What CEFR level is my IELTS band?
Quick answer
IELTS aligns its overall bands with the CEFR: 4 to 5 at B1, 5.5 to 6.5 at B2, 7 to 8 at C1 and 8.5 to 9 at C2, with band 5 borderline B1/B2 and band 8 borderline C1/C2. The alignment covers the overall band only, not the section scores.
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IELTS publishes the alignment itself, on its page “IELTS and the CEFR”, read on 7 October 2026. It is the one comparison on this site that comes from IELTS rather than from another test’s owner. Try any band in the score converter, which shows the CEFR level beside TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic and the Duolingo English Test.
IELTS’s alignment: overall band to CEFR level
| CEFR level | IELTS overall band | IELTS’s note |
|---|---|---|
| C2 | 8.5 to 9 | Band 8 is borderline between C1 and C2 |
| C1 | 7 to 8 | |
| B2 | 5.5 to 6.5 | Band 5 is borderline between B1 and B2 |
| B1 | 4 to 5 |
IELTS does not place bands below 4 on the framework, and its chart shows the levels as a curve rather than hard lines, which is the point of the borderline notes.
Why the boundaries are not exact, in IELTS’s own words
IELTS preceded the CEFR, so its bands were never designed to land on the framework’s transition points. The CEFR, IELTS adds, was not designed for precise equating either: it is a reference tool, deliberately underspecified so that it can serve as a common framework. The alignment rests on research by Cambridge English since the late 1990s, on benchmarking exercises in 2009 and on studies of test takers’ performance, and IELTS says further refinement remains possible as that research grows.
Two consequences follow. A requirement written as a CEFR level is less precise than one written as a band, which is why institutions that accept IELTS almost always state the band. And the alignment is for the overall band: IELTS says so explicitly, so a Writing 6.0 inside an overall 6.5 is not “B2 in Writing” on any IELTS page.
The CEFR as the common ground between tests
Since 21 January 2026 the TOEFL iBT reports its scores on a 1 to 6 scale that ETS aligns to the CEFR level by level, and Pearson publishes a CEFR chart for PTE Academic. When two tests both publish a CEFR alignment, the framework becomes the cleanest way to read one requirement against the other, with the caveat that each owner drew its own lines. The TOEFL and PTE answers give the owners’ direct tables as well.
What this means for your score
A university that asks for "CEFR B2" is asking, in IELTS terms, for a band between 5.5 and 6.5; most such pages state the band they mean, usually 6.0 or 6.5. A candidate with an overall 8.0 is at C1 on the alignment and borderline C2; one with 8.5 is C2.
Frequently asked questions
Is IELTS 6.5 B2 or C1?
B2. IELTS places overall bands 5.5 to 6.5 at B2 and 7 to 8 at C1, so 6.5 is the top of B2 and 7 is the first C1 band.
Is IELTS 7 C1?
Yes. On IELTS's alignment, overall bands 7 to 8 are C1. Band 8 is borderline with C2, and 8.5 and above are recognised as C2.
What IELTS band is B2?
Overall bands 5.5 to 6.5. Band 5 is borderline between B1 and B2, so a requirement stated as B2 is normally written as a band, most often 6.0 or 6.5, and that band is what counts.
Does the CEFR alignment apply to each IELTS section?
No. IELTS states that the alignment refers to overall band scores, not to the Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking bands. ETS, by contrast, aligns both the total and each section of the new TOEFL iBT scale to the CEFR.
Sources
- IELTS and the CEFR — IELTS.org
- IELTS scoring in detail: band scores explained — IELTS.org
Last verified 7 Oct 2026
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