The 1 to 6 scale, and which number decides
Four sections, one average
- You get a score for Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking, each from 1 to 6 in half points.
- The overall score is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half point.
- So 5.5, 5, 5.5 and 5 average 5.25, which is reported as 5.5.
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.
What rounding does to your plan
- An average ending in .25 rounds up; one ending in .125 rounds down. ETS's own examples: 5.25 → 5.5, 5.125 → 5.
- That means half a point in one section can move your overall, and it is always cheapest to move the lowest one.
- Raising a 3.5 to a 4.5 lifts the average by 0.25. Raising a 5.5 to a 6 lifts it by 0.125.
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.
The number that actually decides the offer
- Universities usually name a minimum overall score and a floor on each section.
- An overall 5 with a 3.5 in Speaking is not the same application as a flat 5.
- Read the requirement for your course, not the university's general page — departments differ.
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 overall is fine and the 4 in one section is not. A section floor is a requirement, not a guideline — this is why you work on the lowest number.
The CEFR ladder
- The scale is aligned to the CEFR: 1–1.5 is A1, 2–2.5 A2, 3–3.5 B1, 4–4.5 B2, 5–5.5 C1, 6 C2.
- B2 (4–4.5) is the usual floor for undergraduate study; C1 (5–5.5) is what selective courses and most Master's courses want.
- Some offers are written in CEFR letters rather than numbers. They are the same statement.
Match each score range to its CEFR level.
B2 is the usual undergraduate floor and C1 is what selective courses want. Some offers are written in letters rather than numbers.
Old scores and new scores
- Until January 2028 every report also shows a comparable 0 to 120 overall score.
- That number is computed by ETS. There is no public formula, so do not convert it yourself.
- Check which scale your offer is written on before you decide whether you have met it.
- Sources, checked on 13 September 2026: TOEFL iBT score scale update.
You can convert your 1-to-6 score into a 0-to-120 score yourself.
ETS computes the comparable score and publishes no formula. Until January 2028 it is printed on your report — read it there.