The TOEFL 1–6 score scale: what a band is, how it is built, and what an old 100 corresponds to
Since 21 January 2026 the TOEFL iBT reports each section as a band from 1 to 6 in half steps and the overall as their rounded mean. For two years it also prints a comparable score on the old 0–120 scale, and ETS publishes the table behind it. This page explains the scale from ETS's scoring page and 2026 blueprint, reproduces that table, and is explicit about the one thing ETS has not published: a band-by-band CEFR mapping.
The scale, in ETS's terms
- Four section scores and an overall score, each on the 1–6 scale, in half-point increments.
- The overall is the average of the four sections, rounded to the nearest half band. ETS's examples: 5.25 reports as 5.5; 5.125 reports as 5.
- For two years after January 2026, a comparable overall 0–120 score is also reported, the midpoint of the corresponding total range in ETS's comparison table.
- The scale is aligned with the CEFR, in ETS's words a more intuitive alignment than the old one; ETS's blueprint states the CEFR range each task type is written to.
- Scores are valid for two years; official scores are posted three days after the test, unofficial Reading and Listening scores at the end of the sitting.
ETS's comparison of the two scales
Published on ETS's Score Guidance page for tests taken before 21 January 2026: for each half band, the corresponding section score out of 30 and total out of 120.
| Section and total (1–6) | Reading (0–30) | Listening (0–30) | Speaking (0–30) | Writing (0–30) | Total (0–120) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 29–30 | 28–30 | 28–30 | 29–30 | 114+ |
| 5.5 | 27–28 | 26–27 | 27 | 27–28 | 107+ |
| 5 | 24–26 | 22–25 | 25–26 | 24–26 | 95+ |
| 4.5 | 22–23 | 20–21 | 23–24 | 21–23 | 86+ |
| 4 | 18–21 | 17–19 | 20–22 | 17–20 | 72+ |
| 3.5 | 12–17 | 13–16 | 18–19 | 15–16 | 58+ |
| 3 | 6–11 | 9–12 | 16–17 | 13–14 | 44+ |
| 2.5 | 4–5 | 6–8 | 13–15 | 11–12 | 34+ |
| 2 | 3 | 4–5 | 10–12 | 7–10 | 24+ |
| 1.5 | 2 | 2–3 | 5–9 | 3–6 | 12+ |
| 1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0+ |
Source: ETS, Score Guidance page. ETS's note: total scores are the sum of the section scores and can be obtained with different section-score combinations.
Reading a requirement across the change: a programme that published 100 on the old total was in the row for band 5; 90 is the row for 4.5; 80 the row for 4. ETS says institutions are updating at different times, that some still list the 0–120 format, and that the report carries both figures so either can be met without converting anything. The figure that binds is the one the institution publishes; ask for it.
How a band is built
Three steps, two of which are visible. First, raw points: ETS's blueprint gives every selected-response item one point and every written or spoken response five, for 145 across the test.
| Section | Items | Raw points | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 50 | 35 | 1 point per scored item; unscored trial items are included in the 50 |
| Listening | 47 | 35 | 1 point per scored item; unscored trial items are included in the 47 |
| Writing | 12 | 20 | 10 × 1 point (Build a Sentence) + 2 × 5 points (the written responses) |
| Speaking | 11 | 55 | 11 × 5 points |
| Test | 120 | 145 | 108 machine-scored, 12 AI-scored |
Second, equating — the step you cannot see. Raw points are not the score. Each section's raw score is placed on the 1–6 scale by comparison with ETS's calibrated item pool; the blueprint describes Reading and Listening as two-stage adaptive, so the items you saw depend on which second module you were routed to, and the same raw count is worth more after the harder module. This is also why the raw-point totals — 55 for Speaking, 20 for Writing — say nothing about which section weighs more in the overall: each is equated to its own band first, and the overall is the plain mean of the four.
Third, the overall: the mean of the four section bands, rounded to the nearest half band, by ETS's rule and examples above.
