EIKEN to IELTS: the width is on the IELTS side
EIKEN and IELTS from official sources: why a pass fixes your CEFR level, why the official table shows two ticks per grade, and where the width really opens up.
"EIKEN Grade Pre-1 is about IELTS 6.0." Most comparison pages in Japan open with a line like it. Here is the short answer: if you have passed Grade Pre-1, your CEFR level is fixed at B2. The uncertainty starts one step later, going from B2 to an IELTS band.
The Eiken Foundation's own table shows two ticks against Grade Pre-1, B1 and B2, and that pair covers everyone who takes the grade, not only the people who pass it. Meanwhile CEFR B2 covers IELTS 5.5, 6.0 and 6.5. So the loose part of "Pre-1 = 6.0" is not the grade-to-CEFR step. It is the CEFR-to-IELTS step. What follows works through both, using official sources only. For the five-test overview instead, the score conversion table starts from IELTS.
The official table shows more than one tick per grade
The starting point is the Eiken Foundation's CSE page, which publishes the correspondence between CEFR levels and EIKEN CSE scores.
| CEFR | Gr. 3 | Gr. Pre-2 | Pre-2 Plus | Gr. 2 | Gr. Pre-1 | Gr. 1 | Four-skill total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | − | − | − | − | − | ✓ | 2600 and above |
| B2 | − | − | − | − | ✓ | ✓ | 2300 and above |
| B1 | − | − | − | ✓ | ✓ | − | 1950 and above |
| A2 | − | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | − | − | 1700 and above |
| A1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | − | − | − | 1400 and above |
Read down the columns. Only Grade 3 has a single tick. Grade 2 spans A2 and B1, Grade Pre-1 spans B1 and B2, Grade 1 spans B2 and C1. There is no C2 row at all.
Eiken sets a CSE score range per grade for calculating CEFR, and states that a score below the range produces no CEFR level, a score inside it produces the level matching that score, and a score above it produces the highest level that grade can report.
What gets judged is the four-skill total, not the pass. That is why the table describes what a grade can report rather than what a certificate means.
A pass fixes the level
Put the numbers in and the two ticks explain themselves.
EIKEN sets separate pass marks for the first and second stages, and both have to be cleared. The first stage covers Reading, Listening and Writing; the second covers Speaking. The four-skill total is their sum, so anyone who passes carries at least the sum of the two pass marks.
| Grade | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Minimum total to pass | CEFR floor just below | CEFR of a passer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | 2028 | 602 | 2630 | C1 = 2600 | C1 |
| Grade Pre-1 | 1792 | 512 | 2304 | B2 = 2300 | B2 |
| Grade 2 | 1520 | 460 | 1980 | B1 = 1950 | B1 |
| Pre-2 Plus | 1402 | 427 | 1829 | A2 = 1700 | A2 |
| Grade Pre-2 | 1322 | 406 | 1728 | A2 = 1700 | A2 |
| Grade 3 | 1103 | 353 | 1456 | A1 = 1400 | A1 |
Every pass mark sits just above the CEFR floor it corresponds to. Thirty points for Grade 1, four points for Grade Pre-1, thirty for Grade 2. That placement reads as deliberate rather than accidental.
So a Grade Pre-1 certificate means B2, never B1. The B1 tick belongs to candidates who sat Pre-1 and failed with a four-skill total between 1950 and 2300. The B2 tick on Grade 1 works the same way. It covers, for instance, someone who cleared the written stage, missed 602 on Speaking, and finished with a four-skill total between 2300 and 2600.
Eiken puts a floor under this too, stating that a Grade 1 candidate whose four-skill total falls below 2304, the Pre-1 pass mark, gets no four-skill CEFR at all. Enter a higher grade, fall well short, and nothing is reported.
One more condition gets missed. Eiken states that the four-skill CEFR is not displayed unless all four skills are taken, so a first-stage result on its own produces neither a CEFR level nor an IELTS equivalent.
The width lives on the IELTS side
The grade-to-CEFR step resolves to a single level. The next one does not.
IELTS states that 5.5 to 6.5 is B2 and 7 to 8 is C1, that 8.5 and above is C2, and that band 8 is borderline. B1 carries no figure in the body text; it is where 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0 sit on the official comparison chart (more in IELTS and the CEFR).
Three bands inside B2, three inside C1. One CEFR level maps to three IELTS steps, and that is where the width comes from.
IELTS also cautions against reducing this to one fixed equivalence. The site states there will not be a one-to-one correspondence between IELTS scores and CEFR levels, and says of the chart: "They should not be interpreted as reflecting strong claims about exact equivalence between assessment products or the scores they generate." The reason is historical, since IELTS predates the CEFR and its band scores "have never aligned exactly with the CEFR transition points."
There is a worked example too. IELTS states that the minimum threshold for C1 falls between the 6.5 and 7 bands, so while many 6.5 candidates are at C1, a number sit marginally below. "Grade 1 = IELTS 6.5" therefore points at a band that IELTS describes as containing people who have not reached C1.
The chart also refers to overall band scores rather than the individual skills, so what a Pre-1 pass implies about your IELTS Writing specifically is outside its scope.
The two steps chained
Grade, then CEFR if you passed, then the IELTS range. Narrow first, wide second.
| EIKEN grade (passed) | CEFR | Corresponding IELTS |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | C1 | 7.0–8.0 |
| Grade Pre-1 | B2 | 5.5–6.5 |
| Grade 2 | B1 | 4.0–5.0 |
| Pre-2 Plus | A2 | Not published by IELTS |
| Grade Pre-2 | A2 | Not published by IELTS |
| Grade 3 | A1 | Not published by IELTS |
A2 and A1 read "not published" because IELTS maps the CEFR only from band 4.0 upward. The specific bands you see against A2 elsewhere are somebody's estimate.
