IELTS to CEFR converter

The CEFR describes what you can do in a language, from A1 to C2. IELTS maps its bands onto four of those levels:

• C2, Proficient (IELTS 8.5–9.0). You understand almost everything you hear or read and express yourself precisely.
• C1, Advanced (IELTS 7.0–8.0). You use English flexibly for study and work, and understand long, demanding texts.
• B2, Upper intermediate (IELTS 5.5–6.5). You follow the main ideas of complex texts and talk with native speakers without strain on either side.
• B1, Intermediate (IELTS 4.0–5.0). You handle familiar topics, everyday situations and simple connected text.
• A1 and A2. Below the IELTS range: IELTS is not built to measure these levels, and bands under 4.0 have no CEFR level.

IELTS 6.5 is B2, upper intermediate. The IELTS partners place the C1 threshold between 6.5 and 7.0, so 6.5 is a strong B2 on the border with C1.

It is also the band many universities ask for. In other tests it equals TOEFL 4.5 on the new scale, Duolingo 120–125 and PTE 55–62.

Cambridge reports its exams on a scale from 80 to 230 and maps IELTS onto it. It publishes this only as a chart, so we measured the Cambridge column in the table above from that chart. Treat it as approximate.

Universities, employers and visa offices set their own minimum for each test. When one names a TOEFL, PTE or Duolingo score, that score is the one you need.

Check the requirement on the institution's own website, or compare universities in our university IELTS requirements search.

Every number on this page comes from these documents, checked on 10 October 2026.

• IELTS. IELTS and the CEFR
• British Council. Understanding and explaining IELTS scores (IELTS–CEFR diagram)
• Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Cambridge English Scale (full-range diagram)
• ETS. A banded score scale for the TOEFL iBT test: rationale, development and score linking. Published April 2026
• ETS. Compare TOEFL iBT scores (TOEFL iBT 1–6 vs IELTS)
• Duolingo. Duolingo English Test: understand scoring (score comparison charts)
• Pearson. Score concordance between the enhanced PTE Academic and IELTS Academic. Published July 2025

Score comparisons are approximate, because each one depends on who took both tests in that study.

TOEFL and TOEFL iBT are trademarks of ETS, PTE Academic of Pearson, and the Duolingo English Test of Duolingo. GoPrep is not affiliated with ETS, Pearson, Duolingo or the IELTS partners.