The difference between "foreign language learning" and "second language learning" is not clear because writers do not agree on the criteria to be used in making the distinction. Moreover, there is a lack of empirical evidence to justify the use of the two terms. The purpose of this study is: (1) to review the various criteria which have been used to differentiate between foreign language and second language learning, and (2) to examine one of the criteria systematically. The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) has measured language achievement in ten countries where English is regarded as a foreign language. The same IEA tests were used in the present study to measure the achievement in English of a comparable sample of pre-university students in Baroda, India, where English is considered to be a second language. The comparison did not reveal any difference in English language achievement between the two groups of students, suggesting that the nature of the distinction between a foreign and a second language requires further investigation. (Author/AMH)