report on test takers worldwide

The TOEIC® TestTest of English for International CommunicationTM

Report on Test Takers Worldwide

2005

Worldwide Data 2005 2

Table of Contents The TOEIC® Background Questionnaire………………………………………………...2 Description of TOEIC Test Takers in 2005………………………………………………3 Test Takers by Geographical Region……………………………………………………..3 Mean TOEIC Scores Across Native Countries…………………………………………...4 Mean TOEIC Scores Across Regions…………………………………………….………6 Mean TOEIC Scores Across Representatives………………………………………….....6 Relationship Among Listening, Reading and Total TOEIC Scores………………...…….8 Test Takers by Demographic Variables………………………………………………......8 Age…………………………………………………………………………….....10 Gender……………………………………………………………………………11 Education………………………………………………………………………...12 Job Level…………………………………………………………………………13 Employment Status………………………………………………………………14 Type of Job………………………………………………………………………15 Tenure……………………………………………………………………………16 Time Spent in a Native English-speaking Country………………………………………17 Frequency of English Use……………………………………………………….18 English Study……………………………………………………………………19 TOEIC Test-Taking Experience…………………………………………………20 Have you taken the TOEIC test before?....................................................20 When did you last take the TOEIC test?……………………………..….21 APPENDIX A: TOEIC BACKGROUND QUESTIONNAIRE…………………………22


The TOEIC® Background Questionnaire The TOEIC® Background Questionnaire is a survey that gathers information about TOEIC test takers’ educational background, work experience, English language use and study, and the TOEIC test-taking experience. Responses to the questionnaire enable organizations to learn more about the backgrounds of people who take the test and some of the factors that affect their TOEIC scores and related improvement in English proficiency. The TOEIC Background Questionnaire is presented in Appendix A. The TOEIC Background Questionnaire is administered at each testing session before individuals take the TOEIC test. The questionnaire is administered through TOEIC representatives in Amideast (region), Australia, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Europe, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Mexico, the Philippines, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States. Similar questionnaires, developed to meet the needs of individual representatives, are administered in Japan and Korea (ROK). In other countries (e.g., Thailand) more limited demographic information is collected. In 2005, 281,980 test takers completed the Background Questionnaire and 984,970 test takers completed other similar questionnaires.

The information gathered through these questionnaires was combined into one data set and used to produce this report. Data were aggregated into fairly broad categories to accommodate differences across the questionnaires used in various countries. As a result, some of the finer distinctions within categories, such as occupation and job level, are not present. In addition, the vast majority of test takers in this report are from Japan and Korea (ROK), so the results may not be representative of other regions. Consequently, care should be taken in making inferences based on this data. Please note that all percentages within the text are rounded to the nearest whole number and in some cases may add up to more than 100 percent. Also note that all tables and figures reflect results only for categories containing 500 or more test takers.


Description of TOEIC Test Takers in 2005 Background information was collected from the total group of 1,266,950 persons who took the TOEIC test in 2005. The following is a general description of the test takers included in this analysis. • The largest proportion of test takers (50

percent) were under 25 years of age • 65 percent of test takers were male • Most test takers (82 percent) had an

undergraduate degree or were pursuing one • 35 percent of the test takers worked at a

managerial/supervisory level while 20 percent worked at a non-managerial/non-supervisory level

• 54 percent of test takers were employed, and 38 percent were students

• Most test takers worked in scientific or technical positions (55 percent), marketing/sales (17 percent) or clerical positions (9 percent)

• 60 percent of test takers have held their current position for 5 or more years

• Only 11 percent of test takers had spent six months or more in an English-speaking country

• 61 percent used English more than once per week

• 81 percent had spent 5 years or more studying English

• 50 percent of test takers who took the TOEIC test in 2005 had previously taken it on two or more occasions

• 47 percent had taken the TOEIC test less than six months ago

Test Takers by Geographical Region Japan and Korea (ROK) accounted for approximately 77 percent of test takers worldwide, as shown in Figure 1. Aside from these two countries, Figure 21 shows that the Asian region had the greatest number of test takers, followed by Europe. While this report presents data from around the world, the overall findings are

TOEIC Volumes

O ther

23%

Japan

65%

Korea

(RO K)

12%

Figure 1: Worldwide Volumes by Country

1 Figure 2 presents TOEIC volumes in regions other than Japan and Korea (ROK).

heavily influenced by the large proportion of test takers from Japan and Korea (ROK) who, in some cases, were markedly different from test takers in other countries. Figure 3 provides depicts TOEIC performance by region. Tables 1 – 3 exhibit additional data on TOEIC performance by country, region and representative.

