

ThecategoriesusedinthisreportarethosefoundintheTOEICBackgroundQuestionnaire.

Table 2: Mean Performance by Demographic Categories

% of Test Takers

Listening Reading Total

Mean (SD)* Mean (SD)* Mean (SD)*

Ag

e

Under 20 22.4 277 (100) 217 (102) 495 (194)

21 – 25 38.2 329 (91) 275 (99) 604 (182)

26 – 30 17.4 335 (90) 280 (98) 615 (180)

31 – 35 8.3 317 (94) 270 (103) 588 (189)

36 – 40 5.6 301 (97) 257 (106) 558 (196)

41 – 45 4.2 287 (96) 243 (106) 530 (195)

Over 45 4.0 283 (101) 241 (108) 524 (202)

Gen

der Female 43.4 325 (97) 263 (103) 589 (192)

Male 56.7 303 (97) 255 (104) 558 (193)

Ed

ucat

ion

Graduate school 10.3 347 (86) 307 (93) 654 (171)

Undergraduate college 57.9 333 (86) 279 (93) 612 (171)

Junior high school 0.5 286 (117) 211 (107) 497 (214)

Elementary school 0.2 272 (116) 218 (109) 490 (216)

High school 5.9 270 (111) 206 (111) 475 (215)

Community college 18.9 266 (87) 209 (92) 474 (172)

Vocational school after high school 2.9 262 (100) 197 (97) 459 (189)

Language institution 1.0 263 (102) 192 (102) 454 (197)

Vocational school 2.5 202 (82) 146 (74) 349 (148)



% of Test Takers



Maj

or

Social studies 11.4 330 (93) 280 (100) 610 (185)

Liberal arts 19.0 333 (94) 269 (102) 601 (188)

Business related 19.6 320 (98) 272 (104) 592 (194)

Sciences 10.8 307 (93) 259 (100) 566 (185)

Engineering 24.5 305 (90) 253 (96) 558 (178)

Other 5.3 296 (101) 232 (104) 529 (197)

Health related 9.5 276 (90) 226 (98) 502 (181)

Cur

rent

Sta

tus Not employed 7.7 347 (85) 289 (93) 636 (169)

Part-time employee 4.0 322 (102) 267 (107) 589 (201)

Full-time student 53.2 312 (95) 256 (101) 568 (189)

Full-time employee 35.1 297 (96) 249 (103) 546 (192)

Typ

e o

f In

dus

try

Service-Education (High School or below) 2.4 355 (98) 307 (102) 662 (193)

Service-Foreign Affairs 0.1 353 (109) 308 (111) 661 (213)

Service-Education (College or above) 2.5 350 (102) 302 (112) 652 (207)

Mass Media 1.0 345 (90) 290 (99) 635 (181)

Public Utility Production 1.5 330 (86) 293 (92) 623 (170)

Other 4.3 331 (93) 280 (100) 611 (184)

Trading 3.0 330 (94) 277 (101) 607 (187)

Finance 5.4 323 (93) 282 (100) 605 (186)

Manufacturing-Pharmaceuticals 1.8 322 (86) 279 (95) 600 (174)

Telecommunication 1.8 321 (89) 273 (97) 593 (178)

Real Estate 0.5 320 (90) 271 (98) 592 (180)

Service-Legislative 3.1 319 (95) 271 (105) 590 (192)

Insurance 1.6 311 (93) 269 (102) 580 (187)

Service-Armed forces 1.9 311 (93) 268 (101) 579 (186)

Manufacturing-Clothing 0.4 322 (98) 253 (100) 575 (190)

Service-Health 2.0 315 (90) 259 (97) 573 (178)


Table 2: Mean Performance by Demographic Categories (continued)


% of Test Takers



Typ

e o

f In

dus

try

Transportation 1.8 314 (92) 252 (97) 566 (181)

Manufacturing-Petroleum 0.9 302 (95) 259 (104) 561 (192)

Service-Other 13.8 306 (91) 252 (100) 558 (184)

Manufacturing-Food 1.5 303 (96) 255 (102) 557 (190)

Agriculture 0.4 299 (101) 256 (104) 555 (198)

