Duolingo 120 to 125 to IELTS: what band is it?
Quick answer
Duolingo's scoring page relates a Duolingo English Test overall of 120 to 125 to IELTS 6.5. The table compares overall scores only, and it is Duolingo's own estimate: IELTS publishes no Duolingo table. Each institution decides which tests it accepts and at what score.
Practise what this page describes in the app: Speaking and Writing marked on the four official criteria as a band range, Reading and Listening tests marked the moment you finish.
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Part of The IELTS test, answered
Is a Duolingo 120 the same as an IELTS 6.5? Duolingo’s own table says the two rows line up, and 125 does too.
What the table lists for 120 and 125
On the Duolingo English Test’s “Understand scoring” page, an overall of 120 or 125 relates to IELTS 6.5. Below it the IELTS 6 row is wider, running from 105 to 115, and above it 130 begins IELTS 7. Duolingo says research backs its comparison. IELTS has no Duolingo table, so treat the row as an estimate from the test maker. All rows appear in the general Duolingo answer.
IELTS 6.5 on the nine-band scale
IELTS 6.5 sits halfway between band 6, the competent user, and band 7, the good user, and on “IELTS and the CEFR” it is B2, the top overall band placed there. Read more in the IELTS 6.5 answer.
Arriving at 6.5 from four scores
Reading 7, Listening 6.5, Speaking 6.5 and Writing 6 add up to 26, which averages 6.5. Because IELTS reports the overall in half bands, different section mixes give the same figure, and the Duolingo row treats all of them alike.
What a concordance does not do
It compares overall scores and nothing finer, and it does not bind any institution. Each institution decides which tests it accepts and at what score, so read its own page. If it states a Duolingo requirement, follow that. If a page asks for “IELTS 6.5” and you hold a Duolingo 120 or 125, the table shows you are in the matching row; it does not say whether the page will take your result, nor whether it sets minimums for each subscore as well.
Neighbouring brackets
Above is Duolingo 130 and 135 for IELTS 7; below is Duolingo 105 to 115 for IELTS 6. The score converter is a quick way to check other values.
What this means for your score
A requirement written as "IELTS 6.5 overall" and read against Duolingo's table points to 120 as the lowest score in the row. A 115 sits in the IELTS 6 row, and 130 starts the IELTS 7 row.
Frequently asked questions
Does Duolingo 120 match IELTS 6.5?
Duolingo relates 120 to 125 to IELTS 6.5 in its comparison of overall scores. IELTS itself publishes no Duolingo table, and an institution's own stated Duolingo requirement takes precedence.
Do universities take Duolingo as an alternative to IELTS?
The decision belongs to each institution. Look at the admissions, employer or visa page for the tests it lists and the score each one needs.
Is the Duolingo English Test an easier option than IELTS?
Neither test maker publishes a difficulty comparison, so the official pages give no basis for calling one easier. Duolingo's table matches scores, not difficulty.
Do section scores convert in the same way?
Duolingo's scoring page gives a comparable table for its four subscores against IELTS section bands; this page is about overall scores. IELTS averages the four sections to the nearest half band for the overall, which the band score calculator shows.
Sources
- Understand scoring: overall score comparison — Duolingo English Test
- IELTS scoring in detail: band scores explained — IELTS.org
- IELTS and the CEFR — IELTS.org
Last verified 3 Nov 2026
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