TOEIC Volumes

Africa

2%

North

America

9%

Europe

40%South

America

3%

Asia

46%

Figure 2: Worldwide Volumes by Region


358 330

347 292

330 291

287 248

293 237

259 198

236 191

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

Mean Total TOEIC Scores

Europe

North America

Africa

Korea

Asia

Japan

South America

2005 Worldwide TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores

List ening Reading

Figure 3: Mean Total TOEIC Scores by Region * All charts reflect results only for categories containing 500 or more test takers Mean TOEIC Scores Across Native Countries Table 1 is organized by the native country of test takers and shows the average test scores of all individuals from a given country. Keep in mind that the native country of a test taker is not necessarily the country in which he or she took the TOEIC test. In order to provide reliable

information about average TOEIC scores, only countries with more than 500 TOEIC test takers are included in this table. This criterion includes relatively few test takers who were from other countries.


Table 1: Mean Performance by Native Country

Country # of Test Takers

Listening Mean (SD)*

Reading Mean (SD)

Total Mean (SD)

Germany 3,072 421 (79) 356 (93) 776 (165) Philippines 4,728 413 (66) 361 (77) 774 (135) Canada 6,298 401 (84) 344 (87) 745 (164) India 673 389 (85) 337 (87) 725 (159) Romania 574 384 (110) 334 (111) 718 (214) Spain 515 373 (103) 334 (101) 707 (196) France 100,129 357 (91) 336 (81) 692 (166) Portugal 834 376 (114) 309 (116) 685 (224) Russia 616 361 (95) 309 (102) 670 (188) Turkey 1,837 364 (97) 305 (106) 669 (197) Morocco 1,776 339 (96) 305 (90) 644 (180) Czech Republic 544 330 (110) 311 (101) 641 (203) Brazil 926 353 (101) 273 (105) 626 (199) Costa Rica 562 340 (111) 285 (113) 625 (216) Switzerland 2,929 336 (111) 281 (108) 617 (211) Colombia 629 334 (111) 275 (106) 609 (208) Mexico 16,980 329 (105) 274 (99) 603 (196) Greece 5,580 338 (96) 242 (96) 581 (183) Libya 586 338 (96) 242 (102) 580 (189) China 1,763 307 (98) 266 (116) 573 (203) Hong Kong 1,184 301 (96) 267 (100) 569 (186) Korea (ROK) 150,605 287 (100) 248 (107) 535 (197) Taiwan 62,617 287 (94) 243 (97) 530 (181) Thailand 54,616 284 (99) 217 (94) 501 (185) Japan 821,510 259 (86) 198 (91) 457 (168) Chile 7,274 204 (105) 166 (94) 369 (190) Saudi Arabia 2,561 234 (114) 133 (98) 367 (203) * SD = Standard Deviation


Mean TOEIC Scores Across Regions Table 2 presents the number of test takers from particular regions and their average TOEIC scores. The regions shown here refer to the general location of a test taker’s native country, not necessarily the country in which they took the TOEIC test. Please note that Asia does not

include Japan or Korea (ROK) — these two countries are presented separately. Also, due to the small number of test takers from the South Pacific, the average TOEIC scores for this region are not presented, as there is not sufficient volume to generate reliable data.

Table 2: Mean Performance by Region

Region # of Test Takers

% of Test Takers


Reading Mean (SD)

Total Mean (SD)

Europe 117,259 9.3 358 (94) 330 (88) 688 (173) North America 24,955 2.0 347 (106) 292 (102) 638 (201) Africa 6,051 0.5 330 (100) 291 (100) 621 (191) Korea (ROK) 150,934 11.9 287 (100) 248 (107) 535 (197) Asia 132,660 10.5 293 (100) 237 (102) 530 (193) Japan 821,510 65.0 259 (86) 198 (91) 457 (168) South America 9,456 0.7 236 (122) 191 (109) 427 (223) South Pacific 273 0.0 - - - - - - Total 1,263,098 100 277 (96) 222 (103) 500 (190) * SD = Standard Deviation

