English test score equivalency
IELTS to TOEFL Score Converter, with PTE, Cambridge and CEFR
Enter a score on one test and this IELTS to TOEFL score converter shows the equivalent on TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, the Cambridge English Scale and CEFR, using only tables the test publishers issued themselves. Where no publisher has released a table for a pair, the tile stays blank instead of guessing.
How do I convert my IELTS score to TOEFL, PTE or CEFR?
Pick the test you actually sat, enter the number, and read across. Every live tile below comes from a single table published by a test maker. Nothing is computed by passing your score through a third test.
Source score
Reported 0.0 to 9.0 in half bands
CEFR position
The shaded band is the interval the publisher of your test actually resolves to. The tick is its midpoint, not a precise level.
Optional: per-skill scores
A tile with diagonal hatching is not an error and not a loading state. It means the two test makers have never published a table linking those two scales, so there is no number that either of them would stand behind.
Will a university actually accept a converted score?
What a concordance table is
A concordance table is the output of a study in which the same people sat both tests within a short window, and a statistician lined up the two score distributions so that the same percentile on one lands on the same percentile on the other. That is equipercentile equating, and it is the method behind every table on this page.
It tells you where a score sits in a population. It does not tell you what any individual would have scored on the other test. The ETS and IELTS Partners study reports a standard error for every row: at IELTS 7.0 the standard error is 0.80 TOEFL points, but at IELTS 4.5 it is 3.09, because only 7 people in the study scored there.
Pearson's July 2025 study reports the same shape of result. Its sample was densest between IELTS 5.5 and 8.0, with 316 people at band 7.0 and 10 people at band 4.5.
The part people skip
Pearson's guidance to institutions states that concordance studies give an approximate relationship, and that score requirements should rest on the performance standard a programme needs rather than on the table alone.
ETS goes further: it recommends institutions set a CEFR level first and pick the score from that, rather than converting an old number across.
So an admissions office is free to say no. If the requirement page lists IELTS and TOEFL only, a converted PTE number is an argument you make in an email, not a score that qualifies you.
What is the official IELTS to TOEFL conversion table?
ETS and the IELTS Partners ran a joint concordance study and published it as ETS Research Report RR-25-02 in April 2025. They recruited 969 test takers who sat both tests in counterbalanced order; after removing statistical outliers, 937 records were analysed. Every score was verified by the test providers rather than self-reported, and the equating was run by a third party independent of both. That design is why this table carries more weight than the conversion charts that agencies circulate.
The study equated IELTS Academic against the TOEFL iBT 0–120 scale. ETS then republished the relationship on the 1–6 scale that launched on 21 January 2026. Both readings are below, and they do not always agree, which is the point of showing them side by side.
| IELTS overall | TOEFL iBT total (1–6) | TOEFL iBT total (0–120) | n | SE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.0 | 6 | 120 | – | – |
| 8.5 | 6 | 115–119 | 22 | 0.89 |
| 8.0 | 6 | 108–114 | 62 | 0.95 |
| 7.5 | 5.5 | 100–107 | 119 | 0.75 |
| 7.0 | 5 | 91–99 | 149 | 0.80 |
| 6.5 | 4.5 | 81–90 | 196 | 0.79 |
| 6.0 | 4 | 67–80 | 210 | 0.89 |
| 5.5 | 3.5 | 51–66 | 132 | 1.13 |
| 5.0 | 2.5 | 37–50 | 40 | 1.48 |
| 4.5 | 2 | 26–36 | 7 | 3.09 |
| 4.0 | 1.5 | 14–25 | – | – |
The worked example that shows the seam
Take a TOEFL iBT total of 100 on the old scale. ETS places 100 inside the 1–6 band of 5, because 5 covers 95 and up through 106. The ETS comparison table then pairs a TOEFL total of 5 with IELTS 7.0. But the underlying study puts 100 in the IELTS 7.5 row, whose TOEFL range is 100–107; IELTS 7.0 stops at 99.
