Introduction
Choosing the right English language test can be confusing because universities and other organisations may accept different tests and use different minimum score requirements.
This guide compares IELTS Academic, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, Duolingo English Test (DET), Password Skills Plus and Oxford ELLT and explains how their scores relate to each other.
The comparisons below are indicative concordance information, not guaranteed score equivalencies. Institutions, governments and immigration authorities decide which tests they accept and what scores they require. Pearson specifically notes that its PTE–IELTS concordance does not determine university or visa acceptance.
IELTS 4.0–9.0 English Test Comparison
| IELTS | PTE Academic* | TOEFL iBT Legacy 0–120* | TOEFL iBT New 1–6* | Duolingo DET* | Password Skills Plus | Oxford ELLT |
| 4.0 | — | 14–25 | 1.5 | 55–60 | 3.5 | 2 |
| 4.5 | 24–30 | 26–36 | 2.0 | 65–75 | 4.0–4.5 | 3 |
| 5.0 | 31–38 | 37–50 | 2.5 | 80–90 | 5.0 | 4 |
| 5.5 | 39–46 | 51–66 | 3.0 | 95–100 | 5.5 | 5 |
| 6.0 | 47–54 | 67–80 | 4.0 | 105–115 | 6.0 | 6 |
| 6.5 | 55–62 | 81–90 | 4.5 | 120–125 | 6.5 | 7 |
| 7.0 | 63–70 | 91–99 | 5.0 | 130–135 | 7.0+ | 8 |
| 7.5 | 71–78 | 100–107 | 5.5 | 140–145 | — | 9 |
| 8.0 | 79–85 | 108–114 | 6.0 | 150–155 | — | 10 |
| 8.5 | 86–89 | 115–119 | 6.0 | 160 | — | 11 |
| 9.0 | 90 | 120 | 6.0 | 160 | — | 12 |
Important: This table should be labelled “Indicative Score Comparison”, not “Official Equivalent Scores.”
The current Pearson July 2025 PTE Academic–IELTS concordance gives PTE 24–30 = IELTS 4.5, 31–38 = 5.0, 39–46 = 5.5, 47–54 = 6.0, 55–62 = 6.5, 63–70 = 7.0, 71–78 = 7.5, 79–85 = 8.0, 86–89 = 8.5 and 90 = 9.0.
For TOEFL, the legacy 0–120 comparison applies to tests taken before January 2026. The new TOEFL iBT uses a 1–6 scale in 0.5 increments from 21 January 2026. ETS publishes its new TOEFL-to-IELTS comparison separately.
Oxford ELLT currently publishes ELLT 0–12 against IELTS 3.0–9.0, including ELLT 2 = IELTS 4.0 and ELLT 12 = IELTS 9.0.
Password Skills Plus reports scores linked to CEFR rather than publishing a universal IELTS conversion for every score.
What Is CEFR?
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is an international framework used to describe language proficiency from A1 to C2.
| CEFR | General Description |
| A1 | Beginner |
| A2 | Elementary |
| B1 | Intermediate |
| B2 | Upper-Intermediate |
| C1 | Advanced |
| C2 | Proficient / Mastery |
CEFR is particularly useful because different English tests use different scoring systems. For example, the new TOEFL 1–6 scale is explicitly aligned with CEFR, while Duolingo also publishes CEFR alignment research.
Are IELTS, PTE, TOEFL and Duolingo Scores Exactly Equivalent?
No.
Score-concordance tables provide an estimated relationship between tests. They do not mean that a candidate with a particular score on one test will always perform identically on another.
IELTS itself cautions that score comparison tables should be interpreted carefully because tests can differ in their constructs, tasks, delivery methods and scoring systems.
Therefore:
IELTS 6.5 ≠ automatically guaranteed PTE 55 at every university.
The receiving university or authority may establish its own accepted tests and minimum scores.
More to know:
IELTS vs TOEFL Score Comparison
IELTS vs Duolingo Score Comparison
CEFR to IELTS, PTE, TOEFL & Duolingo
TOEFL to IELTS Score Converter
Duolingo to IELTS Score Converter
