GeneralComparison

IELTS vs TOEIC vs PTE vs Duolingo vs TOEFL: score comparison chart (2026)

By The English for Education team·8 min read·Updated 6 October 2026

IELTS specialists — MUIC & Chulalongkorn University alumni, IELTS Speaking Band 9, trained via IDP IELTS teacher courses.

IELTS vs TOEIC vs PTE vs Duolingo vs TOEFL: score comparison chart (2026)

Quick answer

No single official chart converts every English test, so each figure here comes from the test publisher's own concordance and every cross-test match is approximate. On the official tables, IELTS 6.5 ≈ PTE Academic 55–62 ≈ Duolingo English Test 120–125 ≈ TOEFL iBT 4.5 on the new 1–6 scale, and IELTS 7 ≈ PTE 63–70 ≈ Duolingo 130–135 ≈ TOEFL 5. TOEIC has no official IELTS concordance, so compare it only through the CEFR: ETS sets 785 as the TOEIC Listening & Reading minimum for B2 — the level IELTS places at 5.5–6.5 — and 945 for C1, which IELTS places at 7–8. Always meet the exact score your university, employer or visa asks for in the test it names, and convert your own scores with the free converter at engforedu.com/tools/english-score-converter.

English test score comparison chart (approximate)

Each row starts from an IELTS band and lists the PTE Academic, Duolingo English Test and TOEFL iBT scores that the publishers' own comparison tables match to it, plus the CEFR level IELTS gives that band. TOEIC is not in the chart because no official TOEIC–IELTS concordance exists, so compare it through the CEFR only: ETS sets 550 as the TOEIC Listening & Reading minimum for B1, 785 for B2 and 945 for C1, and the test has no C2 level.

Where a test is missing from a row (shown as —), check that publisher's own table rather than guessing.

Approximate score equivalents by IELTS band, from the official Pearson (July 2025), Duolingo, ETS and IELTS tables. TOEIC is not shown: there is no official TOEIC–IELTS concordance.
IELTS band	CEFR level	PTE Academic	Duolingo English Test	TOEFL iBT (1–6 scale)
9	C2	90	160	6
8.5	C2	86–89	160	6
8	C1	79–85	150–155	6
7.5	C1	71–78	140–145	5.5
7	C1	63–70	130–135	5
6.5	B2	55–62	120–125	4.5
6	B2	47–54	105–115	4
5.5	B2	39–46	95–100	3.5
5	B1	31–38	80–90	2.5
4.5	B1	24–30	65–75	—
4	B1	—	60	—

IELTS vs TOEIC vs PTE vs Duolingo vs TOEFL: score comparison chart (2026) — visual guide — Visual guide · English test score comparison chart (approximate)

IELTS to PTE Academic (Pearson concordance, July 2025)

Pearson's July 2025 concordance study matches PTE Academic overall scores to IELTS Academic bands:

IELTS Academic vs PTE Academic — Pearson concordance study, July 2025 (approximate)
IELTS Academic band	PTE Academic overall score
9	90
8.5	86–89
8	79–85
7.5	71–78
7	63–70
6.5	55–62
6	47–54
5.5	39–46
5	31–38
4.5	24–30

IELTS to Duolingo English Test (Duolingo concordance)

Duolingo publishes this comparison between Duolingo English Test overall scores and IELTS overall bands:

IELTS vs Duolingo English Test — Duolingo's official concordance (approximate)
IELTS overall band	Duolingo English Test overall score
8.5–9	160
8	150–155
7.5	140–145
7	130–135
6.5	120–125
6	105–115
5.5	95–100
5	80–90
4.5	65–75
4	60

IELTS to TOEFL iBT on the new 1–6 scale

On 21 January 2026 ETS moved TOEFL iBT score reports to a 1–6 band scale. ETS's own comparison table matches IELTS bands to the new scale like this:

If you hold an older TOEFL score on the 0–120 scale, ETS's compare-scores page explains how it relates to the new 1–6 bands — do not assume that an old and a new TOEFL number mean the same thing.

IELTS vs TOEFL iBT on the 1–6 band scale (from 21 January 2026) — ETS comparison table (approximate)
IELTS band	TOEFL iBT (1–6 band scale)
8–9	6
7.5	5.5
7	5
6.5	4.5
6	4
5.5	3.5
5	2.5

Where does TOEIC fit? Compare through the CEFR only

ETS publishes no official concordance between TOEIC and IELTS, so any chart that turns a TOEIC score straight into an IELTS band is guesswork. The two tests also measure different things: TOEIC Listening & Reading tests listening and reading only, while IELTS also tests writing and speaking.

