Admissions pages reference three different scales depending on which one the university is used to: TOEFL's own 1–6 band (or the legacy 0–120 total), IELTS's 0–9 band, and the CEFR levels (A2 through C2) that most European and increasingly many global institutions now write requirements in. If your score report shows one and the program asks for another, here is how they actually line up.
The Bridge Table
| TOEFL Band (2026) | Legacy TOEFL Total | IELTS Band | CEFR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 114–120 | 8.0–9.0 | C2 (est.) |
| 5.5 | 107–113 | 7.5 | C1–C2 (est.) |
| 5 | 95–106 | 7.0 | C1 |
| 4.5 | 86–94 | 6.5 | B2–C1 (est.) |
| 4 | 72–85 | 6.0 | B2 |
| 3.5 | 58–71 | 5.5 | B1–B2 (est.) |
| 3 | 44–57 | 5.0 | B1 |
| 2.5 | 34–43 | 4.5 | A2–B1 (est.) |
| 2 | 24–33 | 4.0 | A2 (est.) |
Only three CEFR anchors are official
ETS has publicly confirmed just three points on this chart: TOEFL band 5 = C1, band 4 = B2, band 3 = B1. Every other CEFR cell above is our estimate, interpolated from those three anchors and the legacy 0–120 mapping — treat any source (including this one) that presents the rest as official with caution.
Where the IELTS Column Comes From
The IELTS figures are not an ETS or IELTS conversion table — no such joint table exists. They come from the ranges universities themselves publish when they list "equivalent" scores across both exams (for example, an IELTS 6.5 requirement paired with a legacy TOEFL 79–93 requirement on the same admissions page). Because that mapping was built on the old 0–120 scale, we carried it across using the same official ETS 0–120-to-band conversion used throughout this site — see the full chart in our guide to the 1–6 scale.
Check your exact TOEFL band
Enter a legacy 0–120 total or section scores and get the official 1–6 band instantly — the same table used to build the row above.
Open the score converterHow to Use This If a Program Asks for CEFR
- ·Find the CEFR level the program actually lists (usually B2 or C1 for degree-level admission).
- ·Match it to the TOEFL band in the same row — B2 lines up with band 4, C1 with band 5.
- ·If your score sits between two official anchors (say band 4.5), treat it as somewhere between B2 and C1 rather than claiming a CEFR level ETS hasn't confirmed.
- ·When in doubt, email the admissions office with your exact band and legacy total — most have not finished updating their published tables for the January 2026 change.
How to Use This If You Have an IELTS Score and Need TOEFL
Read the table right to left: find your IELTS band, take the TOEFL band in that row as your rough target, and use our TOEFL vs IELTS comparison if you're still deciding which exam to sit rather than converting a score you already have.
None of these cross-exam mappings are exact — TOEFL and IELTS test different skills in different formats, so two people at the "same" row can genuinely perform differently on each exam. Use this table to set a target, then confirm where you actually land with a full practice test.
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