Manufacturing-Other 3.9 297 (100) 246 (107) 543 (200)

Service-Traveling 1.9 307 (100) 235 (101) 541 (192)

Manufacturing-Chemicals 3.9 292 (90) 248 (98) 540 (180)

Manufacturing-Glass 0.5 282 (92) 237 (98) 518 (184)

Manufacturing-Metals 2.1 280 (93) 236 (100) 517 (185)

Construction 3.3 281 (102) 232 (107) 513 (203)

Retail/Wholesale 1.7 288 (98) 226 (103) 513 (194)

Manufacturing-Machinery 6.4 277 (92) 226 (99) 503 (185)

Manufacturing-Vehicles 6.8 276 (89) 225 (97) 501 (179)

Manufacturing-Electronic 17.2 273 (92) 226 (101) 499 (186)

Manufacturing-Fabric 0.8 268 (93) 222 (101) 490 (187)

Typ

e o

f Jo

b

Teaching/Training 5.0 353 (104) 305 (110) 659 (206)

Management 4.2 333 (101) 295 (105) 629 (198)

Professional Specialist 8.6 320 (93) 281 (101) 601 (187)

Clerical/Administrative 16.8 319 (95) 265 (101) 584 (189)

Services 5.3 321 (97) 262 (104) 583 (192)

Marketing/Sales 13.8 300 (96) 247 (102) 547 (190)

Technician 7.3 295 (93) 246 (99) 541 (185)

Scientific/Technical Professionals 30.5 284 (88) 238 (97) 522 (177)

Other 8.3 285 (105) 235 (111) 520 (209)

Year

s S

pen

t S

tud

ying

Eng

lish

> 10 years 44.5 348 (86) 297 (94) 645 (171)

6 – 10 years 36.7 294 (91) 240 (97) 534 (179)

4 – 6 years 10.7 269 (96) 210 (98) 479 (186)

< 4 years 8.1 257 (96) 201 (98) 458 (186)




% of Test Takers



Lang

uag

e S

kills

Mo

st

Em

pha

size

d

Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing 29.9 341 (96) 289 (102) 630 (190)

Speaking 13.6 314 (93) 254 (99) 569 (184)

Listening & Speaking 24.3 313 (91) 253 (97) 566 (180)

Reading & Writing 6.0 302 (95) 257 (105) 559 (193)

Reading 12.6 283 (87) 241 (95) 523 (174)

Listening 10.8 281 (94) 228 (100) 509 (186)

Writing 2.7 271 (101) 221 (107) 492 (202)

Tim

e S

pen

t D

aily

Usi

ng

Eng

lish

51–100% 3.9 373 (91) 318 (102) 691 (186)

21–50% 11.5 347 (92) 291 (101) 638 (185)

11–20% 20.5 332 (92) 276 (100) 608 (184)

1–10% 44.5 308 (92) 254 (99) 562 (184)

None 19.6 272 (91) 221 (97) 493 (181)

Eng

lish

Lang

uag

e S

kills

Use

d

Mo

st O

ften

Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing 13.3 353 (92) 299 (100) 652 (184)

Reading & Writing 8.8 327 (94) 277 (101) 603 (188)

Listening & Speaking 16.1 323 (93) 259 (99) 581 (184)

Reading 30.9 302 (90) 258 (98) 560 (181)

Speaking 11.6 301 (97) 239 (102) 541 (191)

Listening 15.5 297 (99) 237 (103) 534 (195)

Writing 3.7 284 (99) 231 (104) 515 (197)

Diffi

cult

y w

ith

Eng

lish

Co

mm

unic

atio

n

Sometimes 31.9 332 (94) 276 (101) 608 (186)

Seldom 17.7 316 (100) 262 (107) 577 (200)

Frequently 23.2 315 (87) 261 (95) 577 (174)

Almost always 12.8 292 (89) 240 (96) 532 (178)

Almost never 14.3 283 (101) 232 (107) 514 (202)





% of Test Takers



Tim

e in

Eng

lish-

Sp

eaki

ng C

oun

try Yes, > 2 years 3.5 414 (81) 347 (99) 761 (171)

