TOEFL band scores explained: converting 1–6 to 0–120, CEFR, and IELTS
toefl-prep6 min read
The most common question about the redesigned TOEFL is not about the tasks — it is about the score. Programs still publish requirements like "TOEFL 90" or "IELTS 6.5", while your new score report says something like "4.5". This post explains how the new scale works and how to translate between the numbers your application actually quotes.
How the 1–6 band works
Since January 21, 2026, each TOEFL section — Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking — is scored on a 1–6 band in half-point steps. Your overall score is the average of the four section bands. There is no weighting and no rounding tricks: four 4.5 sections average to an overall 4.5.
The CEFR anchor
The new bands are aligned to the CEFR levels most institutions already understand, and that alignment is the most reliable way to reason about any conversion:
- Band 6 — C2 (mastery)
- Band 5–5.5 — C1 (advanced)
- Band 4–4.5 — B2 (upper-intermediate, the most common admissions bar)
- Band 3–3.5 — B1 (intermediate)
Reading an old 0–120 requirement
Score reports show the legacy 0–120 scale alongside the band through 2028 precisely because most published requirements have not been rewritten yet. If your target program still says "TOEFL 90", you need the indicative legacy range that corresponds to your band — our free band-score converter translates in both directions, and also across CEFR and approximate IELTS equivalents.
Translating an IELTS target
IELTS keeps its own 9-band scale, so any TOEFL equivalence is approximate and goes through CEFR: a C1-level performance is roughly IELTS 7 and above, and B2 roughly 5.5–6.5. Treat published equivalence tables as guidance, and always confirm the exact requirement with your program — universities set their own cutoffs per test.
What to do with your number
Once you know the band you need, the question becomes whether you are on track. Practicing the actual 12 task types with instant grading gives you a live predicted band per section, so you can see which section is holding your average down and drill it specifically — and know when you are ready to book the exam.