Mean TOEIC Scores Across Representatives

Table 3 shows the average TOEIC test scores in countries served by a TOEIC representative. In many cases, the native country of the test takers is different from the country in which they took the test. Again, in order to provide reliable information about average TOEIC scores, only representative countries with more than 500 TOEIC test takers are included in this table. At least 99 percent of test takers from Chile, Greece, Mexico, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey were from those countries. Ninety-six percent of test takers from Costa Rica were from Costa Rica, 95 percent of test takers from Europe were from France, 96 percent of test takers from Portugal were from Portugal, and 98 percent of test takers from Saudi Arabia were from Saudi Arabia. Ninety-one percent of test takers from Germany were from Germany, 92 percent of test takers from Hungary were from the Czech Republic and 84 percent of test takers from

Switzerland were from Switzerland. Seventy-nine percent of test takers from Hong Kong were from Hong Kong, while 19 percent were from Japan. Fifty-six percent of test takers from the Philippines were Filipino, while 38 percent were from Korea (ROK). In contrast, Canada’s test takers were primarily Japanese (41 percent) and Korean (17 percent), as were those tested in Australia (63 percent Japanese, 27 percent Korean), and in the United States (71 percent Japanese, 15 percent Korean). Eighty-three percent of test takers from Singapore were Japanese, while 6 percent were Chinese. Sixty-eight percent of test takers from the United Kingdom were Japanese. Information on native country was not available for test takers in Japan and Korea (ROK); however, it is assumed that the vast majority of these individuals are native to those countries.


Table 3: Mean Performance by Representatives

Country # of Test Takers


Reading Mean (SD)

Total Mean (SD)

Germany 2,319 417 (80) 354 (91) 772 (164) Philippines 7,177 388 (77) 340 (89) 728 (157) Portugal 658 393 (111) 323 (117) 716 (222) Europe 109,078 357 (92) 335 (83) 692 (168) UK 3,103 375 (79) 316 (95) 690 (166) USA 17,535 380 (87) 300 (99) 680 (178) Turkey 1,626 364 (97) 308 (106) 672 (196) Hungary 721 348 (108) 319 (99) 668 (198) Canada 30,415 368 (86) 284 (98) 652 (175) El Salvador 224 340 (104) 311 (98) 651 (195) Singapore 1,659 352 (91) 288 (110) 640 (192) Australia 8,676 348 (83) 259 (97) 607 (171) Mexico 15,956 328 (105) 276 (99) 603 (196) Switzerland 3,376 325 (111) 274 (109) 598 (213) Hong Kong 1,430 314 (95) 276 (99) 590 (183) Amideast 634 328 (101) 258 (114) 586 (206) Costa Rica 653 317 (127) 268 (122) 584 (242) Greece 5,536 338 (96) 241 (96) 579 (183) Taiwan 61,190 286 (94) 243 (97) 529 (181) Korea (ROK) 138,141 280 (98) 244 (108) 524 (196) Thailand 57,396 283 (100) 217 (95) 501 (187) Japan 789,433 255 (83) 194 (89) 449 (163) Saudi Arabia 2,625 240 (117) 142 (107) 382 (215) Chile 7,389 205 (107) 167 (96) 372 (195) * SD = Standard Deviation


Relationship among Listening, Reading and Total TOEIC Scores

The two sections of the TOEIC test were highly correlated with each other and with the Total score. This is consistent with earlier research (e.g., Woodford, 1982) and with the findings presented in the 2004 Worldwide Data Report. This level of correlation indicates that the two measures are closely related, given that both measured test takers’ proficiencies in using English in business communication.

Test Takers by Demographic Variables Table 4 presents the number and percentage of test takers in different demographic categories, as well as the average TOEIC Listening Comprehension, Reading Comprehension and Total scores for each category. More in-depth information about test takers in these categories is shown on the following pages.

The categories used in this report are those found in the TOEIC Background Questionnaire. However, 984,970 test takers from Japan, Korea (ROK) and Thailand answered similar, but different, questionnaires. Therefore, they are not always represented in the following tables.