Yes, 1–2 years 2.6 390 (85) 319 (97) 708 (174)

Yes, 6–12 months 6.1 386 (78) 316 (92) 703 (162)

Yes, < 6 months 23.0 330 (86) 273 (97) 602 (175)

No 64.8 292 (92) 242 (99) 534 (183)

Pur

po

se f

or

Tim

e in

E

nglis

h-S

pea

king

C

oun

try

To study 15.0 387 (91) 324 (105) 711 (189)

Other 9.2 377 (92) 310 (104) 687 (188)

To participate in language program 31.7 363 (80) 294 (92) 657 (163)

To work 12.5 331 (93) 284 (103) 616 (188)

To travel 31.6 327 (87) 270 (96) 597 (175)

Tim

es T

aken

T

OE

IC T

est

Three times or more 47.5 341 (84) 287 (92) 627 (167)

Twice 12.1 310 (92) 254 (98) 564 (182)

Once 16.1 294 (95) 240 (101) 534 (189)

Never 24.4 277 (102) 225 (108) 502 (202)

Pur

po

se f

or

Taki

ng

TO

EIC

Tes

t

For job application 30.2 336 (87) 278 (94) 615 (173)

For graduation 18.3 312 (97) 261 (105) 573 (194)

For learning 32.8 304 (97) 251 (104) 555 (193)

For promotion 9.5 290 (93) 240 (100) 529 (185)

To assess language program 9.2 290 (102) 238 (107) 529 (202)



Age

Acloserlookatthedemographiccategoriesrevealedthatinmostcountries,thetypicalTOEICtesttakerwasbetween21and25yearsofage(38%),22%oftesttakerswereyoungerthan20yearsofage,17%werebetween26and30yearsofageandtheremaining22%were31yearsofageorolder.InCostaRica(27%),Greece(48%),HongKong(59%),Indonesia(77%),Japan(27%),Macao(60%)and

ThePhilippines(70%),themajorityoftesttakerswereunder20yearsofage.InPeru(27%),Poland(23%)andTurkey(23%),themajorityoftesttakerswereagedbetween26and30years.

Figure2showsthemeanTotalTOEICscoresasillustratedbyacompositeofListeningComprehensionandReadingComprehensionscores.

Worldwide Report 2012 12 Age A closer look at the demographic categories revealed that in most countries, the t ypical TOEIC test-taker was between 21 and 25 years of age ( 38%), 22% of test-takers were younger than 20 years of age, 17% were between 26 and 3 0 years of age and t he remaining 22% were 31 y ears of age or older. In Costa Rica (2 7%), Greece (48%), Hong Ko ng (59%), Indonesia (77%), Japan (27%), Macao (60%), and The Philippines (70%),

the majority of test-takers were under 20 years of age. In Peru (27%), Poland ( 23%) and Turke y (23%), the majority of test-takers were aged bet ween 26 and 30 years. Figure 2 shows the me an Total TOEIC scores as illustrated by a com posite of Listening Com prehension and Reading Comprehension scores.

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

26 – 30

21 – 25

31 – 35

36 – 40

41 – 45

Over 45

Under 20

335

329

317

301

287

283

277

280

275

270

257

243

241

217

Mean Total TOEIC Scores

TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Age Levels

Listening Reading

Figure 2: Mean TOEIC Scores Across Age Levels Figure 2: Mean TOEIC Scores Across Age Levels

Listening Reading

TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Age Levels



Gender

Fewerwomen(43%)thanmentooktheTOEICL&RTest(asshowninTable2).NotablesmallpercentagesofwomentesttakerswerefoundinBangladesh(10%),Egypt(31%),Pakistan(24%),SriLanka(24%)andTurkey(20%).

Insomecountries,however,morewomenthanmentooktheTOEICtest.ThesecountriesincludedAlbania(70%),China(62%)andThailand(62%).Inothercountries,theratioofmaletofemaletesttakerswasfairlyequal.

Figure3showsthatfemaleshadhigheraveragetotalscoresthanmales.

