TOEIC® Speaking & Writing Tests See Record Highs in Examinee and Adopting Organization Numbers for Fiscal Year 2025

The International Business Communication Association (IIBC) (Location: Nakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo; President: Hiroatsu Fujisawa), which conducts and operates the TOEIC Program in Japan, has released the examinee numbers (based on applicants) for the TOEIC Program in fiscal year 2025 and will announce "TOEIC Program DATA & ANALYSIS 2026" (hereinafter referred to as DAA2026). This report compiles trends in examinees and average scores based on actual examinee data for the Public Test and the Special Program for TOEIC Test in Company/University (hereinafter IP Test).

DAA2026 summarizes examinee trends and score analyses for each test based on the results from fiscal year 2025 (April 2025 - March 2026).

*The examinee numbers stated in this release (including the title) are based on applicants. The data published in "DAA2026" is based on actual examinees.

*The Public Test is a testing system for which individuals apply directly and which is administered under the supervision of the Association. The Special Program for TOEIC Test in Company/University (IP Test) is a testing system that companies, universities, and other organizations administer internally at their convenience for their employees and students.

Examinee Numbers for TOEIC Program in Fiscal Year 2025

In fiscal year 2025, the TOEIC Program as a whole recorded approximately 2.16 million examinees and approximately 3,900 adopting organizations. Compared to fiscal year 2024, examinee numbers increased by approximately 60,000, and adopting organizations increased by 700, showing growth in both categories.

Record Highs in Examinee and Adopting Organization Numbers for TOEIC Speaking & Writing Tests

Looking at individual tests, the TOEIC Listening & Reading Test (hereinafter TOEIC L&R) had a total of 1.964 million examinees for both the Public Test and IP Test, an increase of 29,000 from fiscal year 2024. The TOEIC Speaking & Writing Tests (hereinafter TOEIC S&W), which measures the ability to "speak and write in English" necessary for communication in daily life and global business, saw a total of approximately 51,000 examinees for both the Public Test and IP Test, a 30% increase from fiscal year 2024. The number of adopting organizations also expanded to approximately 460. As a result, TOEIC S&W recorded its highest ever numbers for both examinees and adopting organizations since its launch in 2007.

TOEIC S&W Examinee and Adopting Organization Numbers

Fiscal Year 2023

Fiscal Year 2024

Fiscal Year 2025

Examinees (Total for Public Test & IP Test)

Approx. 37,000

Approx. 39,000

Approx. 51,000

Adopting Organizations

Approx. 380 organizations

Approx. 410 organizations

Approx. 460 organizations

*Examinee numbers are based on applicant data.

[From DAA2026] Average Scores for TOEIC L&R / TOEIC S&W Over the Past 3 Years

In fiscal year 2025, the average score for TOEIC L&R was 616 for the Public Test and 492 for the IP Test. For TOEIC S&W, the average scores were 131.5 for Speaking and 141.0 for Writing in the Public Test, and 110.1 for Speaking and 119.9 for Writing in the IP Test. Average scores have remained relatively stable over the past three years.

[From DAA2026] TOEIC S&W Examinees and TOEIC L&R Scores

Among TOEIC S&W examinees, those with TOEIC L&R scores in the 800s accounted for the largest proportion at 21.7%, with approximately 70% of all examinees scoring 600 or higher. This indicates that many individuals challenging TOEIC S&W have already achieved a score of 600 or higher on TOEIC L&R. For example, individuals in the 600-point range achieved an average TOEIC S&W score of 110.4 for Speaking and 131.8 for Writing. When mapped to the "Can-do Guide," which describes actions that can be performed in real life and at work, these scores correspond to a level where one can, for instance, "give simple tourist information to foreign visitors" in Speaking, and "write a memo to a supervisor explaining the progress of a task" in Writing.

[From DAA2026] TOEIC S&W Examinees by Occupation and Average Scores

When TOEIC S&W examinees are analyzed by occupation, the Public Test shows the highest number of examinees in the order of "Education," "Technology," and "Sales," while the IP Test shows "Technology," "Sales," and "Research." Notably, the "Technology" sector leads in examinee numbers for both the Public Test and IP Test.

