The TOEFL® 1–6 band scale, the old 0–120 scale and CEFR

What a band is

Since 21 January 2026, every TOEFL® iBT score report shows five numbers on a scale from 1 to 6: one for each section (Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking) and one overall. Scores move in half steps, so the possible values are 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and so on up to 6.

Before 2026, each section was scored from 0 to 30 and the total was the sum, from 0 to 120. That older scale had many more possible points. The new one is deliberately less detailed: it is designed to tell a university which level of English you have rather than to separate a 97 from a 98.

How the overall band is calculated

The overall band is the average of your four section bands, rounded to the nearest half band. On the old test, the total was a sum.

Here is a worked example with invented section scores:

Section	Band
Reading	5.5
Listening	5
Writing	5
Speaking	5.5
Average	5.25
Overall (reported)	5.5

ETS uses this exact case as its example: an average of 5.25 is reported as 5.5. In practice, a single section half a band higher or lower can move your overall band.

Bands and CEFR levels

ETS built the new scale around the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), the six-level system (A1 to C2) used across Europe and by many universities elsewhere. The same numbers mean the same level in every section and in the overall score:

CEFR level	Band (each section and overall)
C2	6
C1	5–5.5
B2	4–4.5
B1	3–3.5
A2	2–2.5
A1	1–1.5

This consistency is new. On the old scale, the lowest score counted as B2 was different in each section. ETS's research report gives them as 18 for Reading, 17 for Listening, 17 for Writing and 20 for Speaking. Now a 4 means B2 everywhere.

Bands and the old 0–120 scale

ETS published a mapping between the two scales in its 2026 research report on the banded scale (Table 6). The total column shows the minimum old total for each band.

Band	Reading (0–30)	Listening (0–30)	Writing (0–30)	Speaking (0–30)	Total (0–120)
6	29–30	28–30	29–30	28–30	114+
5.5	27–28	26–27	27–28	27	107+
5	24–26	22–25	24–26	25–26	95+
4.5	22–23	20–21	21–23	23–24	86+
4	18–21	17–19	17–20	20–22	72+
3.5	12–17	13–16	15–16	18–19	58+
3	6–11	9–12	13–14	16–17	44+
2.5	4–5	6–8	11–12	13–15	34+
2	3	4–5	7–10	10–12	24+
1.5	2	2–3	3–6	5–9	12+
1	0–1	0–1	0–2	0–4	0+

Three things stand out:

• Many old scores fit in one band. In the total column, everything from 95 up to 106 falls in the band 5 row. Two applicants with the same band could have had quite different old totals.
• Sections are not equal. A band 4 in Reading covers 18–21 on the old scale, but in Speaking it covers 20–22. Converting each section separately gives a different picture from converting only the total.
• The same old number can mean different bands. An old 24 is band 5 in Reading but band 4.5 in Speaking. An old 17 is band 3.5 in Reading but band 3 in Speaking.

ETS notes that the mapping was built from data collected before the new test launched, and that it will keep checking the scale as real test data comes in.

The 0–120 number on your score report

For two years after 21 January 2026, ETS includes a comparable overall score on the 0–120 scale on each report, next to the 1–6 bands and the CEFR level. ETS describes this number as the midpoint of the 0–120 range that corresponds to your band. It is there to help institutions that have not yet updated their requirements. It is not a separate measurement of your performance.

What this means for your target

If your university states a band or a CEFR level

That is the easy case. Aim for the band they state in the sections they name. Many programmes set both an overall minimum and section minimums, often for Writing or Speaking, so read the requirement in full.

If your university still states an old 0–120 score

Do not convert it yourself and assume the result. Check whether the programme has published its own 1–6 equivalent. If it has not, email the admissions office and ask which band they accept. Old requirements often fall between two bands. A requirement of 90, for example, sits between the 86+ row (band 4.5) and the 95+ row (band 5) in the table above, and only the institution can say which band it will accept.

If you have an older score as well

Scores are valid for two years from the test date. ETS says that reports from tests on the new scale convert older 0–120 scores to the 1–6 scale in the MyBest section. Not every institution accepts MyBest, so check with each one.

Practice bands are estimates

Skorway reports your mock and practice results on the same 1–6 scale, in half steps, with the matching CEFR level, so you can compare them with a university's requirement. They are practice estimates, not official scores. Only ETS issues official TOEFL scores.

TOEFL® is a registered trademark of ETS. Skorway is not endorsed or approved by ETS.