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Female

Male

325

303

263

255


TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Gender

Listening Reading

Figure 3: Mean TOEIC Scores Across Gender

Listening Reading

TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Gender



Education

Themajorityoftesttakers(58%)heldanundergraduatedegreeorwaspursuinganundergraduatedegreeatthetimethattheyfilledouttheBackgroundQuestionnaire.Ahigherpercentageofwomen(59%)thanmen(57%)heldorwerepursuinganundergraduatedegree.

Becauseofdifferencesamongcountriesineducationalsystems,comparisonsofeducationallevelaresomewhatsubjective.However,itappearsthatBrazil(65%),Korea(79%),Mexico(71%),ThePhilippines(80%)

andThailand(75%),hadthehighestproportionoftesttakerswithanundergraduatedegree.Algeria(71%),Cameroon(73%),France(56%),Morocco(75%)andSenegal(80%)ledthewaywiththelargestproportionoftesttakersholdingorpursuinggraduatedegrees.Chile(69%),Ecuador(19%),Peru(52%),Spain(42%)andTaiwan(22%)hadthehighestproportionoftesttakerswithavocational/technicaldegreeafterhighschool.Fifty-fourpercentoftesttakersinIndonesiahadavocationalhighschooldegree.

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Graduateschool

Undergraduatecollege

Juniorhighschool

Elementaryschool

Highschool

Communitycollege

Vocationalschoolafterhighschool

Languageinstitution

Vocationalschool

347

333

286

272

270

266

262

263

202

307

279

211

218

206

209

197

192

146


TOEIC Listening and Reading Compehension Scores Across Education Levels

Listening Reading

Figure 4: Mean TOEIC Scores Across Education Levels

TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Education Levels


Listening Reading


Academic Major

ThelargestpercentageofTOEICL&Rtesttakers(25%)majoredinEngineering.ThepercentageoftesttakerswithanEngineeringmajorwerethehighestinCameroon(47%),Italy(41%),Morocco(48%),Senegal(44%)andSpain(40%).Businesshadthesecondhighestpercentage(20%).Algeria(38%),Brazil(42%),Colombia(42%),China(42%)

andVietnam(47%)hadthehighestpercentageofexamineesmajoringinBusiness.

Acrossalltesttakersmorefemales(31%)majoredinLiberalArtsthanmales(10%),andmoremales(34%)majoredinEngineeringthanfemales(12%).

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Socialstudies

Liberalarts

Businessrelated

Sciences

Engineering

Other

Healthrelated

330

333

320

307

305

296

276

280

269

272

259

253

232

226


TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Majors

Listening Reading

Figure 5: Mean TOEIC Scores Across Academic Majors

TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Majors


Listening Reading


Employment Status

OverallthemajorityofTOEICL&Rtesttakers(53%)werefull-timestudents,especiallyincountriessuchasCameroon(75%),China(79%),Indonesia(78%),Macao(84%),Morocco(78%)andThePhilippines(83%).However,thepercentageoftesttakerswhowereemployedfull-timewashighinothercountries

suchasBrazil(69%),Chile(62%),CostaRica(45%),Japan(52%),Mexico(45%)andPeru(78%).Theoverallpercentageoftesttakerswhowerenotemployedandnotstudentswasonly8%.

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Notemployed

Part-timeemployee

Full-timestudent

Full-timeemployee

347

322

312

297

289

267

256

249


TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Employment Status

Listening Reading

Figure 6: Mean TOEIC Scores Across Employment Status

TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Employment Status


Listening Reading


Type of Industry

AsseeninTable2,mosttesttakerswhowereemployedfull-timeworkedineitherthemanufacturingorserviceindustries.

Figures7A,7Band7CprovideaveragescoresofListeningandReadingforthevariousindustrytypes.