Table 4: Mean Performance by Selected Demographic Categories

# of Test Takers

% of Test Takers


Reading Mean (SD)

Total Mean (SD)

25 – 35 375,102 29.6 291 (99) 242 (104) 534 (193) 35 – 45 207,738 16.4 268 (96) 222 (105) 490 (193) Under 25 626,552 49.5 273 (93) 210 (99) 484 (184)

Age

Over 45 57,558 4.5 261 (100) 223 (110) 483 (203)

Female 440,153 35.5 297 (97) 229 (101) 526 (189) Gender Male 798,614 64.5 268 (95) 220 (104) 488 (190)

Graduate 256,309 23.7 316 (92) 282 (96) 598 (180) Undergraduate 626,221 58.0 273 (88) 217 (94) 490 (173) Vocational/Technical 82,334 7.6 254 (97) 191 (101) 446 (189)

Education

High School 114,732 10.6 225 (99) 154 (94) 380 (186) * SD = Standard deviation

Listening Reading Total Listening 1.000 0.830* 0.954* Reading 1.000 0.960* Total 1.000 *p ≤ 0.001


Table 4: Mean Performance by Selected Demographic Categories (continued)

# of Test

Takers % of Test

Takers Listening

Mean (SD) Reading

Mean (SD) Total

Mean (SD) Managerial/Supervisory 189,152 34.5 285 (96) 248 (105) 533 (192) Non-managerial/Non-supervisory 110,332 20.1 282 (106) 234 (110) 515 (208) Job Level Other 249,179 45.4 259 (90) 205 (96) 464 (179)

Student 132,811 38.0 340 (98) 298 (101) 638 (190) Other 29,061 8.3 321 (107) 276 (110) 597 (209) Employed Employed Full/Part Time 187,999 53.7 292 (103) 259 (109) 551 (203)

Teaching/Training 5,970 1.6 349 (104) 302 (109) 652 (205) Management 13,789 3.7 318 (106) 281 (108) 599 (206) Professional Specialist 7,289 2.0 320 (111) 274 (115) 593 (219) Finance 17,185 4.7 297 (104) 258 (108) 556 (204) Technician/Associate Professional 14,976 4.1 288 (110) 257 (113) 545 (215) Customer Service 11,520 3.1 297 (100) 225 (97) 522 (188) Marketing/Sales 61,994 16.8 279 (98) 226 (104) 505 (195) Clerical 31,847 8.6 275 (102) 218 (105) 494 (199) Scientific/Technical Professional 200,986 54.5 258 (84) 209 (92) 467 (168)

Type of Job

Worker 3,158 0.9 250 (108) 201 (101) 451 (201)

Less than 2 years 104,324 19.8 298 (100) 252 (104) 550 (195) 2 – 4 years 106,476 20.2 284 (95) 237 (101) 520 (187) 5 – 10 years 109,611 20.8 279 (95) 238 (104) 518 (190)

Tenure

10 years or more 207,053 39.3 252 (91) 204 (101) 456 (184)

More than 1 year 19,019 5.6 401 (86) 341 (96) 742 (173) 6 – 12 months 18,598 5.5 376 (87) 320 (96) 696 (173) Less than 6 months 61,032 18.0 343 (91) 304 (96) 647 (177)

Time in English-speaking country Never 240,197 70.9 293 (102) 261 (108) 554 (201)

Daily 75,895 35.6 363 (96) 317 (101) 679 (188) 2 – 3 times a week 53,561 25.1 333 (98) 297 (100) 630 (189) Once a week 38,183 17.9 322 (98) 292 (98) 614 (188)

English Use

Less than once a week 45,523 21.4 293 (104) 262 (103) 555 (198)

More than 10 years 71,532 33.4 360 (91) 331 (89) 691 (172) 5 – 10 years 102,875 48.0 330 (100) 291 (100) 621 (191) 2 – 5 years 25,335 11.8 297 (110) 249 (107) 546 (208) Less than 1 year 5,065 2.4 293 (113) 239 (111) 532 (215) Never 2,903 1.4 284 (120) 242 (117) 526 (228)

English Study

1 – 2 years 6,579 3.1 280 (114) 228 (108) 507 (212)


Table 4: Mean Performance by Selected Demographic Categories (continued)

# of Test Takers

% of Test Takers

Listening Mean (SD)

Reading Mean (SD)

Total Mean (SD)

Four or more times before 353,574 36.2 289 (88) 239 (97) 528 (175) Three times before 21,896 2.2 284 (106) 243 (111) 527 (207) Twice before 109,355 11.2 269 (90) 213 (95) 482 (176)

# of times taking the

TOEIC test Once before 169,633 17.3 262 (92) 205 (99) 467 (182)

Never 323,264 33.1 272 (102) 221 (112) 494 (206)

2 years ago or more 11,175 14.8 364 (96) 326 (95) 690 (182) 1 – 2 years ago 11,982 15.8 336 (97) 300 (94) 637 (182) 6 – 12 months ago 17,179 22.7 329 (95) 288 (96) 616 (182)

