IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC & Eiken score conversion table 2026

Score a 6.5 on IELTS and the next thing you search is usually "what's that in TOEFL?" or "what CEFR level is that?" Then you find ten tables that disagree. One says IELTS 6.5 = TOEFL 79–93. Another says 86–94. Some put it at Eiken Grade Pre-1, others at Grade 1.

Here's the honest answer. Each table is partly right, and none of them gives you a single correct number. The tests measure different skills in different ways. This article builds the most reliable 2026 conversion table I can, using only one kind of evidence: how each test officially aligns itself to the CEFR (the Common European Framework of Reference). Every figure traces back to an official CEFR alignment. The one exception is the TOEIC totals, which I summed from ETS's official section cut scores.

The IELTS, Eiken, TOEIC, TOEFL and CEFR conversion table

Start with the full picture. The table below connects each test through its own official CEFR alignment. CEFR runs from A1 to C2, and IELTS, Eiken, TOEIC and TOEFL each publish where their scores sit on it. Use CEFR as the shared ruler and the comparison holds together, even if it's indirect.

CEFR	IELTS	Eiken	TOEIC L&R (approx.)	TOEFL iBT (2026, 1–6)	TOEFL iBT (old, 0–120)
C2	8.5–9.0	(not measured)	(not measured)	6.0	114–120
C1	7.0–8.0	Grade 1	945–990	5.0–5.5	95–113
B2	5.5–6.5	Grade Pre-1	785–940	4.0–4.5	72–94
B1	4.0–5.0	Grade 2	550–780	3.0–3.5	42–71
A2	(not published)	Grade Pre-2	225–545	2.0–2.5	(below old-scale floor)

The IELTS cell at A2 is blank on purpose: IELTS publishes its CEFR alignment from band 4.0 upward and states nothing below that, so any precise A2 band you see elsewhere is an estimate rather than an official figure (IELTS to CEFR has the detail, including the bands IELTS calls borderline).

Eiken and TOEIC show "not measured" at C2 because both officially align only up to C1. Eiken's Grade 1 tops out at C1, and so does TOEIC L&R. Neither distinguishes the C2 range that IELTS 8.5 and above sit in. The Eiken column lists each grade's central level. The official table ticks two CEFR bands per grade, though a pass resolves it to one, and EIKEN to IELTS works through why.

IELTS band by band: what is 6.5 in TOEFL?

Now read it from the IELTS side, in half-band steps. To answer the most-searched question first: IELTS 6.5 is CEFR B2, and on the Eiken scale that's the upper part of Grade Pre-1 reaching into Grade 1. Passing Pre-1 does not guarantee an IELTS 6.5. Same band, different mix of skills measured (more on that below).

For TOEFL, the test maker ETS publishes an official concordance with IELTS. Here is the 2026 version on the new 1–6 scale.

IELTS	TOEFL iBT total (2026, 1–6)	Old-scale equivalent (0–120)
9.0	6.0	114+
8.5	6.0	114+
8.0	6.0	114+
7.5	5.5	107–113
7.0	5.0	95–106
6.5	4.5	86–94
6.0	4.0	72–85
5.5	3.5	58–71
5.0	2.5	(not published)
4.5	2.0	(not published)
4.0	1.5	(not published)

The source is ETS's official comparison tool. ETS notes that the table is a general guide and cannot predict the exact score a given test taker would earn on two different tests. The bottom three bands have no old 0–120 figure because ETS only published old-scale equivalents down to band 3.5. I left those blank rather than guessing.

I deliberately did not build an Eiken or TOEIC column by IELTS band. Neither test has a direct official concordance with IELTS; as the first table shows, they connect only through CEFR. Tables that assign a precise Eiken grade or TOEIC score to every IELTS band are almost always someone's estimate. The more you fill those cells with numbers, the further you drift from the source. If TOEIC is the score you're holding, the TOEIC to IELTS conversion guide reads that CEFR bridge score by score and covers what TOEIC leaves unmeasured.

In January 2026, TOEFL switched to a 1–6 scale

This is the main reason TOEFL numbers vary across the tables you find online. On January 21, 2026, TOEFL iBT scoring changed from 0–120 to a 1.0–6.0 scale in half-point steps. Each section is reported from 1 to 6, and the average is rounded to the nearest half band for the total. That brings it close to how IELTS reports.

The new scale maps cleanly to CEFR: a total of 6.0 is C2, 5.0–5.5 is C1, 4.0–4.5 is B2, 3.0–3.5 is B1. ETS rebuilt its IELTS concordance to match. So the familiar "IELTS 6.5 = TOEFL 79–93" figure is a pre-2026 conversion. Not wrong so much as dated. The new concordance puts IELTS 6.5 at a total of 4.5, which reads as 86–94 on the old 0–120 scale.

Through a transition window from January 2026 to January 2028, score reports show three things: the CEFR level, the new 1–6 scores, and a comparable old 0–120 total. That covers applicants whose target schools still list older requirements. ETS advises that an institution that wanted a 100 should map it to band 5 on the new scale, which corresponds to 95–106. If you hold an older TOEFL score, the old-scale reading stays legible until 2028.