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Service-Education(Highschoolorbelow)

Service-ForeignAffairs

Service-Education(Collegeorabove)

Service-Legislative

Service-Armedforces

Service-Health

Service-Other

Service-Traveling

355

353

350

319

311

315

306

307

307

308

302

271

268

259

252

235


TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Industry Type

Listening Reading

Figure 7A: Mean TOEIC Scores Across Industry Type — Service



Listening Reading



0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Manufacturing-Pharmaceuticals

Manufacturing-Clothing

Manufacturing-Petroleum

Manufacturing-Food

Manufacturing-Other

Manufacturing-Chemicals

Manufacturing-Glass

Manufacturing-Metals

Manufacturing-Machinery

Manufacturing-Vehicles

Manufacturing-Electronic

Manufacturing-Fabric

322

322

302

303

297

292

282

280

277

276

273

268

279

253

259

255

246

248

237

236

226

225

226

222



Listening Reading

Figure 7B: Mean TOEIC Scores Across Industry Type — Manufacturing

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

MassMedia

PublicUtilityProduction

Other

Trading

Finance

Telecommunication

RealEstate

Insurance

Transportation

Agriculture

Construction

Retail/Wholesale

345

330

331

330

323

321

320

311

314

299

281

288

290

293

280

277

282

273

271

269

252

256

232

226



Listening Reading

Figure 7C: Mean TOEIC Scores Across Industry Type — Other

Listening Reading




Listening Reading


Type of Job

Thetypesofjobsperformedbytesttakersvariedgreatlyacrosscountries.Forexample,23%oftesttakersfromFranceand34%fromMoroccoworkedinmanagementpositions.ForScientific/TechnicalProfessions,China(42%)andJapan(42%)hadthehighestpercentage.InCostaRica(49%)andThePhilippines(33%),thelargestpercentageoftesttakersheldteaching/trainingpositions.ForClerical/Administrativepositions,Korea(31%)hadthehighestpercentageoftesttakers.Theseapparentdifferencesmaybedue,inpart,tothedifferentjobcategoriesusedacrosscountries.

Generallyspeaking,however,thehighestpercentageoftesttakersworkedinscientific/technicalprofessions(31%),clerical/administrativepositions(17%)ormarketing/salespositions(14%).

Morefemales(27%)workedinclerical/administrativepositionsthanmales(12%)andmoremales(37%)workedinscientific/technicalpositionsthanfemales(15%).

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Teaching/Training

Management

ProfessionalSpecialist

Clerical/Administrative

Services

Marketing/Sales

Technician

Scientific/TechnicalProfessionals

Other

353

333

320

319

321

300

295

284

285

305

295

281

265

262

247

246

238

235


TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Job Type

Listening ReadingFigure 8: Mean TOEIC Scores Across Job Types

TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Job Type


Listening Reading


Years Spent Studying English

Similartothefindingsfrompreviousyears,in2012testtakersexhibitedalmostidenticalpatternsinthelengthoftimespentstudyingEnglish.Nearly81%of2012testtakersstudiedEnglishforsixormoreyears,while8%studiedEnglishforlessthanfouryears.

InBrazil(50%),Colombia(46%),CostaRica(36%),Mexico(50%)andPeru(60%)thelargestpercentageoftesttakersstudiedEnglishforlessthan4years.

TesttakersinHongKong(63%),India(66%),Korea(59%),Malaysia(65%)andThePhilippines(69%)studiedEnglishformorethan10years.

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

> 10 years

6 – 10 years

4 – 6 years

<= 4 years

348

294

269

257

297

240

210

201


TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Years Spent Studying English

Listening Reading

Figure 9: Mean TOEIC Scores Across Years Spent Studying English

TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Years Spent Studying English


Listening Reading


Type of Language Skill Most Emphasized When Studying English

Twenty-fourpercentoftesttakersindicatedthatListeningandSpeakingweretheskillsmostemphasized.

TesttakersfromIndia(48%),Indonesia(72%),China(46%)andThePhilippines(47%)indicatedanemphasisonallfourEnglish-languageskills.

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Listening,Reading,SpeakingandWriting

Speaking

Listening&Speaking

Reading&Writing

Reading

Listening

Writing

341

314

313

302

283

281

271

289

254

253

257

241

228

221


TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Language Skills Most Emphasized

Listening Reading

Figure 10: Mean TOEIC Scores Across Language Skills Most Emphasized

AfterindicatingthenumberofyearsspentstudyingEnglish,testtakerswereaskedtoidentifywhichlanguageskillsweremostemphasizedduringtheirstudies.ThirtypercentofalltesttakersindicatedthatallfourEnglish-languageskills(Listening,Reading,Speaking,andWriting)wereemphasized.

TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Language Skills Most Emphasized


Listening Reading


Daily English Use Requirement

Inresponsetothequestion“HowmuchtimemustyouuseEnglishinyourdailylife?”nearlyhalfofalltesttakers(45%)indicatedthattheyhadtouseEnglishforonly1to10%oftheirdailylife.TesttakersfromChile(30%),CostaRica(32%),India(36%)and

ThePhilippines(37%)hadthehighestpercentagesofresponsesindicatingthattheyspend21–50%oftheirdailylifeusingEnglish.TesttakersinIndia(43%)indicatedthattheyspend51–100%oftheirdailylifeusingEnglish.

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

51–100%

21–50%

11–20%

1–10%

None

373

347

332

308

272

318

291

276

254

221


TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Time Spent Daily Using English

Listening Reading

Figure 11: Mean TOEIC Scores Across Time Spent Daily Using English

TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Time Spent Daily Using English


Listening Reading


Most Frequently Used Language Skill

Overall,malesweremoreinclinedthanfemales(35%vs.26%)tochooseReadingastheEnglish-languageskilltheyusedmostoften.ForListeningandSpeaking,females(19%)hadahigherpercentagethanmales(14%).

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Listening,Reading,SpeakingandWriting

Reading&Writing

Listening&Speaking

Reading

Speaking

Listening

Writing

353

327

323

302

301

297

284

299

277

259

258

239

237

231


TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across English Language Skills Used Most Often

Listening Reading

Figure 12: Mean TOEIC Scores Across English-Language Skills Used Most Often

Thirty-onepercentofalltesttakersindicatedthatReadingwastheEnglish-languageskillthattheyusedmostoften.TesttakersfromFrance(30%),Italy(29%)andMorocco(31%)hadthehighestpercentage,indicatingListeningwasthemostoftenusedskill.TesttakersfromChile(45%),Peru(43%)andTaiwan(44%)tendedtouseReadingskillsmostoften.

TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across English-Language Skills Used Most Often


Listening Reading


Difficulty with English Affecting Communication

Whenasked“HowoftenhasdifficultywithEnglishaffectedyourabilitytocommunicate?”32%ofalltesttakersresponded“Sometimes”.Twenty-threepercentrespondedthatdifficultywithEnglish“frequently”

affectedtheirabilitytocommunicateand13%respondedthatdifficultywithEnglish“almostalways”affectedtheirabilitytocommunicate.

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Sometimes

Seldom

Frequently

Almostalways

Almostnever

332

316

315

292

283

276

262

261

240

232


TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Difficulty with English affecting ability to Communicate

Listening Reading

Figure 13: Mean TOEIC Scores Across Difficulty With English Affecting Ability to Communicate

TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Difficulty With English Affecting Ability to Communicate


Listening Reading


Time Spent in a Native English-Speaking Country

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800

Yes, > 2 years

Yes, 1–2 years

Yes, 6–12 months

Yes, < 6 months

No

414

390

386

330

292

347

319

316

273

242


TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Amount of Time Spent in English Speaking Country

Listening Reading

Figure 14: Mean TOEIC Scores Across Amount of Time Spent in English-Speaking Country

Respondentswereasked“HaveyoueverlivedinacountryinwhichEnglishisthemainspokenlanguage?”Only12%ofalltesttakersindicatedthat

theyhadspentsixmonthsormoreinacountryinwhichEnglishwasthemainspokenlanguage.

TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Amount of Time Spent in English-Speaking Country


Listening Reading


Purpose for Living in a Native English-Speaking Country

alltesttakersindicatedtheydidsoforthepurposeofparticipatinginalanguageprogram.

