IELTS to CEFR: What Each Band Really Means
See what each IELTS band roughly equals on the CEFR, where B2 ends and C1 begins, and use our free score converter to compare IELTS with TOEFL, PTE, DET and more.
IELTS to CEFR: the short answer
IELTS 5.5–6.5 is roughly CEFR B2, while IELTS 7.0–8.0 is roughly CEFR C1. That is the short answer most people need. If you only need a planning rule, treat 6.5 as the top of B2 and 7.0 as the point where most requirements move into C1 territory.
The more honest answer is that IELTS and the CEFR are not a one-to-one conversion table. IELTS itself treats the mapping as an approximate alignment, not an exact equivalence. That matters most at the boundary points — especially if you are trying to work out whether a university requirement still sits in high B2 or has already crossed into C1.
IELTS band to CEFR table
| IELTS band | Rough CEFR level | What that usually means |
|---|---|---|
| 4.0–5.0 | B1 | Can cope with familiar situations, but not yet strong enough for most competitive university entry. |
| 5.5–6.5 | B2 | Independent user; common threshold for undergraduate study and many postgraduate applications. |
| 7.0–8.0 | C1 | Proficient user; common for stronger postgraduate, professional, and writing-heavy requirements. |
| 8.5–9.0 | C2 | Near the top of the academic and professional range. |
Use this as a planning table, not an admissions ruling. Your university or visa route sets the actual threshold, and some institutions phrase the requirement more narrowly than a simple CEFR band.
Is IELTS 6.5 B2 or C1?
IELTS 6.5 sits at the top of B2. IELTS 7.0 is where you usually cross into C1. That is why these two scores are not interchangeable in real applications. On paper they look close. In practice they often sit on different sides of the B2/C1 boundary.
This matters most when a university says “IELTS 6.5 equivalent”, a postgraduate course expects stronger academic writing, or a professional body wants evidence above standard undergraduate-entry English. If your target institution lists another test instead of IELTS, use the converter above to place the requirement on the same ladder before you book the wrong exam.
Where the B2/C1 boundary matters for UK study
For many applicants, the real question is not “What is IELTS in CEFR terms?” but “Does this score keep me in B2, or has the requirement already moved into C1?”
A rough practical rule: IELTS 6.0–6.5 often sits in the range many universities use for standard entry, while IELTS 7.0+ is where more demanding postgraduate, law, medicine, and writing-heavy programmes often start to separate themselves. That does not mean every master’s degree requires C1. It means the 6.5/7.0 jump is usually the decision point worth checking carefully.
Why IELTS to CEFR is approximate, not exact
A lot of online charts present IELTS to CEFR as if each band had a perfect one-to-one match. That is too neat. IELTS uses a 9-band testing system; CEFR uses six named levels from A1 to C2. The alignment is best treated as a rough planning map, not a legal or admissions-grade equivalence.
Use the mapping to understand where your score roughly sits, compare different tests on one ladder, and estimate whether you are in B2 or C1 territory. Do not use it to overrule a university’s published requirement or assume that one provider must accept another provider’s score.
How to use the score converter
- Pick the test you took from the dropdown — IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT (new 1–6 or legacy 0–120), PTE Academic, Duolingo English Test, TOEIC L&R, or Cambridge English Scale.
- Type the score on your result. The input clamps to the valid range automatically (e.g. 0–9 for IELTS, 10–990 for TOEIC). Half-bands are allowed where the test allows them.
- Read the ladder. Your CEFR band is highlighted in gold with a "You are here" tag, and the result card lists what your score roughly equals on every other exam.
Tip — the result card shows the full equivalent range, not a single point. That reflects how the test makers publish their concordances: as overlapping ranges, not exact one-to-one numbers.
What each CEFR level actually means
CEFR is the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages — the six-level scale (A1 → C2) used by most European exams and adopted internationally. ILR is the older US-government scale used by the State Department and military language schools (FSI / DLI). Here is what each level lets you actually do, plus the score range on every test it covers.
