IELTS to CEFR Score Converter (and TOEFL, Too)

Photo by Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu on Unsplash

If you've got an IELTS band score, a TOEFL iBT score, or a university offer that lists a CEFR level as the requirement, you've probably tried to figure out how they line up — and run into two problems. First, none of these scales convert to each other at a single clean number; they convert to ranges. Second, TOEFL changed its entire scoring scale in January 2026, so a lot of conversion tables floating around the web (including, until this update, our own CEFR levels guide) are now showing the old numbers. This page covers both.

TOEFL's new 1–6 scale (since January 2026)

On January 21, 2026, ETS retired TOEFL iBT's familiar 0–120 scale in favor of a 1–6 scale, scored in half-point steps (1.0, 1.5, 2.0 … 6.0). Your overall score is the average of your four section scores (Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing), each also reported on the same 1–6 scale. ETS's stated reason for the change was to align the score directly with CEFR, so a band of "5" means roughly the same thing as CEFR C1 in every section, rather than requiring a separate lookup table.

If you're testing now, this is the scale you'll get. If you tested before January 2026, don't worry — see the conversion table below.

ETS is running a two-year transition (2026–2028). During this window, score reports show your new 1–6 band and a comparable overall figure on the old 0–120 scale side by side, so institutions that haven't updated their own requirements yet can still make sense of your result. That comparable 0–120 figure is expected to be phased out entirely around early 2028.

The full IELTS · TOEFL · CEFR conversion table

CEFR level	IELTS band	TOEFL iBT (new, 1–6 scale)	TOEFL iBT (old, 0–120 scale)
A1	not tested by IELTS	1.0 – 1.5	not separately reported
A2	3.0 – 3.5	2.0 – 2.5	below ~42
B1	4.0 – 5.0	3.0 – 3.5	42 – 71
B2	5.5 – 6.5	4.0 – 4.5	72 – 94
C1	7.0 – 8.0	5.0 – 5.5	95 – 113
C2	8.5 – 9.0	6.0	114 – 120

A few things worth knowing about this table:

• IELTS doesn't really test A1. The exam is designed for A2 and above, so a genuine beginner would score below 3.0 rather than landing in a meaningful A1 band.
• TOEFL is weakest at distinguishing low levels, too. ETS itself says the test gives its most precise measurement at B2 and C1 — exactly the range most universities require — and is less precise below that.
• These are concordances, not equivalences. Both IELTS and ETS describe their CEFR mappings as approximate, empirically-derived ranges, not official one-to-one conversions. Treat the table as "roughly this level," not "exactly this score."

Converting an old TOEFL score (0–120) to the new scale

If you sat TOEFL before January 2026 and want to know your equivalent 1–6 band (and therefore your CEFR level), use this table:

New band (1–6)	Old score (0–120)
6.0	114 – 120
5.5	107 – 113
5.0	95 – 106
4.5	86 – 94
4.0	72 – 85
3.5	58 – 71
3.0	44 – 57
2.5	34 – 43
2.0	24 – 33
1.5	12 – 23
1.0	0 – 11

For example, an old total score of 90 falls in the 86–94 range, which is the new band 4.5 — right at the boundary between B2 and C1.

Photo by Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu on Unsplash

So which score do you actually need?

Most of the time, the CEFR level is the real requirement and IELTS/TOEFL are just two accepted ways to prove it — a job posting or university course will say something like "B2 or above," and then separately list which band on which test satisfies that. Work backwards from the CEFR level, not forwards from a specific test score:

• B1 is the common baseline for non-technical jobs and general admission to language programs abroad.
• B2 is the most frequently requested level for university coursework taught in English and for many skilled-work visas.
• C1 shows up for more competitive university programs, graduate school, and professional registration in fields like healthcare or law.

If you're not sure which of these you're actually at right now — rather than which one a specific exam would report — a quick way to check is a level test that scores you directly against the CEFR scale, no IELTS or TOEFL required. That's exactly what EnQuiz's free 10-minute diagnostic does: it checks grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension across all six levels and gives you your CEFR level directly, so you know whether you're actually ready to sit IELTS or TOEFL at the level you're aiming for before you pay for and book the real exam.

Take the free 10-minute level test →

Already know your level? Head into quizzes filtered to your CEFR level to close the specific gaps standing between you and your target score, or read the full breakdown of what each CEFR level actually means if you want the bigger picture first.