# TOEFL Score Conversion Chart: 1–6 Band to 0–120

The redesigned TOEFL uses a new scale. Here's exactly how it maps to the score you might already know.

## Why there are two scales right now

ETS replaced the familiar 0–120 TOEFL iBT scale with a new **1–6 band scale** effective January 21, 2026. During the transition period (2026–2028), official score reports show **both** numbers side by side, plus your CEFR level — so you'll see your result however your target school is used to reading it. If you took the TOEFL before 2026, your score is still on the old scale; this chart lets you compare the two directly.

## Conversion table

Each of the four sections (Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing) is reported on the new 1–6 scale, in 0.5 increments; your overall score is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band. Here's how each band roughly corresponds to the old total-score range:

- **Band 6.0** ≈ old score 114–120

- **Band 5.5** ≈ old score 110–113

- **Band 5.0** ≈ old score 100–109

- **Band 4.5** ≈ old score 87–99

- **Band 4.0** ≈ old score 72–86

- **Band 3.5** ≈ old score 57–71

- **Band 3.0** ≈ old score 42–56

- **Band 2.5** ≈ old score 29–41

- **Band 2.0** ≈ old score 16–28

These are approximate correspondence ranges, not an exact one-to-one formula — the two scales are built differently, so a given old score can fall near either edge of its matching band.

## How the bands map to CEFR

The new scale is deliberately aligned to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), the six-level system (A1–C2) universities and employers worldwide already use to describe language ability:

- **Band 5.5–6.0** ≈ **C1–C2** (advanced / proficient user)

- **Band 4.0–5.0** ≈ **B2–C1** (upper-intermediate to advanced)

- **Band 3.0–3.5** ≈ **B1** (intermediate)

- **Band 2.0–2.5** ≈ **A2** (elementary)

See our full [band score breakdown](https://toefl-exam-prep.com/blog/toefl-band-scores-explained) for what each level actually means in terms of what you can read, hear, say, and write.

## What this means if you're applying with an old score

If your target university's published requirement is still written as an old-scale number (e.g. "minimum 80"), use this table to find your equivalent band, or simply report your old score directly — ETS score reports carry both during the transition, and most admissions offices are already used to reading either. If a requirement doesn't specify which scale it means, it's worth a quick email to admissions to confirm.

## Where you'd land right now

The fastest way to get an actual number instead of a guess is a real diagnostic. Our free TOEFL score estimate gives you a band, an old-scale equivalent, and a CEFR level in about 15 minutes — no payment, no signup wall until you see your result.