What ETS has published about CEFR — and what it has not
ETS states that the new scale is aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference, and its blueprint specifies the CEFR range each task type is written to. That is the extent of it: as of the date at the foot of this page, ETS's scoring pages carry no table assigning a CEFR level to each half band, and no descriptor of what a 4 or a 5 can do. The task-level ranges are the official statement, and they are these:
| Section | CEFR range per task type (ETS blueprint) |
|---|---|
| Reading | Complete the Words B1–C1+ · Read in Daily Life A1–C1 · Read an Academic Passage B1–C2 |
| Listening | Listen and Choose a Response A1–B2 · Conversation A2–C1 · Announcement A2–C1 · Academic Talk A2–C2 |
| Writing | Build a Sentence A1–C2 · Write an Email B1–C2 · Write for an Academic Discussion B1–C2 |
| Speaking | Listen and Repeat A1–C2 · Take an Interview A1–C2 |
A band-to-CEFR table on any preparation site, including an earlier version of this one, is that site's reading and should be labelled so. The blueprint's per-level descriptors — what an A2, B2 or C1 reader, listener, writer or speaker can do — are condensed in the section guides, and they are the best official guide to what a level means; the band that corresponds to a level is ETS's to publish.
Section bands matter on their own
Because the overall is a rounded mean, a weak section is partly hidden in it: 5, 5, 5 and 3.5 is a 4.5 overall, the same as 4.5 across the board. Institutions publish requirements per section as well as overall, and ETS's comparison table is itself given per section. When you read a requirement, read all five numbers; when you read a practice report, the section that sits a band below the others is the one to work on, because lifting it by one band moves the overall by a quarter and it is usually the one that would have failed a per-section minimum.
Reading a practice report here
A full practice test on this site returns four section bands and an overall, computed the way ETS describes — raw points per section, a section band, the rounded mean — with one honest difference: the raw-to-band step is our estimate, because ETS does not publish its equating, and every band on the report carries the word. The report also says which second module you were routed to in Reading and Listening, and lists every item with the sentence or line of audio it turned on. Use the raw counts and the branch as facts and the bands as a guide.
Questions about the score
How is the overall score calculated?
ETS: each section receives a score from 1 to 6 in half-point increments, and the overall is the average of the four sections rounded to the nearest half band. ETS's own examples: an average of 5.25 reports as 5.5; an average of 5.125 reports as 5. So 5, 5, 5 and 3.5 — an average of 4.625 — reports as 4.5, and the weak section shows in full on its own line.
What is the comparable 0–120 score on my report?
ETS: for a two-year transition period after January 2026, a score report on the 1–6 scale also carries a comparable overall score on the 0–120 scale, defined as the midpoint of the corresponding total range in ETS's comparison table. ETS says this lets a candidate meet a requirement stated in either format without converting anything, and advises confirming the current requirement with the institution.
What does an old target of 100 correspond to?
Read it from ETS's table: totals of 95 and above sit in the row for band 5, 107 and above for 5.5, 86 and above for 4.5, 72 and above for 4. So a programme that used to ask for 100 was asking for the region of a 5; one that asked for 80 was in the region of a 4. The table is ETS's, but the requirement is the institution's — ask for the figure they have published on the new scale.
Which CEFR level is each band?
ETS states that the 1–6 scale has a more intuitive alignment to the CEFR, and its blueprint gives the CEFR range each task type is written to, from A1 up to C2. As of the date at the foot of this page, ETS has not published a band-by-band CEFR table or per-band descriptors on its scoring pages. Any such table you see elsewhere, including on preparation sites, is that site's reading, not ETS's.
Why does the same raw score give different bands?
Because Reading and Listening are adaptive and all four sections are equated. A raw score after the harder second module represents more than the same raw score after the easier one, and equating against ETS's calibrated item pool is what places either on the one scale. It is also why no one outside ETS can publish a raw-to-band table.
When do I get scores, and how long are they valid?
ETS: unofficial Reading and Listening scores appear at the end of the test; official scores are posted in your ETS account three days after the test date, with the PDF report available a day later. Scores are valid for two years from the test date, after which ETS does not report or send them.
How do MyBest scores work across the two scales?
ETS: on a report for a test taken on the 1–6 scale, the MyBest section converts older 0–120 scores to the 1–6 scale; on a report for a test taken on the 0–120 scale, the MyBest section includes only 0–120 scores.
Sources, all ETS: the Score Guidance page (the 1–6 scale, the rounded-mean rule and its examples, the two-year comparable 0–120 score, the comparison table, availability, validity, MyBest); the test-content page (scoring notes); the 2026 Test Blueprint and Specifications (items, raw points, CEFR targets per task, machine and AI scoring, equating). Checked 6 September 2026. ExamStep is an independent practice resource and is not affiliated with ETS. TOEFL® and TOEFL iBT® are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service.
In this series: the whole 2026 format · what changed · Reading · Listening · Writing · Speaking · registration, fees and dates.