TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and encompasses what used to be called TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language). Generally, TEFL emphasises aspects of teaching English in countries where English is not widely used in daily life, such as Russia, China, France and Brazil.
The term TESL tends to emphasise the needs of learners who will use English in their daily lives, in addition to their mother-tongue. In many countries, such as Zambia and India for example, English is used as an official language in government, in business, in newspapers, TV and radio as well as being the main medium of educational instruction in schools and colleges, as well as universities.
The acronym TESOL encompasses both TESL and TEFL and is very widely used around the world. Good teachers of English, whether they are TESOL, TEFL or TESL-qualified, adapt their teaching methods, their expectations of students, their teaching materials and their classroom activities to their local environment and the needs of their learners.
IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is one of the most popular international tests on English language proficiency. It was created by Cambridge English Language Assessment and The British Council in 1989. Before that, English Language Testing Service which was launched in 1980 being preceded by English Proficiency Test Battery which was operational since the early 60s. Nowadays IELTS test certificate is accepted by universities in Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain and Canada – and many other countries worldwide.