TOEFL to IELTS Score Conversion: 5 Easy-to-Use Charts

If you're preparing for international studies, understanding TOEFL to IELTS score conversion can be crucial, especially when different universities or immigration authorities accept one test over the other. Both tests assess your English language proficiency, but they use different scoring systems. Knowing the TOEFL to IELTS equivalent helps you plan your application process, ensuring you meet the language requirements. Whether you’ve taken the TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic, this guide will provide clear insights into how these scores compare, making it easier to understand where you stand and how to improve.

Whether you're aiming for a top-tier university or a prestigious job, our guide will help you navigate the score conversion process with ease and confidence.

TOEFL to IELTS Score Conversion: How Do They Differ?

The TOEFL iBT and IELTS Academic are generally comparable exams. Your ability to read, write, listen, and speak English is assessed on both tests. Furthermore, in English-speaking nations, passing both tests is typically a prerequisite for entrance to graduate and undergraduate programs.

Still, every test has its grading system. Each TOEFL taker receives four scores, one for reading, writing, speaking, and listening, on a scale from 0 to 30 with increments of one point. A total TOEFL score of 120 points is obtained by adding these four scores. My TOEFL score would be 29+25+24+25=103, for instance, if I scored 29 on Reading, 25 on Writing, 24 on Listening, and 25 on Speaking.

On an IELTS scale of 0 to 9, with half-point increments, test takers earn four distinct "band" scores for Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening. The IELTS total band score is based on the same 0-9. This is because it is the average of these four values, not the sum of them.

For example, if I were to score 8 on Reading, 7 on Writing, 5 on Listening, and 6 on Speaking, my total IELTS band score would be (8+7+5+6)/4=6.5. Note that total IELTS scores always {round to the nearest half-point.}

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IELTS to TOEFL Conversion Charts

Five TOEFL to IELTS score conversion charts are provided in this section. There is one chart for the exam's total scores, and there are other charts for each component.

How precise, though, are these charts? Regretfully, there isn't an approved method for converting TOEFL to IELTS. This is because separate organizations give the TOEFL and IELTS. Thankfully, TOEFL developers ETS provide TOEFL vs IELTS conversion predictions on their website. Data from over 1,000 test takers who completed the TOEFL and IELTS was used to produce these figures. We can't get any closer to an official TOEFL IELTS conversion method than these charts, even though they're not perfect!

It's also critical that you keep in mind that the content tested on the TOEFL and IELTS differs. There are a lot of significant variations between the two tests! For instance, the IELTS Reading section offers a greater variety of texts, such as newspaper and magazine articles, whereas the TOEFL Reading component concentrates on texts that are appropriate for university courses. In addition, speaking into a computer microphone is required for the Speaking portion of the TOEFL, while speaking in English with a human assessor is required for the IELTS.

TOEFL to IELTS: Total Scores

TOEFL to IELTS: Reading

TOEFL to IELTS: Writing

TOEFL to IELTS: Listening

TOEFL to IELTS: Speaking

How to Interpret the TOEFL/IELTS Conversion Charts?

The charts illustrate that the TOEFL scoring scale use a significantly wider point range (0-120) than the IELTS (0-9) grading system. You'll receive a more accurate assessment of your English language skills with the TOEFL. Between 60 and 93 on the TOEFL, for instance, there is a significant difference: While 93 is a good score, 60 is typically insufficient for entrance to American universities. The needed average TOEFL score is 78, however 93 is actually higher.

In contrast, 60 and 93 translate to 6 and 6.5 on the IELTS. The difference is just 0.5 points! Consequently, you cannot observe these subtle disparities in language understanding on the IELTS that you can on the TOEFL, even if your actual English proficiency is truly between 6 and 6.5 (or, between 60 and 93 on the TOEFL).

Additionally, as opposed to the IELTS, the TOEFL does not round results. IELTS scores round down to 6, which is regrettably slightly less than the average needed to be admitted to US universities. Nevertheless, you will be sure to pass the minimum entrance standards for many American universities if you score 78 on the TOEFL, which is equivalent to 6 on the IELTS.

The TOEFL scoring method thus makes it marginally easier to obtain the score required for admission if your goal is to be accepted into as many U.S. universities as you can.

For example, a minimum TOEFL score of 87 or a minimum IELTS band score of 7 are required for UCLA's graduate program. However, the translation chart above indicates that a score of 87 on the TOEFL translates into an IELTS score of 6.5, which is half of what UCLA requires! Therefore, choosing the TOEFL over the IELTS may make it slightly easier for you to meet UCLA's English requirements.

Nevertheless, it can be challenging to get admitted into American institutions because many of them have specific requirements for the TOEFL scores in the Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening sections. How come? Because even if you achieve the required total score on the TOEFL, your application can be denied if one of your component scores is too low! On the other hand, most American colleges just need a minimum overall band score on the IELTS, not sectional scores. Because of this, you normally won't need to concentrate about getting a certain number on any one IELTS section—just a total score.

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Conclusion

To sum up, while converting TOEFL to IELTS scores can give you an idea of how the two tests differ, you shouldn't depend on these charts to advise you which exam to take. Choose the test that will give you the highest chance of being admitted after doing your homework and deciding which colleges to apply to!

TOEFL to IELTS Score Conversion- FAQs

Can I convert TOEFL to IELTS?

A TOEFL score of 46 to 59 would be correlated with an IELTS score of 5.5; a TOEFL score of 60 to 78 would be correlated with an IELTS score of 6.0; a TOEFL score of 6.5 would be correlated with a TOEFL score of 79 to 93; a TOEFL score of 7.0 would be correlated with a TOEFL score of 94 to 101; and so on.

Is 570 a good TOEFL score?

As a general rule, earning a higher than average score means that you've earned a good score. Anything above an 84 on the iBT or a 570(ish) on the PBT could, therefore, be considered a good TOEFL score.

Is IELTS harder than TOEFL?

Subjective judgments aside, many students find the IELTS to be easier than the TOEFL, particularly in the reading sections. Samples of reading questions from periodicals, books, journals, and newspapers are used in the IELTS exam. Academic texts and publications are the source of the reading passages for the TOEFL.Dec. 6, 2022