The 1 to 6 scale, and which number decides · La escala del 1 al 6, y qué número decide
A passing overall can still miss a condition
- A fictional course asks for overall 5, with every section at least 4. In Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking order, Arun has 5.5, 5.5, 5.5, 3.5. Their sum is 20, so the average and reported overall are 5; Speaking still misses 4.
- Bea has 5, 5, 5, 5. The same overall meets both numerical conditions. This example does not guarantee admission: accepted test, validity and other course conditions must also be checked. An average is a summary, not a permission slip.
Arun has 5.5, 5.5, 5.5, 3.5; Bea has 5, 5, 5, 5. A fictional course requires overall 5 and every section at least 4. Who meets both numerical conditions?
Both reported overalls are 5. Arun misses the section floor with 3.5; Bea meets every section floor.
Average first, then round once
- With 5.5, 5, 5.5, 5, the sum is 21 and the average is 21 ÷ 4 = 5.25. It is halfway between 5 and 5.5; ETS reports 5.5. With 5.5, 5, 5, 5, the average is 20.5 ÷ 4 = 5.125, nearer 5, so the report is 5.
- Do not add the four numbers as if this were the old 120-point scale. Do not round intermediate totals. Use the official reported overall when applying; these calculations explain the rule from reported section scores.
Your sections are 5.5, 5, 5.5 and 5. What overall score is reported?
The average is 5.25, and an average ending in .25 rounds UP to the next half point.
Four sections average 5.125. What overall score is reported?
5.125 is nearer to 5 than to 5.5, so it rounds down. ETS gives this exact example.
A section gain may leave overall unchanged
- Arun improves Speaking from 3.5 to 4 while the others stay 5.5. The average rises from 5 to 5.125, but the reported overall stays 5. He now meets this fictional section floor: the improvement matters even without an overall change.
- For a different fictional course requiring every section at least 4.5, scores 6, 5.5, 5.5, 4 average 5.25 and report 5.5, but still miss the section condition. Choose practice from the actual requirement and diagnosed errors, not a universal lowest-score rule.
A course asks for overall 5 with at least 4.5 in every section. You have 6, 5.5, 5.5 and 4. Do you meet it?
The reported overall can meet the offer while a section score misses its required minimum. Check both conditions separately.
Arun raises 3.5 to 4, leaving three scores of 5.5. What reported overall follows from 5.5, 5.5, 5.5, 4?
20.5 ÷ 4 = 5.125, which rounds to 5. The reported overall is unchanged, while the fictional 4-point section floor is now met.
A section improvement cannot help meet a course requirement if the reported overall stays unchanged.
Arun’s overall stays 5 after Speaking rises from 3.5 to 4, but the improvement meets the fictional section floor.
CEFR describes level, not acceptance
- ETS aligns 1–1.5 with A1, 2–2.5 with A2, 3–3.5 with B1, 4–4.5 with B2, 5–5.5 with C1, and 6 with C2. A C1 result does not itself establish the required test version or section minima.
- If a course asks for a CEFR level, read its accepted evidence. If it names TOEFL scores, read overall and section conditions separately. Do not substitute a general university page for the specific course policy.
Match each score range to its CEFR level.
These are the score-scale level alignments. A receiving institution decides which scores and tests it accepts; a CEFR level does not establish a universal admission threshold.
A comparison range is not an exact old score
- ETS publishes comparison ranges: overall band 5 corresponds to 95–106 on the old scale. It also describes the comparable report value as the range midpoint. There is public comparison information; the claim that ETS publishes none is wrong.
- A band of 5 does not prove an exact old-scale 100 or that an unchanged 100-point requirement is met. ETS recommends updated thresholds to institutions, but each recipient decides its policy. Read the comparable number on the report during the two-year transition and check which scale the recipient uses.
A TOEFL overall band of 5 proves an exact old-scale score of 100.
ETS publishes a 95–106 comparison range for overall band 5 and a comparable report value during transition. The band alone is not an exact old-scale 100; use the report and the recipient’s policy.
A recipient still lists an old-scale minimum of 100. You know only that your new overall band is 5. What should you check next?
Band 5 covers a comparison range, not one exact old-scale score. The report and recipient’s accepted scale determine the next check.
Check each condition before choosing practice
- Read the accepted test and date policy, then overall minimum → check the reported overall score, section minimum → check each named skill, and accepted test → check the course’s stated policy. A numeric improvement cannot replace missing acceptance information.
- Recap: average and round, then check each condition; comparison tables do not predict an individual's score on another test. Facts checked on 2 October 2026: ETS score-scale guidance and comparison tables. All admission examples here are fictional.
- A reported overall, a section floor and an accepted test answer different questions. Preserve those distinctions when reviewing your own report.
Match the three distinctions from the worked case.
Improving the lowest skill may help this student meet the section floor. For another student, the best study choice depends on the offer, diagnosed errors and the time needed to improve—not just the lowest number.
The fictional course requires overall 5 and every section at least 4. Do 5.5, 5.5, 5.5 and 3.5 meet both numerical conditions?
A fictional course asks for overall 5 and every section at least 4. Scores of 5.5, 5.5, 5.5 and 3.5 average 5, but the fourth section misses that course’s minimum. Improving the lowest skill may help this student meet the section floor. For another student, the best study choice depends on the offer, diagnosed errors and the time needed to improve—not just the lowest number.
Complete the worked-case label: Overall minimum → ____. Use the phrase in the diagram.
Check the published overall requirement and every section minimum separately. Use ETS’s report for its comparable old-scale score.