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TOEFL iBT®

The premier test of academic English communication

Comparing TOEFL iBT Scores

Are you missing out on qualified applicants?

English-language proficiency scores are a key element in your admissions process. If your TOEFL iBT, IELTS®, Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and TOEFL® Essentials™ requirements aren’t aligned, you might be turning away well-qualified applicants or excluding them entirely because they don’t apply.

To make it easier for you to compare scores and identify misalignment, we've developed these helpful, research-based tools.

 

Comparing TOEFL iBT and IELTS scores

Total Score Comparison Table

The table shows how TOEFL iBT total scores align with IELTS Academic overall band scores.

 

TOEFL iBT Score (0–120) IELTS Band (0–9)
118 9
115 8.5
110 8
102 7.5
94 7
79 6.5
60 6
46 5.5
35 5
32 4.5
0–31 0–4
Shading indicates score comparisons with the highest degree of confidence.

 

Section Score Comparison Tables

TOEFL iBT section scores give you even more insight into your applicant's abilities and can help you see whether a test taker demonstrated the skills that are most important to your program or institution.

Below are comparison tables showing how TOEFL iBT section scores align with IELTS section band scores.

ETS does not recommend using these tables as the only resource to set cut scores. The TOEFL® program provides the Guidelines for Setting Useful Score Requirements for the TOEFL iBT® Test (PDF) to help institutions set useful and relevant score requirements.

For the score concordance research study, see Linking TOEFL iBT® Scores to IELTS® Scores — A Research Report (PDF).

 

* Indicates score comparison ranges with the highest degree of confidence, based on the analysis of 1,153 individuals who took both the TOEFL iBT test and the IELTS academic module

Comparing TOEFL iBT Scores to the CEFR

The mapping of TOEFL iBT scores and CEFR levels is based on an initial standard-setting exercise with educators, and subsequent analyses of test scores to address feedback from universities and teachers of English about the levels of performance in an academic setting.

 

Comparing TOEFL iBT and TOEFL® Essentials™ scores

Institutions can accept both the TOEFL iBT and TOEFL Essentials tests for the same purposes, including university admissions. To make sure your score requirements are aligned, visit Setting Score Requirements for TOEFL Essentials.

 

 

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