If you are looking at a result you did not pass, use the previous section instead: compare your four-skill total against 2600, 2300, 1950, 1700 and 1400. The judgement still happens inside the range set by the grade you entered, so the ceiling is whatever that grade's top tick allows.
Japan's own agencies do not reduce it to a point either
The National Personnel Authority builds TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS and EIKEN into one bonus-point scheme for its 2026 comprehensive-service civil service examination. The brackets are not shaped the same way.
| Test | 15 points | 25 points |
|---|---|---|
| TOEFL iBT | 65 to under 80 | 80 and above |
| TOEIC L&R | 600 to under 730 | 730 and above |
| IELTS | 5.5 to under 6.5 | 6.5 and above |
| EIKEN | (no bracket) | Grade Pre-1 or Grade 1 |
Three tests get two score brackets each. EIKEN gets one, defined by a grade, with nothing corresponding to the IELTS 5.5 tier. The authority also limits what counts as documentation, stating that the Certification Card and the individual score report are not accepted.
So the line the state draws for EIKEN is a pass, not a position on a scale shared with the other three. Pre-1 and IELTS 5.5 may sit close together on the CEFR, and the scheme still treats them differently.
Citing the MEXT comparison table
The public document that puts EIKEN and IELTS on one CEFR axis is the Ministry of Education's comparison table. Its IELTS row runs C2 = 9.0–8.5, C1 = 8.0–7.0, B2 = 6.5–5.5, B1 = 5.0–4.0. Its EIKEN row runs in CSE points: C1 = 3299–2600, B2 = 2599–2300, B1 = 2299–1950. A note explains the blanks, stating that an empty cell means the test cannot certify ability at that CEFR level. The pass scores are printed alongside, with 2630, 2304 and 1980 falling in the C1, B2 and B1 bands respectively, which matches the arithmetic above.
Quote it with the ministry's caveat attached. Of the July 2019 edition derived from this table, the ministry's page states that the material reflects that date, may differ from the current situation, and that the link has therefore been removed. The body that produced it does not vouch for it being current.
The table was also built for the university-entrance English results system, and that system was shelved before it launched. Many of the unsourced conversion tables in circulation appear to trace back to it.
Moving from EIKEN to IELTS
A range at the end does not make preparation vague.
Read the four-skill total, not the grade. A Pre-1 pass at exactly 2304 and a Pre-1 result of 2500 are both B2, and they are different distances from the C1 floor at 2600. The score shows that; the grade does not.
Check the shape across skills. IELTS states that the chart refers to overall band scores. If your EIKEN skill scores dip on Writing, an overall B2 says little about what your IELTS Writing will do.
Read the requirement itself, not a conversion table. Japan's university admissions guidelines leave the conversion method to each university and publish no national table, so "Pre-1 equals 6.0, so I qualify" is a guess about a document you could read directly.
Where people struggle in the move is the marking rather than the vocabulary. EIKEN reports a pass at a grade; IELTS scores each skill against four Band Descriptors. IELTS Drills tags its feedback to one of those axes. "I can pass Pre-1 but my IELTS Writing sits at 6.0" comes back as the name of the axis holding it there, and you drill that one five minutes a day.
Frequently asked questions
What IELTS score is EIKEN Grade Pre-1? A Pre-1 pass fixes your CEFR level at B2, which corresponds to IELTS 5.5–6.5. It does not resolve to one band, because B2 spans three of them, not because the grade is ambiguous.
Is EIKEN Grade 1 equal to IELTS 7.0? A Grade 1 pass carries a four-skill total of at least 2630, so the CEFR level is C1 and the IELTS range is 7.0–8.0. The B2 tick on the Grade 1 row covers people who sat Grade 1 without passing it.
What EIKEN grade is IELTS 6.5? 6.5 is the top of B2, and B2 is what a Pre-1 pass certifies. IELTS adds that the C1 threshold falls between 6.5 and 7, so some 6.5 candidates are already at C1. The question does not resolve to a grade.
Is IELTS 5.5 the same as Grade Pre-1? Their CEFR bands overlap: 5.5 is the bottom of B2 and the Pre-1 pass mark of 2304 sits just above the B2 floor of 2300. Institutions differ, though. The National Personnel Authority gives 15 points for IELTS 5.5 and has no equivalent bracket for EIKEN.
Can I calculate an IELTS score from a CSE score? No. Eiken describes CSE as letting you compare EIKEN results with each other, across sittings and across grades. IELTS states there is no one-to-one correspondence with the CEFR. Both sides stop at ranges.
Does a first-stage result give me a CEFR level? No. Eiken states that the four-skill CEFR is not displayed unless all four skills are taken.
Which should I take? Whoever receives the score decides. EIKEN is widely accepted for domestic admissions and hiring in Japan; IELTS is what overseas universities and immigration systems ask for. JASSO's overseas study scholarship sets its English requirement as TOEFL iBT 80 or IELTS 6.0, with EIKEN not among the options.
The bottom line
"Grade X equals IELTS Y" fails to settle, but not where most pages say it does. Grade to CEFR is fixed once you have passed, because each pass mark is placed just above the matching CEFR floor, four points above it in the case of Grade Pre-1. The step that opens up is CEFR to IELTS, where one level covers three bands, and IELTS itself writes that no one-to-one correspondence exists and that the C1 threshold lands between 6.5 and 7.
So the answer for a Pre-1 holder is B2, meaning 5.5 to 6.5. To narrow it further, look at your four-skill total and at what your target institution asks for, rather than at a conversion table. With IELTS Drills, the feedback names the Band Descriptor costing you the 0.5, five minutes a day.
