IELTS Score Converter
Pick an IELTS band and see how ETS, Pearson, Duolingo and IELTS itself relate it to the TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Duolingo English Test and CEFR scales, or start from another test's score and read the IELTS band it relates to. Every figure comes from the test owner's own published table, named and dated below. These are the owners' estimates, not official equivalences, and each university or authority sets its own requirement.
Convert a Score Between Tests
Choose a direction. Results update instantly and nothing you select leaves your browser.
From an IELTS band
Pick the overall band. Each result is the test owner's own comparison.
Select an IELTS band to see how each test owner relates it to its own scale.
To an IELTS band
Pick a test, then its score. The result is the IELTS band that test's owner relates the score to.
Choose a test and enter a score to see the IELTS band its owner relates it to.
Each result is the estimate of the test owner named in it. Institutions set their own requirements and may accept different scores, so check the score your university, employer or immigration authority asks for.
The Comparison Tables
One block per test owner. Each table names its owner, links the page it comes from and gives the date it was read; the owner's own caveat sits under it. The converter above reads the same data file.
How to read these tables
A row says how the test owner relates the two scores, not that they are the same. The IELTS overall band is the average of the four sections rounded to the nearest half band (.25 and .75 round up); Writing and Speaking are reported as a whole or half band.
IELTS and TOEFL iBT (ETS)
ETS publishes this comparison for the TOEFL iBT scale that replaced the former total scale. It gives the total and each of the four sections for every IELTS band.
| IELTS band | TOEFL iBT total | Reading | Listening | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| 8.5 | 6.0 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| 8.0 | 6.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| 7.5 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 5.0 |
| 7.0 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| 6.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| 6.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| 5.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| 5.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.5 |
| 4.5 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| 4.0 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 |
ETS introduced the 1 to 6 scale on 21 January 2026. Score reports carry a comparable 0 to 120 score for two years (the midpoint of the matching range). ETS says the IELTS comparison rests on a concordance study between the previous TOEFL iBT and IELTS and on the research linking the two TOEFL scales.
TOEFL iBT total and the former total scale
| TOEFL iBT total | Former total scale: lowest total mapped to it |
|---|---|
| 6.0 | 114 |
| 5.5 | 107 |
| 5.0 | 95 |
| 4.5 | 86 |
| 4.0 | 72 |
| 3.5 | 58 |
| 3.0 | 44 |
| 2.5 | 34 |
| 2.0 | 24 |
| 1.5 | 12 |
| 1.0 | 0 |
ETS's comparison of the 1 to 6 total with the 0 to 120 total of tests taken before 21 January 2026 (the 0 to 120 figure is the lowest total ETS maps to that 1 to 6 score).
TOEFL iBT and the CEFR
| CEFR level | TOEFL iBT score |
|---|---|
| C2 | 6 |
| C1 | 5–5.5 |
| B2 | 4–4.5 |
| B1 | 3–3.5 |
| A2 | 2–2.5 |
| A1 | 1–1.5 |
ETS's own alignment of the 1 to 6 scale with the CEFR (total and each section).
IELTS and PTE Academic (Pearson)
Pearson relates each IELTS Academic band to a minimum PTE Academic score. A PTE score at or above the minimum, and below the next one, falls in that band.
| IELTS Academic band | Minimum PTE Academic score |
|---|---|
| 9.0 | 90 |
| 8.5 | 86 |
| 8.0 | 79 |
| 7.5 | 71 |
| 7.0 | 63 |
| 6.5 | 55 |
| 6.0 | 47 |
| 5.5 | 39 |
| 5.0 | 31 |
| 4.5 | 24 |
Pearson updated its IELTS concordance on research published in July 2025, after the PTE Academic test was updated. Each PTE score is the minimum threshold Pearson relates to that IELTS Academic band. Pearson's own words: the table shows how the two tests' scores compare, not which scores universities or visa authorities accept.
PTE Academic and the CEFR
| CEFR level | PTE Academic score range |
|---|---|
| C2 | 76–90 |
| C1 | 59–82 |
| B2 | 50–75 |
| B1 | 36–58 |
| A2 | 30–42 |
Pearson's chart places each CEFR level on a PTE range (read from the chart; the ranges overlap because the chart shows the easiest and the most difficult tasks at each level).
IELTS and the CEFR (IELTS)
IELTS places overall bands on the Common European Framework of Reference levels, and says where a band sits on the border between two levels.
| CEFR level | IELTS overall band | Borderline |
|---|---|---|
| C2 | 8.5–9 | Band 8 is borderline C1/C2 |
| C1 | 7–8 | – |
| B2 | 5.5–6.5 | Band 5 is borderline B1/B2 |
| B1 | 4–5 | – |
IELTS maps overall band scores, not section scores, to the CEFR, and says the bands have never aligned exactly with the CEFR transition points: band 8 is borderline between C1 and C2, band 5 between B1 and B2. Bands below 4 are not placed on the framework.