So the same score reads as IELTS 7.0 through the 1–6 table and IELTS 7.5 through the study it was built from. Neither is wrong. The 1–6 scale has 11 steps where the old scale had 121, so one 1–6 value has to swallow more than one IELTS half band. If you are one point either side of a cut score, that is exactly where the half band goes missing.
Three tiles of the ETS table also have no partner at all. No IELTS band maps to a TOEFL total of 3, or of 1, on the published comparison table, so the converter reports that rather than interpolating a value into the gap.
If you are still assembling section scores rather than converting a finished result, the TOEFL iBT score calculator and the IELTS band score calculator handle the rounding rules for each test before you come back here.
What is the TOEFL 1–6 scale equivalent of a 0–120 score?
TOEFL iBT moved to a 1–6 scale in half-point steps on 21 January 2026. The overall score is now the average of the four section scores rounded to the nearest half band, not the sum. ETS gives the example that an average of 5.125 reports as 5, while 5.25 reports as 5.5.
Score reports carry three things for two years: the CEFR level, the 1–6 scores, and a comparable 0–120 total. ETS says that comparable number is the midpoint of the equivalent 0–120 range, which is why your report may show a value you never actually scored.
| TOEFL total (1–6) | TOEFL total (0–120) | CEFR | ETS advice for a former requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 114–120 | C2 | |
| 5.5 | 107–113 | C1 | |
| 5 | 95–106 | C1 | Replaces a requirement of 100 |
| 4.5 | 86–94 | B2 | Replaces a requirement of 90 |
| 4 | 72–85 | B2 | Replaces a requirement of 80 |
| 3.5 | 58–71 | B1 | Replaces a requirement of 70 |
| 3 | 44–57 | B1 | |
| 2.5 | 34–43 | A2 | |
| 2 | 24–33 | A2 | |
| 1.5 | 12–23 | A1 | |
| 1 | 0–11 | A1 |
Why university pages still say 100
TOEFL scores stay valid for two years, so ETS expects 0–120 reports to keep arriving through late 2027. A requirement page that still reads "TOEFL 100" has not necessarily gone stale: it may be waiting out the transition. ETS tells institutions that a former requirement of 100 should become 5, not 5.5, because 5.5 starts at 107 and would reject people who previously cleared the bar at 100.
That is worth knowing before you email an admissions office to point out that their page looks out of date.
How does the PTE to IELTS converter work, and how new is the table?
Pearson enhanced PTE Academic in July 2025, adding two extended speaking tasks and changing the scoring procedures, and published a fresh concordance study alongside it. That study involved 1,522 people who took both the enhanced PTE Academic and IELTS Academic within 90 days, recruited in India, China, Australia and the United Kingdom across 54 nationalities and 43 languages.
The change that matters most for applicants: this study added skill-level tables. Earlier PTE concordance covered the overall score only, so a requirement written as "no band below 6.0" had nothing official to convert against. Now it does, and the four skills do not move together. At IELTS 6.0 the concordant PTE Reading range is 48–53 while the Speaking range is 54–65, a gap of more than a full PTE band.
| IELTS | PTE overall | Listening | Reading | Speaking | Writing | n | SEE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.0 | 90 | 81–90 | 81–90 | – | – | 1 | 0.16 |
| 8.5 | 86–89 | 75–80 | 75–80 | 90 | 90 | 28 | 0.52 |
| 8.0 | 79–85 | 69–74 | 70–74 | 88–89 | 85–89 | 128 | 0.64 |
| 7.5 | 71–78 | 64–68 | 65–69 | 83–87 | 77–84 | 258 | 0.56 |
| 7.0 | 63–70 | 58–63 | 59–64 | 76–82 | 69–76 | 316 | 0.52 |
| 6.5 | 55–62 | 53–57 | 54–58 | 66–75 | 60–68 | 304 | 0.56 |
| 6.0 | 47–54 | 47–52 | 48–53 | 54–65 | 51–59 | 238 | 0.63 |
| 5.5 | 39–46 | 40–46 | 42–47 | 39–53 | 41–50 | 163 | 0.79 |
| 5.0 | 31–38 | 33–39 | 36–41 | 24–38 | 29–40 | 66 | 1.14 |
| 4.5 | 24–30 | 26–32 | 29–35 | 14–23 | 17–28 | 10 | 1.72 |
Pearson states that the sample is strongest between IELTS 5.5 and 8.0 and that the standard error of equating stays below one point across IELTS 6 to 9. Below IELTS 5.0 the table thins out fast: band 4.5 rests on 10 people and a standard error of 1.72. The converter still prints those rows, because Pearson published them, but the tile shows the sample size so you can see what you are leaning on.