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800

Tostudy

Other

Toparticipateinlanguageprogram

Towork

Totravel

387

377

363

331

327

324

310

294

284

270


TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Purpose for Time Spent in English Speaking Country

Listening Reading

Figure 15: Mean TOEIC Scores Across Purpose of Living in a Native English-Speaking Country

Inresponsetoaquestionasking,“WhatwasyourmainpurposeforlivinginacountryinwhichEnglishisthemainspokenlanguage?”Thirty-twopercentof

TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Purpose for Time Spent in English-Speaking Country


Listening Reading


TOEIC Test-Taking Experience

ThepercentageoftesttakerswhohadpreviouslytakentheTOEICL&RTestvariedwidelyacrosscountries,fromalowof16%inMexicoandPerutoahighof78%and85%inJapanandKorea,respectively.The

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Threetimesormore

Twice

Once

Never

341

310

294

277

287

254

240

225


TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Frequency of Testing

Listening Reading

Figure 16: Mean TOEIC Scores Across Frequency of Testing

majorityoftesttakers(76%)hadtakentheTOEICL&RTestbefore,withthelargestpercentageoftesttakers(47%)havingtakentheTOEICL&RTestthreeormoretimespreviously.

TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Frequency of Testing


Listening Reading


Purpose for Taking TOEIC L&R Test

ThehighestpercentageoftesttakersindicatedthatthepurposeoftakingTOEICL&Rwasforlearning(33%)andforjobapplication(30%).AlargeproportionoftesttakersinCostaRica(50%),India(47%),Korea(48%)andThailand(55%)tookthetestforjob

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Forjobapplication

Forgraduation

Forlearning

Forpromotion

Toassesslanguageprogram

336

312

304

290

290

278

261

251

240

238


TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Purpose for Taking TOEIC Test

Listening Reading

Figure 17: Mean TOEIC Scores Across Purpose for Taking TOEIC L&R Test

applicationpurposes.Forlearningpurposes,Chile(43%),Colombia(33%),HongKong(33%),Japan(51%)andRussia(33%)hadahighproportionoftesttakers.

TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Purpose for Taking TOEIC Test


Listening Reading


Read the choices below each question and select the one best answer. Fill in only one answer for each question.

Section I.Your educational and/or work-related background

1. Choose either the level of education in which you are currently enrolled or the highest level that you have completed.

A. Elementary school (primary school)B. General secondary school (junior high

school)C. Secondary school for university entrance

qualifi cation or equivalent (high school)D. Vocational/technical high schoolE. Vocational/technical school after high schoolF. Community/junior college (for associate

degree)G. Undergraduate college or university (for

bachelor’s degree)H. Graduate or professional school (for

master’s or doctoral degree)I. Language institution

2. Choose the major that you are currently enrolled in or the major of your highest degree. (The majors shown in parentheses are examples only.)A. Liberal arts (education, fi ne arts, languages,

literature, music, psychology)B. Social studies/law (international studies, law

studies, political science, sociology)C. Accounting/business/economicsD. Finance/marketing/tradingE. Sciences (agriculture, computer science,

mathematics, physics, statistics)F. Health (medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public

health)G. Engineering/architectureH. Other/none

3. Which of the following best describes your current status?

A. I am employed full-time (including self-employed).

B. I am employed part-time and/or studypart-time.

C. I am not employed. (Skip to Question #6.)D. I am a full-time student. (Skip to Question #6.)

4. If you are currently employed, which industry best describes that of your current employer?

01. Agriculture/fi shing/forestry/mining02. Construction/building design03. Manufacturing—food04. Manufacturing—pharmaceuticals05. Manufacturing—chemicals06. Manufacturing—fabric/paper07. Manufacturing—oil/petroleum/rubber08. Manufacturing—steel/other metals09. Manufacturing—machinery/fi ne machinery10. Manufacturing—electronic 11. Manufacturing—vehicles (includes

manufacturing of all modes of transportation)12. Manufacturing—cement/glass13. Manufacturing—clothing14. Manufacturing—other15. Service—education (high school equivalent

or below)16. Service—education (college equivalent or

above, assessment, research) 17. Service—court/legislative/municipal/prefecture18. Service—foreign affairs19. Service—armed forces20. Service—health/hospital/medical research 21. Service—hotel/recreation/restaurant/travel22. Service—other23. Public utilities production/management

(electricity/water supply)24. Broadcasting/mass media25. Telecommunication26. Retail/wholesale27. Trading28. Accounting/banking/fi nance/security29. Insurance30. Real estate31. Transportation32. Other

5. If you are currently employed, which of the following best describes the type of job you do? (The jobs shown in parentheses are examples only.)

