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The English Proficiency Ladder

How the diplomat's ILR scale, the CEFR, and every major English exam line up — on one ruler. Pick your test and score to see where you land and what it equals everywhere else.

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C2
ILR 5
Proficient

Functionally native — speech fully accepted by educated native speakers.

IELTS8.5–9.0 TOEFL 1–66 TOEFL 0–120— PTE85–90 DET155–160 TOEIC— Camb.200–230
C1
ILR 4
Proficient

Full professional proficiency — fluent and accurate; errors are rare.

IELTS7.0–8.0 TOEFL 1–65 TOEFL 0–12095–120 PTE76–84 DET135–154 TOEIC945–990 Camb.180–199
B2
ILR 3
Independent

Professional working proficiency — effective in most formal & informal conversation. FSI grad bar

IELTS5.5–6.5 TOEFL 1–64 TOEFL 0–12072–94 PTE59–75 DET120–134 TOEIC785–944 Camb.160–179
B1
ILR 2
Independent

Limited working proficiency — handles routine social and limited work demands.

IELTS4.0–5.0 TOEFL 1–63 TOEFL 0–12042–71 PTE43–58 DET90–119 TOEIC550–784 Camb.140–159
A2
ILR 1
Basic

Elementary — simple face-to-face conversations on familiar topics.

IELTS— TOEFL 1–62 TOEFL 0–120— PTE30–42 DET60–89 TOEIC225–549 Camb.120–139
A1
ILR 0+
Basic

Memorized proficiency — rehearsed phrases for immediate needs.

IELTS— TOEFL 1–61 TOEFL 0–120— PTE10–29 DET10–59 TOEIC120–224 Camb.100–119
How to read this: ranges are statistical concordances, not exact equivalents — each test measures the four skills differently. Always confirm the exact requirement with your target university, employer or immigration authority.

Key dates & caveats. TOEFL iBT moved to a CEFR-aligned 1–6 scale on 21 Jan 2026; during the 2026–2028 transition, reports also show the legacy 0–120 score, so both are listed. Duolingo revised its concordance in 2025 (more conservative); its B2/C1 boundary (~DET 120–135) varies by source. TOEIC L&R is receptive-only and officially maps no higher than C1. LanguageCert & Password report directly as a CEFR level (A1–C2).

Sources: ETS (TOEFL & TOEIC–CEFR mappings), Cambridge Assessment English (English Scale), British Council / IELTS Partners (IELTS–CEFR), Pearson (PTE GSE), Duolingo external validation (2024–25), ILR Skill Level Descriptions (govtilr.org, public domain). PrepLearnio is not affiliated with any test provider; trademarks belong to their owners.

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