Worked example: a PTE overall of 65 falls inside the 63–70 row, so it converts to IELTS 7.0 with 316 people behind that row. A PTE 62 falls in the 55–62 row and converts to IELTS 6.5. Three PTE points, half an IELTS band. That is the granularity problem in one line.
Why is there no PTE to TOEFL or Cambridge to PTE conversion?
Because nobody has published one for the tests as they exist now, and chaining two tables to fake it produces a number with no owner.
Here is the state of play as of September 2026. Pearson's score comparison page carries the IELTS concordance updated from the July 2025 research and adds that updated relationships with other providers, TOEFL among them, will follow. In its guidance for institutions, Pearson answers the direct question about an updated PTE to TOEFL concordance by saying results will be published as they become available. Pearson did publish a PTE, IELTS and TOEFL alignment in 2017, but that predates both the enhanced PTE Academic of July 2025 and the TOEFL 1–6 scale of January 2026, so it describes two tests that no longer report the way it assumed.
From the other direction, ETS states plainly that it has not conducted a score concordance study with the Duolingo English Test, and recommends choosing a TOEFL score by CEFR level instead of by direct comparison. Cambridge maps IELTS to the Cambridge English Scale and maps the scale to CEFR, and publishes nothing linking its scale to PTE Academic or to TOEFL.
What chaining does to the error
Suppose you convert PTE 65 to IELTS 7.0 using Pearson's table, then IELTS 7.0 to a TOEFL total of 5 using the ETS table, and announce PTE 65 equals TOEFL 5. Two things went wrong. First, you inherited both equating errors, and they do not cancel: Pearson's standard error at that row is 0.52 PTE points and the ETS row carries 0.80 TOEFL points, on top of the half-band rounding each table already applied. Second, and worse, the two studies used different populations, different years and different versions of IELTS Academic as the hinge. Pearson equated against IELTS in 2024; ETS equated against IELTS for a report published in April 2025. Treating one test's IELTS as identical to the other's is an assumption nobody tested.
The tables also disagree about IELTS itself in places you can check by hand. Cambridge maps IELTS 7.0 to 185–190 on its scale, which sits inside C1. Pearson's own 2017 CEFR appendix put IELTS 7.5 to 8.5 at C1 and 6.5 to 7.5 at B2, which places IELTS 7.0 at the B2 ceiling. Same band, two publishers, different level. Any converter that shows you one clean answer for every cell has decided not to tell you that.
The SAT to ACT concordance table is the closest analogue on this site, and it works because the College Board and ACT jointly published one table. The English tests have no such joint table across all four publishers.
How does the Cambridge English Scale line up with CEFR and IELTS?
The Cambridge English Scale runs from 80 to 230 and is the same scale across the Cambridge exams, so a 175 means the same level of ability whether it came from B2 First or C1 Advanced. Each exam reports a slice of it: B2 First reports 122 to 190, C1 Advanced reports 142 to 210, C2 Proficiency reports 162 to 230.