Comment from Takuya Miyakawa, Head of Public Relations, IIBC

The results announced today confirm a steady increase in demand not only for TOEIC L&R but also for TOEIC S&W. In an era of advancing AI utilization, the importance of the ability to convey intentions accurately according to the audience and purpose, leading to constructive communication, is becoming even greater. TOEIC S&W features tasks that simulate communication in daily life and business settings, and by evaluating "whether the message is conveyed," it visualizes practical English communication and response abilities. As AI becomes more prevalent and the ability to communicate is emphasized, we hope many people will utilize this opportunity to visualize their "ability to communicate in English." IIBC will continue to provide opportunities for learning and English proficiency assessment through the TOEIC Program.

Overview of "TOEIC Program DATA & ANALYSIS 2026"

Includes the following information regarding TOEIC L&R and TOEIC S&W. Data for TOEIC Bridge® Tests is also available.

● Average scores by occupation and position

● Average scores by affiliated school and major

● Average scores by overseas stay experience and duration (IP Test only)

Details here:

https://www.iibc-global.org/hubfs/library/default/toeic/official_data/pdf/program-data-analysis-2026.pdf

TOEIC® Program

A collective term for TOEIC® Listening & Reading Test, TOEIC® Speaking & Writing Tests, TOEIC Bridge® Listening & Reading Tests, and TOEIC Bridge® Speaking & Writing Tests. The TOEIC® Program, encompassing these four tests, is administered in approximately 14,000 organizations in 160 countries worldwide.

TOEIC® Listening & Reading Test (TOEIC® L&R)

A test that measures "listening and reading ability in English" required for effective communication in daily life and global business. Test results are evaluated on a score scale from 10 to 990, with the evaluation criteria consistently maintained. Its high quality in accurately measuring English proficiency and providing score-based evaluations is recognized, and it is used by companies and organizations as a requirement for promotion and advancement, as well as for hiring employees. It is also widely used in schools for entrance examinations and credit recognition. In fiscal year 2025, approximately 1.964 million people took the test in Japan, with over 50 million cumulative examinees since the test's inception in 1979.

Since April 2020, an online testing option has been introduced for the Special Program for TOEIC Test in Company/University (IP Test), allowing for completion in approximately one hour. The Public Test continues to be administered using the traditional paper-and-pencil format (2 hours).

TOEIC® Speaking & Writing Tests (TOEIC® S&W)

A test that measures "speaking and writing ability in English" required for effective communication in daily life and global business. Multiple certified raters from ETS, the test developer, provide fair scoring, evaluating performance on a scale of 0 to 200, rather than a pass/fail system. Additionally, pronunciation and intonation/accent are evaluated on a three-level scale. Similar to the TOEIC Listening & Reading Test, it uses scenarios from daily life and business settings, but it does not include questions that require specialized business English, knowledge of specific industries or fields, or understanding of unique events related to the history or culture of a particular country. In fiscal year 2025, approximately 51,000 people took the test in Japan.

TOEIC Bridge® Listening & Reading Tests

A test designed for beginner to intermediate English learners, measuring "listening and reading ability in English" necessary for effective communication in daily life. Developed with the aim of serving as a bridge to the TOEIC Listening & Reading Test, it is a globally standardized test that evaluates fundamental communicative English skills, launched as the TOEIC Bridge® Test in 2001. Updated in June 2019 to the TOEIC Bridge® Listening & Reading Tests, it retains the features of the TOEIC Listening & Reading Test, such as score-based evaluation and consistently maintained scoring criteria, while focusing on measuring beginner to intermediate English proficiency. In fiscal year 2025, approximately 143,000 people took the test in Japan.

TOEIC Bridge® Speaking & Writing Tests

A test for beginner to intermediate English learners, measuring "speaking and writing ability in English" necessary for effective communication in daily life. Newly developed by ETS, it was launched in Japan in June 2019. The test is administered on computers at test centers. Similar to the TOEIC Bridge® Listening & Reading Tests, scores range from 30 to 100, with increments of 1 point.

In fiscal year 2025, approximately 5,700 people took the test in Japan.

Institute for International Business Communication (IIBC)

Established in 1986 with the basic philosophy of "Promoting the Internationalization of People and Corporations."

With the mission of "Facilitating Smooth Communication in Global Business," IIBC develops and offers the TOEIC® Program and global human resource development programs in collaboration with domestic and international partner organizations.