What both publishers do provide is a CEFR mapping. ETS sets these TOEIC Listening & Reading total-score minimums for each CEFR level, and IELTS places its bands at B1 for 4–5, B2 for 5.5–6.5, C1 for 7–8 and C2 for 8.5–9. So a TOEIC 800 and an IELTS 6 are both B2-level results — but that is a shared level, not an equal score, and an organisation that asks for one test will not necessarily accept the other.

CEFR minimum total scores for TOEIC Listening & Reading (ETS) beside the IELTS bands at the same level (IELTS) — a shared level, not an equal score: there is no official TOEIC–IELTS concordance
CEFR level	TOEIC Listening & Reading minimum total score	IELTS bands at that level
A1	120 or above	—
A2	225 or above	—
B1	550 or above	4–5
B2	785 or above	5.5–6.5
C1	945 or above	7–8
C2	No C2 level	8.5–9

CEFR levels side by side

The CEFR is the common yardstick most publishers map to. Here are the official IELTS, PTE Academic and TOEIC Listening & Reading ranges for each level; Duolingo and ETS publish their own CEFR alignments for the Duolingo English Test and TOEFL iBT on their score pages.

Official CEFR ranges: IELTS (ielts.org), PTE Academic (Pearson) and TOEIC Listening & Reading minimums (ETS)
CEFR level	IELTS band	PTE Academic score	TOEIC Listening & Reading minimum
C2	8.5–9	85–90	No C2 level
C1	7–8	76–84	945+
B2	5.5–6.5	59–75	785+
B1	4–5	43–58	550+
A2	—	30–42	225+

How to use these comparisons safely

Treat every cross-test match as approximate. The tables do not line up perfectly: IELTS places 5.5 at B2, yet Pearson matches IELTS 5.5 to PTE 39–46, which Pearson's own CEFR table labels A2–B1.
The organisation decides. Universities, employers and visa authorities set their own minimums for each test they accept, sometimes including minimum scores for each skill.
Compare like with like. TOEIC Listening & Reading covers two skills; IELTS, PTE Academic, the Duolingo English Test and TOEFL iBT also test speaking and writing.
Use the current scale. TOEFL iBT results issued from 21 January 2026 use the 1–6 bands, so check which scale a requirement is written in.
Apply with an official score report, never with a converted number.

Convert your own scores and practise free

Enter any IELTS, PTE, Duolingo, TOEFL or TOEIC score into the free converter at engforedu.com/tools/english-score-converter to see the matching ranges and CEFR level with the official sources, or work out an IELTS overall band with the free calculator at engforedu.com/tools/ielts-band-calculator.

Then close the gap to the score you need: take a free diagnostic and practise every skill with instant feedback at engforedu.com/journey, or try a full timed TOEIC mock free at engforedu.com/toeic/mock.

Frequently asked questions

What is IELTS 6.5 equivalent to in PTE, Duolingo and TOEFL?

On the official tables, IELTS 6.5 matches PTE Academic 55–62, Duolingo English Test 120–125 and TOEFL iBT 4.5 on the new 1–6 scale. Treat these as approximate and check the exact score your institution asks for.

What TOEIC score is equal to IELTS 6.5?

There is no official TOEIC–IELTS concordance. Both can only be compared through the CEFR: IELTS 6.5 is B2, and ETS sets 785 as the TOEIC Listening & Reading minimum for B2. That makes them the same level, not equivalent scores.

What PTE score is equal to IELTS 7?

Pearson's July 2025 concordance matches IELTS 7 to PTE Academic 63–70, IELTS 6.5 to 55–62 and IELTS 7.5 to 71–78.

What is a Duolingo 120 in IELTS?

Duolingo's concordance matches 120–125 to IELTS 6.5, 130–135 to IELTS 7 and 105–115 to IELTS 6.

What does the new TOEFL 1–6 score mean in IELTS terms?

ETS's comparison puts TOEFL iBT 6 at about IELTS 8–9, 5.5 at 7.5, 5 at 7, 4.5 at 6.5, 4 at 6, 3.5 at 5.5 and 2.5 at 5. TOEFL iBT moved to the 1–6 scale on 21 January 2026.

Are these score conversions official?

Each IELTS pairing comes from the publisher's own official table (Pearson, Duolingo, ETS) and the CEFR levels from IELTS and ETS, but comparisons across tests are always approximate. The organisation you apply to decides which tests and scores it accepts.