That last detail is the one people get wrong. Sitting C1 Advanced does not certify C1. A C1 Advanced candidate scoring 168 is certified at B2, because 160 to 179 is the B2 range on the scale, and their certificate says so. The converter reports the level actually certified at the score you enter, which is why a Cambridge 130 comes back as A2 and not as anything to do with C1.
| Cambridge English Scale | CEFR | IELTS band at that part of the scale |
|---|---|---|
| 200–230 | C2 | 8.0 at 200–204, 8.5 at 205–208, 9.0 at 209–230 |
| 180–199 | C1 | 6.5 at 180–184, 7.0 at 185–190, 7.5 at 191–199 |
| 160–179 | B2 | 5.0 at 160–161, 5.5 at 162–168, 6.0 at 169–175, 6.5 at 176–179 |
| 140–159 | B1 | 4.0 at 142–146, 4.5 at 147–153, 5.0 at 154–159 |
| 120–139 | A2 | Not mapped below 142 |
| 100–119 | A1 | Not mapped below 142 |
| 80–99 | Below A1 | Not mapped below 142 |
Cambridge built this link empirically. In 2009 it ran a counterbalanced study in which registered IELTS candidates were invited to also sit C1 Advanced and registered C1 Advanced candidates were invited to sit IELTS, then compared performances. Cambridge also says outright that alignment is not a one-off project and that validation continues, which is a healthier framing than a chart engraved on a poster.
What CEFR level is my English test score?
CEFR is the only reference point all four publishers claim to share, which makes it the safest thing to convert to and the most misleading thing to convert with. Safest, because ETS, Pearson and Cambridge each publish their own alignment to it. Misleading, because a CEFR level is a wide box, and two tests can both be honestly aligned to B2 while sitting at opposite ends of it.
Here is what the Council of Europe global scale actually asks for at the two levels universities care about.
B2, the level most undergraduate entry sits at
The global scale describes B2 as being able to understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussion in one's own field; to interact with enough fluency and spontaneity that regular interaction with native speakers is possible without strain on either side; and to produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects, explaining a viewpoint on a topical issue with the advantages and disadvantages of the options.
C1, the level most postgraduate entry sits at
C1 adds the ability to understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts and recognise implicit meaning; to express oneself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions; to use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes; and to produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
Notice what separates them: implicit meaning, and controlled use of cohesive devices. That is the difference between reading a paper and reading what the paper is not saying. If a programme asks for C1, it has usually decided you will be reading argument rather than exposition.
| CEFR | TOEFL iBT (1–6) | PTE Academic | Cambridge Scale | IELTS via Cambridge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C2 | 6 | 85–90 | 200–230 | 8.0–9.0 |
| C1 | 5, 5.5 | 76–84 | 180–199 | 6.5–7.5 |
| B2 | 4, 4.5 | 59–75 | 160–179 | 5.5–6.5 |
| B1 | 3, 3.5 | 43–58 | 140–159 | 4.0–5.0 |
| A2 | 2, 2.5 | 30–42 | 120–139 | Not mapped |
| A1 | 1, 1.5 | 22–29 | 100–119 | Not mapped |
Read the IELTS column carefully. Band 6.5 appears in both the B2 row and the C1 row, because Cambridge maps 6.5 to scale 176–184 and the B2 to C1 boundary sits at 180. A single IELTS 6.5 certificate can sit either side of that line depending on where inside the band you actually scored, and IELTS does not report a finer number. This is the clearest illustration on the page that conversion produces a band, not a value. If you are choosing a test rather than converting one, which English test to take and TOEFL or IELTS work the decision from the other end.
Where does the Duolingo English Test fit in a score conversion?
The Duolingo tile always links out rather than printing a number, and the reason is not that Duolingo publishes nothing. Duolingo does publish concordance tables to IELTS and to TOEFL, and describes them as concordance research using official score reports from people who took both tests.
The problem is that the relationship is one-sided. ETS states on its own score scale page that it has not conducted a concordance study with the Duolingo English Test, and tells institutions to select a TOEFL score by CEFR level instead. Pearson publishes no DET table at all. So a DET conversion has one publisher standing behind it rather than two, and Duolingo's TOEFL table is anchored on the retired 0–120 scale rather than the 1–6 scale that reports now.
The DET also reports on a 10 to 160 scale in steps of 5, which is a different granularity again. Its comparisons live on the Duolingo English Test score chart, where the score bands and the four subscores are set out in full, along with the caveats that belong with a one-sided table.