Memorized proficiency
Rehearsed phrases for immediate needs — greetings, simple shopping, asking the time. Cannot sustain a real conversation. Below the level of any university or visa requirement.
Elementary
Simple face-to-face conversations on familiar topics — family, work, hobbies. Reads short, predictable texts. Below the threshold for most academic and visa contexts.
Limited working proficiency
Handles routine social situations and limited work demands. Travels through English-speaking countries without major issues. Minimum for UK Skilled Worker visas and many undergraduate foundation programmes.
Professional working proficiency
Effective in most formal and informal conversations. Reads with substantial understanding of contemporary news, technical material in your field. The FSI graduation bar and the typical requirement for UK / EU undergraduate study (IELTS 5.5–6.5, PTE 59–75, TOEFL 72–94 / new 4).
Full professional proficiency
Fluent, accurate, errors are rare. Comfortable in any social, academic, or professional setting. Standard for postgraduate study at competitive universities (IELTS 7.0–8.0, TOEFL 95–120 / new 5, Cambridge CAE 180+).
Functionally native
Speech is fully accepted by educated native speakers — appropriate register, idiom, irony, professional jargon. Required for some translation, diplomatic, and academic posts. IELTS 8.5–9.0, Cambridge CPE 200+, Duolingo 155+.
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Full conversion table — every test, every level
The same data the interactive ladder uses, formatted as a flat reference table for screenshots, embeds, and copy-paste. Score ranges are the concordances published by each test maker, not exact equivalents.
| CEFR / ILR | IELTS | TOEFL 1–6 | TOEFL 0–120 | PTE | Duolingo | TOEIC L&R | Cambridge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C2 · ILR 5 | 8.5–9.0 | 6 | — | 85–90 | 155–160 | — | 200–230 |
| C1 · ILR 4 | 7.0–8.0 | 5 | 95–120 | 76–84 | 135–154 | 945–990 | 180–199 |
| B2 · ILR 3 | 5.5–6.5 | 4 | 72–94 | 59–75 | 120–134 | 785–944 | 160–179 |
| B1 · ILR 2 | 4.0–5.0 | 3 | 42–71 | 43–58 | 90–119 | 550–784 | 140–159 |
| A2 · ILR 1 | — | 2 | — | 30–42 | 60–89 | 225–549 | 120–139 |
| A1 · ILR 0+ | — | 1 | — | 10–29 | 10–59 | 120–224 | 100–119 |
LanguageCert IESOL / SELT and Password are not in the columns above because they report directly as a CEFR level (A1–C2) — no conversion required.
Score converter FAQ
What does IELTS 6.5 equal in CEFR?
IELTS 6.5 sits at the top of the B2 band (CEFR 'independent user', professional working proficiency). The full IELTS B2 range is 5.5–6.5. The next half-band, IELTS 7.0, crosses into C1. On the diplomat's ILR scale, B2 corresponds to ILR 3 — the FSI graduation bar.
Is TOEFL 100 a C1 score?
Yes. On the legacy TOEFL iBT 0–120 scale, scores 95–120 map to CEFR C1. TOEFL 100 is comfortably mid-C1 and meets most competitive university English requirements. On the new TOEFL 1–6 scale (effective 21 Jan 2026), the equivalent is roughly 5.
How does Duolingo English Test compare to IELTS?
Roughly: DET 120 ≈ IELTS 6.5 (B2), DET 135 ≈ IELTS 7.0 (low C1), DET 155 ≈ IELTS 8.5 (C2). Duolingo published a more conservative revised concordance in 2025, so older charts may overstate DET by 5–10 points at the B2/C1 boundary. The interactive ladder above uses the 2025 numbers.
What CEFR level do I need for a UK student visa?