Last time taking the

TOEIC test Less than 6 months ago 35,280 46.7 327 (92) 281 (94) 609 (176)

Age A closer look at the demographic categories revealed that in most countries, the typical TOEIC test taker was under 25 years of age (50 percent), with 51 percent of test takers age 25 or older. In Brazil (50 percent), Canada (74 percent), Chile (55 percent), France (64 percent), Japan (55 percent), Libya (50 percent), Morocco (62 percent) China (55 percent) and Saudi Arabia (69 percent), the majority of test takers

were under 25. In Korea (ROK) (50 percent) and Turkey (68 percent), the majority of test takers were between 25 and 35. Figure 4 shows the mean Total TOEIC scores as illustrated by a composite of Listening (LC) and Reading Comprehension (RC) scores. Test takers in the 25 – 35 age group tended to achieve higher mean scores in LC and RC.

291 242

268 222

273 210

261 223

0 100 200 300 400 500 600


25 - 35

35 - 45

Under 25

Over 45

TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Age Levels

Figure 4: Mean Total TOEIC Performance Scores by Age


Gender Table 4 shows that relatively fewer women took the TOEIC test than men. These figures, however, are strongly influenced by the large number of test takers from Japan and Korea (ROK), in which 64 percent and 80 percent of the sample were male, respectively. In other countries, the ratio of male to female test takers was fairly equal with the exception of the

Philippines and Libya, where test takers were predominantly female (78 percent and percent, respectively). Overall, female test takers tended to be younger than their male counterparts. The majority of females (68 percent) as well as the majority of males (38 percent) were under age 25. As seen in Figure 5, females had higher scores in general on both LC and RC.

297 229

268 220

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Me an Total TOEIC Score s

Female

Male

TOEIC Liste ning and Re ading Compre he nsion Score s Across Ge nde r

List ening Reading

Figure 5: Mean Total TOEIC Performance Scores by Gender


Education The majority of test takers (82 percent) held at least an undergraduate degree or were pursuing an undergraduate degree at the time of filling out the Background Questionnaire. More men (64 percent) than women (36 percent) held or were pursuing an undergraduate degree; while in a ratio of nearly three to one, more men than women held or were pursuing a graduate degree.

Because of differences among countries in educational systems, comparisons of educational level are somewhat subjective. However, it appears that Japan (67 percent), Korea (ROK) (64 percent), Mexico (58 percent), and Thailand (75 percent) had the highest proportion of test takers with an undergraduate degree, while France (61 percent), Morocco (73 percent), China (60 percent), the Philippines (71 percent) and Taiwan (67 percent) lead the way with the largest proportion of test takers holding or pursuing graduate degrees. Hong Kong had the highest proportion of test takers (60 percent) with a high school degree, while Chile had the highest proportion of test takers (75 percent) with a vocational/technical degree. TOEIC Listening Comprehension, Reading and Total test scores tend to increase with increasing educational level.

316 282

273 217

254 191

225 154

0 100 200 300 400 500 600


Graduate

Undergraduate

Vocational/Technical

High School

TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores Across Education Levels

Figure 6: Mean Total TOEIC Performance Scores by Education Level


Job Level The majority of TOEIC test takers (35 percent) held a managerial/supervisory position while 20 percent held a non-managerial/non-supervisory position. In France, Korea (ROK) , Mexico and Saudi Arabia, the majority of test takers were in managerial/supervisory positions (87 percent, 50 percent, 53 percent and 51 percent respectively). However, in other countries, such as Germany, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Taiwan (69 percent, 68 percent, 79 percent and 80 percent respectively), the percent of non-managerial/non-supervisory test takers outnumbered the managerial/supervisory test takers. Managerial/supervisory employees were overwhelmingly male (88 percent male vs. 55 percent male among non-managerial/ non- supervisory employees). Overall, test takers who held a managerial/supervisory or non-

managerial/ non-supervisory position had higher scores than those who were in the “Other” category as shown in Figure 6. The job categories presented in Table 4 include only those found in the TOEIC Background Questionnaire. Background information collected in Spain, Korea (ROK) and Japan used somewhat different categories. For this report, these other categories were mapped onto the Background Questionnaire categories. This mapping procedure combined many job levels into broader groups. In some cases, job levels could not be matched to the Background Questionnaire data and, consequently, were labeled as other.