How do I check a requirement like "IELTS 6.5, no band below 6.0"?
Paste the requirement as the university wrote it. The checker reads the test name, the overall figure and an optional per-skill floor, then expresses each part only on the scales that have a published table for that pair. Where no per-skill table exists, it says so instead of filling the cell.
How should I present a converted score to an admissions office?
If the test you hold is on the university's accepted list, none of this applies: send the score and stop. Conversion only matters when you hold test A and the page names test B.
- Find the requirement in CEFR terms first. If the page says "C1" anywhere, that is the target, and every publisher has an official alignment to it. This is also what ETS advises institutions to do.
- Quote one table, name its publisher, and give its date. "PTE Academic 65 falls in Pearson's July 2025 concordance row for IELTS 7.0, based on 1,522 test takers" reads very differently from "PTE 65 equals IELTS 7.0".
- Give the range, not a point. Say the row is 63 to 70 and you scored 65. An admissions officer who checks will find the same range, which builds rather than costs you credibility.
- Attach the per-skill numbers if the requirement has a floor. Pearson's July 2025 tables and the ETS study both publish skill-level concordance against IELTS, so a "no band below 6.0" clause can be answered directly.
- Ask, in the same email, whether they will accept it. Frame it as a question about their policy, not as a claim about your score. The answer is often a one-line yes or no from the office that actually decides.
The two cases where you should just book the test they asked for
First, when the requirement is a visa or immigration condition rather than an academic one. Governments name specific tests in regulation, and no concordance argument moves that. Pearson's own comparison page carries the same warning: the table shows how scores compare, not which tests are accepted.
Second, when the pair you need has no published table. If a programme wants TOEFL and you hold PTE, there is currently no ETS or Pearson table linking the two enhanced tests, so your email has nothing official to cite. Sitting the named test costs a few hundred dollars and a Saturday. An unsupported conversion can cost the application.
Some graduate programmes waive the requirement outright if you studied in English, which is often the cheapest route of all: the TOEFL and IELTS waiver guide for grad school sets out the conditions departments usually apply. If your score is going into a visa file rather than an application portal, the F-1 visa document checklist shows where the score report has to appear.
Common questions about English test score equivalency
Is there an official IELTS to TOEFL conversion table?
Can I convert a PTE Academic score to TOEFL?
What is the TOEFL 1 to 6 scale equivalent of 100 on the old scale?
Will a university accept a converted score?
What CEFR level is IELTS 6.5?
Why does this converter leave some cells blank?
Sources
Every number on this page was read from one of these pages or documents in September 2026.
- ETS – TOEFL iBT Score Scale Update: a guide for institutions (1–6 scale, 0–120 comparison, CEFR alignment, IELTS comparison table, DET statement)
- Ikeda, Clark, Papageorgiou, Gu, Ohta, Blackhurst & Bruce – Aligning Scores of Language Proficiency Tests: A Score Concordance Study Between IELTS Academic and TOEFL iBT, ETS Research Report RR-25-02, April 2025
- Hughes & Clesham – Establishing score concordance between the enhanced PTE Academic and IELTS Academic, Pearson, July 2025
- Pearson – PTE Academic score comparison (IELTS concordance updated July 2025; TOEFL relationship to follow)
- Pearson – Score setting guidance for institutions
- de Jong & Benigno – Alignment of the Global Scale of English to other scales, Pearson, April 2017 (GSE and PTE Academic ranges per CEFR level)
- Cambridge English – The Cambridge English Scale, and its score converter tool
- Cambridge English – The Cambridge English Scale explained (scale 80–230, exam reporting ranges, IELTS mapping, 2009 alignment study)
- Council of Europe – Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, Table 1: Common Reference Levels, global scale
- IELTS – IELTS scoring in detail (whole and half bands, overall band rounding)
- Duolingo English Test – Understand scoring
CampusBreeze makes free study tools and guides. This page reproduces official concordance tables with attribution so you can check them against the publisher.