IELTS and the Duolingo English Test (Duolingo)
Duolingo compares its overall score with the IELTS overall band. Duolingo's own subscore comparisons and CEFR placement are on its page.
| Duolingo English Test overall score | IELTS overall band |
|---|---|
| 160 | 8.5–9 |
| 150–155 | 8 |
| 140–145 | 7.5 |
| 130–135 | 7 |
| 120–125 | 6.5 |
| 105–115 | 6 |
| 95–100 | 5.5 |
| 80–90 | 5 |
| 65–75 | 4.5 |
| 60 | 4 |
| 10–55 | <4 |
Duolingo's comparison of its overall score with the IELTS overall band, as shown on its scoring page on 7 October 2026; Duolingo also publishes subscore comparisons and its own CEFR placement (C2 155 to 160, C1 130 to 150, B2 100 to 125, B1 60 to 95, A1 to A2 10 to 55).
How to Read a Comparison
Three conversions written out, with the figures taken from the tables above.
IELTS 6.5 in the other tests
ETS relates IELTS 6.5 to a TOEFL iBT total of 4.5. Pearson's minimum PTE Academic score for it is 55. Duolingo compares an overall score of 120–125 with it, and IELTS places it in CEFR level B2.
The four owners built their tables on different studies, so the four figures describe the same band only as each owner sees it.
IELTS 7 in the other tests
ETS relates IELTS 7 to a TOEFL iBT total of 5.0, Pearson to a minimum PTE Academic score of 63, and Duolingo to an overall score of 130–135. IELTS places overall bands 7–8 in C1.
Pearson's score is a minimum: a PTE Academic score between 63 and the next minimum is still read as this band.
From a PTE Academic score to IELTS
A PTE Academic score of 55 meets the minimum Pearson relates to IELTS 6.5, so 6.5 is the band it relates to. A score of 63 meets the minimum for IELTS 7.
Choose the "To IELTS" direction above, pick PTE Academic and enter the score to read this for any score.
What the Converter Cannot Do
- It cannot say what a university, employer or immigration authority will accept. Institutions set their own requirements, and some accept one test and not another.
- It is not an official equivalence. Each row is the estimate of the test owner named in its caption, made from that owner's own research, and the owners' studies differ.
- It cannot convert a Listening, Reading, Writing or Speaking score on its own, except where the owner publishes section scores (the TOEFL iBT table above). IELTS maps overall bands, not section scores, to the CEFR.
- It is not your score report. Only the report issued by the test you sat carries your official scores.
Where to Go Next
The four quick answers give each comparison in a few lines, and the calculator works out the IELTS band itself.
- The quick answers: IELTS to TOEFL, IELTS to PTE Academic, IELTS band to CEFR level and IELTS to the Duolingo English Test.
- Work out the IELTS band first: the band score calculator turns raw scores into bands and rounds the overall band.
- What an IELTS band means: what IELTS band scores mean and what a good IELTS score is.
A Comparison Needs a Band to Start From
A converter works from the score you already have. For Speaking and Writing that score comes from an examiner marking four criteria, and IELTS Mentor AI is a paid app that marks your Speaking and Writing against the same four criteria and reports a band range, so you know which band to convert.
Paid app: what it costs · billing and refunds · support
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about comparing IELTS with TOEFL, PTE Academic, Duolingo and the CEFR.
What is IELTS 6.5 in TOEFL?
ETS relates IELTS 6.5 to a TOEFL iBT total of 4.5 on its new scale, with Reading 4.0, Listening 4.5, Writing 4.5 and Speaking 4.0. On the former total scale, ETS maps a total of 4.5 to 86 or above. It is ETS's estimate, and an institution may ask for a different score.
What PTE score is IELTS 7?
Pearson relates IELTS Academic 7 to a minimum PTE Academic score of 63. The score is a minimum: a PTE Academic score from 63 up to just below the minimum for IELTS 7.5 (71) is read as IELTS 7. Pearson updated its concordance after the PTE Academic test was updated.
Is IELTS 6.5 B2 or C1?
IELTS places an overall band of 6.5 in B2, the level it gives overall bands 5.5–6.5. C1 is overall bands 7–8. IELTS adds that its bands have never aligned exactly with the CEFR transition points, and that it maps overall bands, not section scores, to the CEFR.
What Duolingo score is IELTS 6?
Duolingo compares IELTS 6 with a Duolingo English Test overall score of 105–115. It is Duolingo's own comparison, shown on its scoring page on 7 October 2026. For IELTS 6.5 Duolingo's figure is 120–125.
Are these conversions official?
No. Each table is the test owner's own estimate of how its scores relate to IELTS, taken from the page named in its caption on the date shown, and the owners' studies differ. There is no single official equivalence between the tests, and institutions set their own requirements, so check the score your university, employer or authority asks for.
Did the TOEFL iBT scale change?
Yes. The TOEFL iBT now reports on a scale of 1 to 6 in steps of 0.5, for tests taken on or after 21 January 2026, and its score reports carry a comparable score on the former total scale for two years. The TOEFL table on this page uses the new scale, and a second table shows how ETS maps each new total to the former one.
More tools
Speaking band descriptors
What each band needs, criterion by criterion.
OpenWriting band descriptors
The same, by task and criterion, for Writing.
OpenReading practice test
Two Academic passages, 13 questions each, 20 or 40 minutes, marked in the browser.
OpenCue card library
Part 2 cue cards, each with a timed practice panel.
Open