What is my IELTS band in TOEFL iBT scores?
Quick answer
ETS, which owns the TOEFL, relates IELTS bands to the TOEFL iBT scale of 21 January 2026: IELTS 6 to a total of 4, IELTS 6.5 to 4.5, IELTS 7 to 5, IELTS 7.5 to 5.5 and IELTS 8 and above to 6. It is ETS's estimate, not an official equivalence.
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The table below is ETS’s, read from its score-comparison page on 7 October 2026. It relates each IELTS overall band to the TOEFL iBT total and section scores on the 1 to 6 scale that applies to tests taken on or after 21 January 2026. Try any band in the score converter, which also shows PTE Academic, the CEFR and the Duolingo English Test.
ETS’s table: IELTS band to TOEFL iBT (1 to 6)
| IELTS overall | TOEFL total | Reading | Listening | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| 8.5 | 6 | 5.5 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| 8 | 6 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6 |
| 7.5 | 5.5 | 5 | 5 | 5.5 | 5 |
| 7 | 5 | 4.5 | 5 | 5 | 4.5 |
| 6.5 | 4.5 | 4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4 |
| 6 | 4 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4 | 3.5 |
| 5.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 5 | 2.5 | 3 | 2.5 | 2 | 2.5 |
| 4.5 | 2 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 4 | 1.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 |
Two things stand out. The TOEFL scale is coarser at the top: IELTS 8, 8.5 and 9 all relate to a total of 6. And the section figures are not simply the total repeated: IELTS 7 relates to 5 overall but to 4.5 in Reading and Speaking, so a requirement stated per section is a different thing from one stated as a total.
If your score, or the requirement, is on the old 0 to 120 scale
TOEFL scores stay valid for two years, so 0 to 120 totals will be seen until late 2027, and many university pages still quote them. ETS maps the new total to the lowest old total it relates to: 6 to 114 and above, 5.5 to 107, 5 to 95, 4.5 to 86, 4 to 72, 3.5 to 58, 3 to 44, 2.5 to 34, 2 to 24, 1.5 to 12. ETS’s own guidance to institutions gives the common cases: a former requirement of 100 becomes 5, 90 becomes 4.5, 80 becomes 4 and 70 becomes 3.5.
Put together, the usual requirements line up like this: IELTS 6.5 next to TOEFL 4.5 (formerly about 86 to 94), IELTS 7 next to TOEFL 5 (formerly 95 to 106), IELTS 7.5 next to TOEFL 5.5 (formerly 107 to 113).
What the comparison is, and is not
ETS says the IELTS figures rest on a concordance study between the previous TOEFL iBT and IELTS, combined with the research that links the 0 to 120 and 1 to 6 scales. That makes the table an estimate of how the two populations of scores relate, not a promise that a person with IELTS 6.5 would score 4.5 on the TOEFL. IELTS itself publishes no TOEFL table; it publishes a CEFR alignment, and ETS aligns its new scale to the CEFR too, which is the common ground the two tests now share.
The number that decides an application is the one the institution sets for the test you actually sit. Where a page quotes only an IELTS requirement, the table gives you the TOEFL figure to ask about, not the one to assume.
What this means for your score
A candidate with IELTS 6.5 overall looks for the TOEFL requirement at a university that asks for "TOEFL iBT 4.5" on the new scale, or "TOEFL 86" on the old one: ETS relates both to IELTS 6.5. The same candidate would not assume that a 4.5 in every TOEFL section follows: ETS relates IELTS 6.5 to Reading 4, Listening 4.5, Writing 4.5 and Speaking 4.
Frequently asked questions
What is IELTS 6.5 in TOEFL?
On ETS's table, IELTS 6.5 relates to a TOEFL iBT total of 4.5 on the 1 to 6 scale (Reading 4, Listening 4.5, Writing 4.5, Speaking 4). On the 0 to 120 scale used for tests taken before 21 January 2026, ETS maps a total of 4.5 to 86 and above.
What is IELTS 7 in TOEFL?
IELTS 7 relates to a TOEFL iBT total of 5 (Reading 4.5, Listening 5, Writing 5, Speaking 4.5). On the former 0 to 120 scale a total of 5 corresponds to 95 and above, and ETS's own example is that a university that asked for 100 now asks for 5.
Did the TOEFL score scale change?
Yes. For tests taken on or after 21 January 2026, TOEFL iBT reports a total and four section scores from 1 to 6 in steps of 0.5, aligned to the CEFR. Score reports carry a comparable 0 to 120 figure for two years, the midpoint of the matching range.
Is the IELTS to TOEFL conversion official?
It is ETS's published comparison, based on a concordance study between the previous TOEFL iBT and IELTS and on the research linking the two TOEFL scales. IELTS does not publish a TOEFL table. The comparison is an estimate; the requirement that counts is the one your institution sets for each test.
Sources
- TOEFL iBT Score Scale 1 to 6: CEFR & IELTS Comparison — ETS
- IELTS scoring in detail: band scores explained — IELTS.org
Last verified 7 Oct 2026
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