A. Management (executive, manager, director)B. Scientifi c/technical professionals (engineer,

mathematician, programmer, researcher, scientist)

C. Teaching/training D. Professional specialist (accountant, broker,

fi nancial specialist, lawyer)

Copyright ©2007. EDUCATIONAL TESTING SERVICE, ETS, ETS logo and TOEIC are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service.

Background Questionnaire

APPENDIX A


E. Technician (carpenter, electrician, equipment operator, plumber)

F. Marketing/sales (foreign exchange broker, marketing analyst, real estate agent, sales representative, travel agent)

G. Clerical/administrative (offi ce staff member, receptionist, secretary)

H. Services (customer service representative, human resources representative, hotel staff member, public relations representative)

I. Other

Section II.Your English-language experience

6. How many years have you spent studying English?

A. Less than or equal to 4 yearsB. More than 4 years but less than or equal to

6 yearsC. More than 6 years but less than or equal to

10 yearsD. More than 10 years

7. Which of the following language skills are/were most emphasized?

A. ListeningB. ReadingC. SpeakingD. WritingE. Listening and speakingF. Reading and writingG. Listening, reading, speaking, and writing

8. How much time must you use English in yourdaily life?

A. None at allB. 1 to 10%C. 11 to 20% D. 21 to 50% E. 51 to 100%

9. Which of the following English-language skills do you use most often?

A. ListeningB. ReadingC. SpeakingD. WritingE. Listening and speakingF. Reading and writingG. Listening, reading, speaking, and writing

10. How often has diffi culty with English affected your ability to communicate?

A. Almost neverB. SeldomC. SometimesD. FrequentlyE. Almost always

11. Have you ever lived in a country in which English is the main spoken language?

A. No (Skip to Question #13.)B. Yes, for less than 6 monthsC. Yes, for 6 to 12 monthsD. Yes, for more than 1 but less than or

equal to 2 yearsE. Yes, for more than 2 years

12. What was your main purpose for living in a country in which English is the main spoken language?

A. To study (in other than an English-language program)

B. To participate in an English-language program

C. To travel (not work related)D. To workE. Other

Section III. Your experience in taking the TOEIC test

13. Before today, how many times have you taken the TOEIC test?

A. Never B. OnceC. TwiceD. Three times or more

14. What is your main purpose for taking today’s TOEIC test?

A. For a job applicationB. For promotionC. To assess the effectiveness of an English-

language programD. To assess future learning needsE. To graduate from a course of study

Background Questionnaire - Side 2

APPENDIX A (continued)


APPENDIX B

Response Rates to Each Background Question

N Response Rate

Total number of people using new Background Questionnaire 5,279,584

1. Education 4,722,408 89%

2. Major 4,449,982 84%

3. Employment Status 4,844,645 92%

4. Type of Industry 1,812,478 96%

5. Type of Job 1,594,960 84%

6. Years Spent Studying English 4,386,478 83%

7. Language Skills Most Emphasized 4,373,504 83%

8. Time Spent Daily Using English 4,378,758 83%

9. Language Skills Used Most Often 4,336,006 82%

10. Difficulty in English Communication 4,359,296 83%

11. Time in English-Speaking Country 4,335,277 82%

12. Purpose in English-Speaking Country 1,511,552 99%

13. Times Taken TOEIC 4,499,691 85%

14. Purpose for Taking TOEIC 4,395,173 83%

Note: N=1,895,688 was used to calculate response rates for questions 4 and 5 (after excluding test takers who selected option 03 and 04 in question 3); N=1,524,412 was used to calculate response rate for question 12 (after excluding test takers who selected option 01 in question 11) .


APPENDIX C

Correlations Between Listening and Reading by Region

Regions Correlations

Africa 0.86

Asia 0.85

Europe 0.85

North America (including Mexico) 0.89

South America 0.85

Listening AnD reADing

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