285 248

282 234

259 205

0 100 200 300 400 500 600


Managerial/Supervisory

Nonmanagerial/Nonsupervisory

Other

TOEIC Liste ning and Re ading Compre he nsion Score s Across Job Le ve ls

List ening Reading

Figure 7: Mean Total TOEIC Performance Scores by Job Level


Employment Status The majority of TOEIC test takers (54 percent) were employed in full- or part-time positions, especially in countries such as Korea (ROK) (85 percent employed), and Hong Kong (67 percent employed). However, in some countries such as Morocco (85 percent) and China (75 percent), a high percentage of test takers were found to be students in school (e.g., business and vocational schools, language schools, intensive English programs in universities and colleges).

As seen in Figure 8, students tended to have higher TOEIC scores overall than employed persons and members of the other category, perhaps because students were more actively involved in learning English.

340 298

321 276

292 259

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700


Student

Other

Employed Full/Part Time

TOEIC Liste ning and Re ading Compre he nsion Score s

Across Employme nt Status

List ening Reading

Figure 8: Mean Total TOEIC Performance Scores by Employment Status


Type of Job There was wide variation across countries in the types of jobs performed by test takers. For example, test takers from Hong Kong (33 percent) worked in clerical positions and test takers from Germany (18 percent) worked in marketing/sales, whereas test takers from Japan (68 percent) were in scientific or technical positions. These apparent differences may be due, in part, to the different job categories used across countries. Generally speaking, however, the majority of test takers from each country worked in scientific or technical positions (55 percent), marketing/sales (17 percent), or clerical positions (9 percent). As seen in Figure 9, people in teaching/training jobs tended to have higher overall TOEIC scores than test takers in other job categories, while workers and scientific/technical professionals had the lowest overall test scores.

Aside from the teaching/training group, those categorized as professional specialists and management also had high overall TOEIC scores. The job categories presented in Table 4 include only those found in the TOEIC Background Questionnaire. Background information collected in Korea (ROK) and Japan used somewhat different categories. For this report, these other categories were mapped onto the Background Questionnaire categories. This mapping procedure combined many job categories into broader groups. In some cases, job types could not be matched to the Background Questionnaire data and were dropped from the analysis.

349 302

318 281

320 274

297 258

288 257

297 225

279 226

275 218

258 209

250 201

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700


Teaching/Training

Management

Professional Specialist

Finance

Technician/Associate Professional

Customer Service

Marketing/Sales

Clerical

Scientific/Technical Professional

Worker

TOEIC Liste ning and Re ading Compre he nsion Score s Across Job Type

List ening Reading

Figure 9: Mean Total TOEIC Performance Scores by Types of Jobs


Tenure

The majority of test takers (60 percent) had held their current position for 5 or more years. The largest tenure category was made up of people who had been with their companies for 10 years or more (39 percent). Test takers from Chile, Hong Kong, Mexico, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan tended to have worked for their companies for less than 2 years, while those from Japan, France and Korea (ROK) were more likely to have been with the same company for more than 10 years.

Figure 10 shows that, on average, the longer an employee has remained with an employer, the lower his/her TOEIC LC and RC scores. This trend may be influenced by the fact that employees who have been in the same position for a longer period of time may have low or very specific English requirements, whereas newer employees may be recent graduates or worked in various environments requiring greater English proficiency.

298 252

284 237

279 238

252 204

0 100 200 300 400 500 600


< 2 years

2 - 5 years

5 - 10 years

> 10 years

TOEIC Liste ning and Re ading Compre he nsion Score s Across Te nure Le ve ls

List ening Reading

Figure 10: Mean Total TOEIC Performance Scores by Years of Tenure


Time Spent in a Native English-speaking Country Spending six months or more in an English-speaking country was rather uncommon among test takers in nearly all countries, with an average of only 11 percent of test takers having done this. Test takers from Japan (67 percent) were more likely to have spent six months or more abroad. Many of those taking the test from France (22 percent), Korea (ROK) (20 percent), Russia

(19 percent) and Switzerland (22 percent) had been in an English-speaking country for less than six months. Males were more inclined than females to have spent six months or more in an English-speaking country (59 percent). As seen in Figure 11, the more time spent in an English speaking country, the higher the mean LC and RC scores.