UKVI standard is CEFR B1 for most undergraduate routes (≈ IELTS 4.0–5.0, PTE 43–58) and B2 for postgraduate (≈ IELTS 5.5–6.5, PTE 59–75). Individual universities often require higher — B2+ to C1 is common at competitive institutions. Always check your specific course and visa category, since UKVI accepts a narrower list of "Secure English Language Tests" (SELT) than universities accept overall.
Why does TOEFL now use a 1–6 scale?
ETS switched TOEFL iBT to a 1–6 scale on 21 January 2026 to align directly with the CEFR's six levels (A1–C2) instead of asking universities and applicants to interpret a 0–120 number. During the 2026–2028 transition, score reports still show both the new 1–6 and the legacy 0–120 number, so you can compare across cohorts. The ladder lists both.
Are these score conversions exact?
No. They are statistical concordances published by the test makers, not one-to-one equivalents. Each test measures the four skills with different weightings — IELTS is human-rated and skill-balanced, PTE is AI-rated, Duolingo is adaptive and shorter, TOEIC is receptive-only. Use the ladder as a planning tool to choose which test to sit and roughly how high to aim. Always confirm the exact requirement with your target university, employer, or immigration authority before paying for an exam.
Does LanguageCert or Password give a CEFR score directly?
Yes — LanguageCert IESOL/SELT and Password (Skills / Skills Plus) both report directly as a CEFR level (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 or C2) rather than a numeric score, so no conversion is needed. The CEFR level on your result certificate is the official outcome. For more on either test, see our LanguageCert guide and Password guide.
What is ILR and how does it relate to CEFR?
ILR (Interagency Language Roundtable) is the US government scale used by the State Department, FSI, DLI, and the diplomatic services — running from 0 (No proficiency) to 5 (Native). It predates CEFR by about three decades. The accepted alignment: ILR 0+ ≈ A1, ILR 1 ≈ A2, ILR 2 ≈ B1, ILR 3 ≈ B2 (the FSI graduation bar), ILR 4 ≈ C1, ILR 5 ≈ C2. Our diplomat training method targets ILR 3 explicitly.
How is TOEIC mapped — and why does it stop at C1?
TOEIC Listening & Reading is receptive-only — it measures comprehension, not production. ETS officially caps the TOEIC L&R to CEFR mapping at C1 (945–990) because the test has no way to verify C2-level speaking and writing. If you need a C2 score recognised on a CV, sit Cambridge CPE (200+), IELTS (8.5–9.0), or Duolingo (155+) instead.
Next steps — train, compare, or apply
The score converter sits at the centre of a small library of free tools and guides. Whatever your number told you, here is the right next click:
Sources & methodology
The concordance ranges above are drawn from each test maker's published mapping to CEFR — no PrepLearnio-original concordances are claimed. We list the exact source per test:
- IELTS ↔ CEFR — British Council / IDP / Cambridge IELTS Partners (joint publication), reaffirmed annually.
- TOEFL iBT ↔ CEFR — ETS official mapping. New 1–6 scale effective 21 January 2026; the legacy 0–120 mapping remains valid during the 2026–2028 transition (both shown on score reports).
- TOEIC L&R ↔ CEFR — ETS official TOEIC concordance; capped at C1 (945–990) by design (receptive-only test).
- PTE Academic ↔ CEFR — Pearson Global Scale of English (GSE) → CEFR mapping.
- Duolingo English Test ↔ CEFR / IELTS — Duolingo external validation studies (2024–2025). The 2025 revision is more conservative than earlier charts; numbers above match the 2025 publication.
- Cambridge English Scale ↔ CEFR — Cambridge Assessment English official scale (100–230 single scale across B1 Preliminary → C2 Proficiency).
- ILR Skill Level Descriptions — Interagency Language Roundtable (US government, public domain, govtilr.org). ILR↔CEFR alignment follows the widely cited FSI / academic consensus.
Last reviewed: 2026-06-04. The ladder data is updated whenever a test maker revises their official concordance.