IELTS vs CEFR Conversion: Band to Level Table

An IELTS band and a CEFR level describe the same thing on two different scales. Universities, employers, and immigration authorities use both, so you often need to translate one into the other. Getting it wrong can cost you a university place, a job offer, or a visa. This guide uses the tables IELTS and ETS publish themselves, and is clear about where those tables stop.

IELTS band to CEFR level

On C1, IELTS specifies that the threshold falls between 6.5 and 7, so many 6.5 candidates sit at C1 and some fall just below. An institution that wants high confidence a candidate is C1 may require 7, as explained on the IELTS CEFR page.

Why the conversion matters

University admissions

Many universities in the UK, Australia, and Europe state their English requirement as an IELTS band, a CEFR level, or both. Knowing your CEFR equivalent lets you compare results across tests and institutions.

Visas

The UK Home Office's Skilled Worker, Student, and Family visas express English requirements as CEFR levels. The Secure English Language Tests (SELTs) used for UK immigration are benchmarked against the CEFR. Stating your level in CEFR terms alongside your IELTS band makes your evidence easier to read.

Employers

Employers in many countries write "B2" in a job advert rather than an IELTS band. A hiring manager is more likely to recognise "B2" than "Band 6.5", so knowing both helps when you present your English abroad.

For what each level means in daily use, see our guide to the CEFR levels.

How to convert your score, step by step

1. Find your overall band. Your IELTS Test Report Form shows an overall band and four skill bands. Most requirements use the overall band, but some, such as medical registration bodies, set a minimum for each skill.
2. Look it up in the table above. A level is a range. 6.0 and 6.5 are both B2, and an institution asking for B2 may still name 6.5.
3. Read the requirement in its own terms. If it names a CEFR level, compare levels. If it names IELTS, compare bands.
4. Check the date. IELTS results are usually accepted for two years from the test date.

Is IELTS 6.5 B2 or C1?

IELTS presents 6.5 as B2. It also says the C1 threshold falls between 6.5 and 7, which is why 6.5 feels close to C1 and why many institutions that want C1 ask for 7.

B2 is a common entry requirement for English-taught undergraduate programmes and for many skilled work visas.

That half band matters. 6.5 meets the requirement of many UK undergraduate courses and of the Skilled Worker visa, but a course or employer that asks for C1 will not accept it, however close the number looks.

Moving from 6.5 to 7

The gap is rarely vocabulary size alone. At 7 you handle complex topics accurately and consistently under time pressure, and you pick up implied meaning, not only stated meaning. In practice that means reading long arguments without losing the thread, writing with controlled linking rather than lists of points, speaking without stopping to correct yourself, and following fast or accented speech.

TOEFL and the CEFR

Since January 2026 TOEFL iBT reports scores on a 1 to 6 scale in half-point steps, and ETS publishes how that scale lines up with the CEFR (ETS score scale update). The same numbers apply to the total and to each section.

For a transition period, score reports also show a comparable score on the old 0 to 120 scale.

What universities, employers and visa authorities ask for

Requirements are written in one of three ways, and they are not interchangeable:

• An IELTS band, for example "6.5 overall, no band below 6.0".
• A CEFR level, for example "B2 or above".
• A named certificate, for example "C1 Advanced" or a minimum TOEFL score.

If the requirement names a CEFR level, a CEFR-aligned certificate answers it directly. If it names IELTS, a conversion table is an argument, not a substitute. Some institutions accept the equivalence and many do not.

• On a CV, write the level and the proof together: English: CEFR B2, certificate verifiable online. A level with no evidence reads as self-assessment.
• For work visas, the requirement is usually set in law and lists the tests that are accepted. The UK Skilled Worker route asks for B1, and many EU permits ask for B1 or B2. Acceptance depends on the receiving authority, so check its list.
• For promotions and internal moves, a recent result is often more useful than a higher but older one.

If you need a certificate that states a CEFR level, our English certificate page explains what it shows.

Common mistakes

• Treating the table as exact. 6.0 and 6.5 are both B2, but a requirement may still say 6.5.
• Ignoring skill bands. A good overall band does not help if one skill is below a stated minimum.
• Using an old result. IELTS results are usually accepted for two years.
• Mixing up Academic and General Training. Most universities ask for Academic. Check which one the requirement means.
• Presenting the wrong evidence for a UK visa. UK immigration routes that require a SELT accept only an approved SELT, which is itself aligned to the CEFR.
• Assuming every CEFR certificate is accepted everywhere. It depends on the organisation. Visa authorities in particular publish lists of the tests they accept.

Key points

• IELTS presents 5.5 to 6.5 as B2, 7 to 8 as C1, and 8.5 and above as C2.
• The C1 threshold falls between 6.5 and 7, so institutions that want C1 often ask for 7.
• TOEFL iBT's 1 to 6 scale maps directly to the CEFR: 4 is B2, 5 is C1.
• Universities, employers, and immigration authorities set their own thresholds, so always read the requirement as written.