401 341

376 320

343 304

293 261

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800


> 1 year

6-12 months

< 6 months

Never

TOEIC Listening and Reading Comprehension Scores

Across Amount of Time Spent in English-speaking Country

List ening Reading

Figure 11: Mean Total TOEIC Performance Scores by Time Spent in English-speaking Country


Frequency of English Use Most test takers use English frequently. Approximately 61 percent use English daily or two to three times per week, while 18 percent use English weekly and 21 percent use English less than once a week. Test takers from Japan (85 percent), Korea (ROK) (54 percent), the Philippines (75 percent), Russia (52 percent) and Saudi Arabia (51 percent) use English daily. Test takers from France (28 percent) and Morocco (32 percent) tended to use English 2 – 3 times a week, while test takers from Chile (30 percent) and Switzerland (39 percent) use English less than once a week.

As expected and shown in Figure 12, those test takers who use English more frequently achieved a higher mean performance on the LC and RC sections.

363 317

333 297

322 292

293 262

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700


Daily

2 - 3 times a week

Weekly

< Once a week


Across Fre que ncy of English Usage

List ening Reading

Figure 12: Mean Total TOEIC Performance Scores by Frequency of English Usage


English Study This question appeared only on the TOEIC Background Questionnaire, and was answered by 194,161 test takers outside of Japan and Korea (ROK). Like 2004 test takers, 2005 test takers exhibited almost identical patterns in the length of time studying English, except for test takers who never studied English and who scored higher than the earlier group. Nearly 78 percent of test takers had studied English for five or more years, while 21 percent had studied English for less than five years. Forty-five percent of test takers from France, 35 percent of test takers from China and 32 percent from Taiwan had studied English for 10 or more years, while test takers in Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Morocco and the Philippines (79 percent, 58 percent, 48 percent, 54 percent and 47 percent respectively) had studied English for 5 – 10 years.

Forty percent of the test takers from Mexico said they had studied English for 2 – 5 years. As shown in Figure 13, test takers who studied English the longest achieved the highest mean scores. In Listening Comprehension, the spread of scores was less than 100 (280 – 360). For Reading Comprehension, the spread of scores was slightly greater than 100 (228 – 331).

360 331

330 291

297 249

293 239

284 242

280 228

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700


> 10 years

5 - 10 years

2 - 5 years

< 1 year

Never

1 - 2 years


Across Quantity of English Study

List ening Reading

Figure 13: Mean Total TOEIC Performance Scores by Time Spent in Studying English


TOEIC Test-Taking Experience Have you taken the TOEIC test before? The percentage of test takers who had previously taken the TOEIC test varied widely across countries, from a low of 3 percent in Costa Rica to a high of 72 percent and 99 percent in Japan and Korea (ROK), respectively. The majority of test takers (67 percent) had taken the TOEIC test before, with the largest percentage (36 percent) having taken the TOEIC test four or more times previously. As would be expected, the vast majority of those who took the test four or more times were from Korea (ROK) (67 percent) and Japan (40 percent).

Scores on both sections of the TOEIC test tended to increase each time the test was taken. This is presumably because those who took the test repeatedly did not score well on the previous test.

289 239

284 243

272 221

269 213

262 205

0 100 200 300 400 500 600


> 4 times before

3 times before

Never

Twice before

Once before


Across Fre que ncy of Te sting

List ening Reading

Figure 14a: Mean Total TOEIC Performance Scores by Number of Times Tested


When did you last take the TOEIC test? This question appeared only on the TOEIC Background Questionnaire and was answered by only 75,616 test takers outside of Japan, Korea (ROK) and Spain. It is therefore difficult to generalize to other groups of test takers. However, based on this sample, there appears to be a minor change in TOEIC scores, with higher

mean scores being achieved with greater length of time between testing sessions, as shown in Figure 14b. Nearly half (47 percent) of those test takers who had taken the TOEIC test previously took it less than 6 months ago. Only 15 percent took it two or more years ago.

364 326

336 300

329 288

327 281

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700


> 2 years ago

1 - 2 years ago

6 - 12 months ago

< 6 months ago

TOEIC Liste ning and Re ading Compre he nsion Score s Across Te sting

Inte rvals

List ening Reading

Figure 14b: Mean Total TOEIC Performance Scores by Testing Intervals


APPENDIX A:

TOEIC BACKGROUND QUESTIONNAIRE

Background Questionnaire
Copyright © 2003. EDUCATIONAL TESTING SERVICE, ETS, ETS logo and TOEIC are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service.

Fill in the answers to the following questions in Section II, “Questionnaire Responses,” on side 2 of your answer sheet. Fill in only one answer for each question.