Why there is no single "IELTS 6.5 = X"

This is the part that matters most. Conversion tables are handy, but ignore their limits and they'll trip you up at the application stage.

Two reasons. First, the tests measure different content. TOEIC Listening & Reading covers exactly that, listening and reading, with no speaking or writing. IELTS measures all four skills, and its Speaking section is a live interview with an examiner. A TOEIC 900 may land high on the shared ruler, yet that says nothing certain about how the same person performs on IELTS Writing or Speaking. A conversion table shows roughly where you sit on one scale. It does not claim you have the same ability.

Second, even the official bodies disagree at the edges. IELTS itself calls 7.0–8.0 a C1. Follow ETS's TOEFL concordance, though, and IELTS 8.0 maps to a total of 6.0, which is C2. Go the other way and IELTS 5.0, a B1 by IELTS's own alignment, lands at A2. The middle around 6.5–7.0 mostly agrees; the ends are where the readings split. The half-band boundaries are that sensitive. You can only speak in ranges. The more confidently a table states one number, the more I'd doubt it.

Building IELTS Drills means living in those ranges every day. Our feedback comes back not as a score but as which of the four Band Descriptors it touches: TA, CC, LR, GRA. An IELTS 6.5 answer might be running LR at a 7.0 level while GRA drags at 6.0. That breakdown, the inside of a 6.5, is what a conversion table can't show you. Before you translate a total into another test, knowing the shape of your four axes gets you closer to the next 0.5.

Each test's official CEFR alignment (sources)

Here's the basis for the first table, test by test. All of it is published by the testing bodies themselves.

• IELTS to CEFR: IELTS aligns B1 = 4.0–5.0, B2 = 5.5–6.5, C1 = 7.0–8.0, C2 = 8.5–9.0 (ielts.org).
• Eiken to CEFR: by four-skill Eiken CSE score, C1 = 2600 and up, B2 = 2300–2599, B1 = 1950–2299, A2 = 1700–1949. The Grade 1 pass line is 2630, right at the entry to C1. Central mappings are Grade 1 = C1, Pre-1 = B2, Grade 2 = B1, Pre-2 = A2, with some overlap into the neighbouring band (Eiken Foundation of Japan).
• TOEIC L&R to CEFR: ETS gives section minimums, with B2 at Listening 400 / Reading 385 and C1 at Listening 490 / Reading 455. Combined, the rough thresholds are B1 ≈ 550, B2 ≈ 785, C1 ≈ 945. TOEIC L&R aligns only as high as C1 (ETS CEFR mapping).
• TOEFL iBT to CEFR: on the new 1–6 scale, C2 = 6.0, C1 = 5.0–5.5, B2 = 4.0–4.5, B1 = 3.0–3.5 (ETS score scale update). The IELTS concordance comes from the ETS comparison tool.

Which test should you take?

Even with a conversion in hand, the test you sit depends on your goal. For degree study abroad or migration, it's IELTS or TOEFL. For university entrance or job applications inside Japan, Eiken and TOEIC tend to travel better. Same CEFR B2, but a familiar test moves faster with the people reading your file. If you go with IELTS, read how the band score is calculated next, because it turns a target band into a concrete plan.

FAQ

What is IELTS 6.5 in Eiken? It's CEFR B2, so upper Grade Pre-1 into the start of Grade 1. A Pre-1 pass is not the same as IELTS 6.5. The skill mix differs, so treat it as a guide.

What is IELTS 6.5 in TOEFL? On ETS's 2026 concordance it's a total of 4.5 on the new scale, or roughly 86–94 on the old 0–120 scale. The widely quoted "79–93" is a pre-2026 figure and reads differently now.

If I hold Eiken Grade 1, can I get IELTS 7.0? Both sit in the CEFR C1 range, but they're different tests. IELTS Speaking is a live interview and its Writing tasks have their own format. Same C1 band, yet you'll struggle to reach 7.0 without IELTS-specific practice.

What is TOEIC 900 in IELTS? B2, which IELTS reads as 5.5–6.5. But TOEIC never measured your Writing or Speaking, which are usually what set the band. The TOEIC to IELTS conversion guide reads it score by score.

Can I still use an old TOEFL score (0–120)? During the transition through January 2028, score reports include a comparable old 0–120 total. Check whether your target lists the new or the old requirement.

Can I use a converted score on my application? No. The test and score your institution specifies are what count. A conversion estimates roughly which level you're at; it doesn't decide admission.

The takeaway

A conversion table is a map, not the destination. Three things to hold on to. The only official bridge between Eiken or TOEIC and IELTS is CEFR, so any direct conversion carries some estimation. TOEFL moved to a 1–6 scale in January 2026, so old 0–120 tables need rereading. And two people on the same band can look very different inside, which is why knowing your weakest axis beats translating a total into another test.

If you've decided on IELTS, start by averaging your four section scores without rounding. Then work out which axis to chip away at, five minutes a day. That question moves your score more than any conversion table will.