Section I ___________________________ A. Your educational and English language

background 1. Please choose the highest level of education

listed below that you have completed or that you are currently enrolled in.

A. General secondary school B. Secondary school for university entrance

qualification or equivalent C. Vocational school D. Business/trade school or technical school E. Post-secondary/undergraduate F. Graduate or professional degree 2. How much time have you spent studying

English (in secondary and post-secondary school)?

A. None (Skip to question 5.) B. Less than one year C. 1 year or more, but less than 2 years D. 2 years or more, but less than 5 years E. 5 years or more, but less than 10 years F. 10 years or more 3. How much time have you spent taking

English courses (not including secondary or post-secondary school) that you yourself paid for?

A. None (Skip to question 5.) B. Less than 1 year C. 1 year or more, but less than 2 years D. 2 years or more, but less than 5 years E. 5 years or more 4. How often do/did these courses take place?

A..Less than 2 hours per week B. 2 hours or more, but less than 4 hours per week C. 4 hours or more, but less than 10 hours

per week D. 10 hours or more, but less than 15 hours

per week E. 15 hours or more per week

5. How much time altogether have you spent studying English in training sponsored by an employer?

A. None (Skip to question 7.) B. Less than 1 year C. 1 year or more, but less than 2 years D. 2 years or more, but less than 5 years

E. 5 years or more

6. How often does/did this instruction take place?

A. Less than 2 hours per week B. 2 hours or more, but less than 4 hours

per week C. 4 hours or more, but less than 10 hours

per week D. 10 hours or more, but less than 15 hours

per week E. 15 hours or more per week

B. Your experience using English in your personal life and work

7. Not including English classes, how often do you use (read, write, listen to, or speak) English now?

A. Every day/almost every day B. 2 to 3 times a week C. Once a week D. Less than once a week 8. Have you ever lived in a country in which

English is the main language spoken?

A. No B. Yes, for less than 6 months C. Yes, for 6 months to 1 year

D. Yes, for more than 1 year

C. Your current status

9. Which of the following best describes what you do now?

A. Employed full or part time B. Student (Skip to Section III.)

C. Active duty in the armed forces (Skip to Section III.)

D. Homemaker (Skip to Section III.) E. Unemployed (Skip to Section III.) F. Participating in a work-study or appren- ticeship program (Skip to Section III.)

(Turn over for Sections II and III.)

MWolf

Cross-Out

Section II ___________________________ A. Your Present employment situation

10. Which of the following categories best applies to your job? Choose one. (The positions shown in parentheses are examples only.)

A. Management (legislator, official,

department director) B. Scientific/Technical professional

(engineer, research scientist) C. Marketing/Sales (market analyst, sales

representative) D. Finance (financial auditor, accountant) E. Teaching/Training F. Professional specialist (business

professional, economist, lawyer) G. Customer service (airline attendant, hotel

staff, travel agent) H. Technician/Associate professional (junior

engineer, medical technician, aircraft controller, safety inspector)

I. Clerical (secretary, bookkeeper) J. Worker (trade person, machine operator,

assembler, laborer) 11. What is your level in your company?

A. Nonmanagerial/nonSupervisory B. Supervisory C. Managerial

12. About how many years have you been with your company?

A. Less than 2 years B. 2 years or more, but less than 5 years C. 5 years or more, but less than 10 years D. 10 years or more B. Your current use of English on the job

13. About how much of your time at work do you spend using English?

A. 0 to 10% B. 11 to 20% C. 21 to 50%

D. 55 to 100%

I.N.T05001

Background Questionnaire - Side 2

Questions 14-17. How important is each of the following English skills to your work? (Choose one answer for each skill.)

14. Listening

A. Important B. Somewhat important C. Not important

15. Reading


16. Speaking


17. Writing


Section III __________________________

A. Your experience taking the TOEIC test 18. Before today, how many times have you

taken the TOEIC test? A. Never B. 1 time C. 2 times D. 3 times E. 4 or more times

19. When did you last take the TOEIC test?

A. Less than 6 months ago B. 6 months or more, but less than

1 year ago C. 1 year or more, but less than 2 years ago D. 2 or more years ago

Copyright © 2003. EDUCATIONAL TESTING SERVICE, ETS, ETS logo and TOEIC are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service.

Copyright © 2006 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo and TOEIC are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS)

in the United States of America and other countries throughout the world. TEST OF ENGLISh FOr INTErNATIONAL COmmUNICATION is a trademark of ETS. 3550

report on test takers worldwide

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