Purpose
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to interpret TOEFL’s new 1-6 CEFR-aligned scale and convert between it and the legacy 0-120 scale.Lesson Explanation
Following the January 2026 format change described in the previous two lessons, TOEFL now reports scores on a new 1-6 scale explicitly aligned with the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) – an international framework used to describe language proficiency consistently across many different contexts.A score of 6 corresponds to CEFR C2 (“mastery” or expert-level proficiency), 5 to C1 (“advanced”), 4 to B2 (“upper intermediate”), 3 to B1 (“intermediate”), 2 to A2 (“elementary”), and 1 to A1 (“beginner”). Each of the four sections covered in Parts 2 through 5 of this course – Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing – receives its own score on this same 1-6 scale.
A genuinely important transitional detail: from 2026 through 2028, TOEFL score reports will show BOTH the new 1-6 scale and the older, more familiar 0-120 scale side by side, specifically to help universities and employers who have not yet updated their published score requirements to the new system. Approximate conversions: a new score of 6 corresponds to roughly 114-120 on the old scale, 5 corresponds to roughly 95-113, 4 corresponds to roughly 72-94, 3 corresponds to roughly 42-71, 2 corresponds to roughly 20-41, and 1 corresponds to roughly 0-19.
A genuinely practical piece of advice for this transition period, connecting to Part 1, Lesson 1’s point about confirming your required score: if your target institution has only published a required score in the old 0-120 scale, confirm with that institution whether they have an updated equivalent under the new 1-6 scale, since not every institution has published updated thresholds yet.Practice Questions
1. A score report shows a new-scale Reading score of 5. What CEFR level does this correspond to?
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C1 (“advanced”).2. A score report shows a new-scale Writing score of 3. What CEFR level does this correspond to?
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B1 (“intermediate”).3. Approximately what old 0-120-scale range corresponds to a new-scale score of 4?
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Roughly 72-94.4. Approximately what old 0-120-scale range corresponds to a new-scale score of 2?
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Roughly 20-41.5. A test-taker’s four section scores are 4, 4, 3, and 5 on the new scale. Roughly what CEFR range does their overall performance fall into?
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Mostly B2 to C1, with one section at B1 – a genuinely mixed but generally upper-intermediate-to-advanced profile.6. A university’s published requirement says “TOEFL 90+” with no scale specified. During the 2026-2028 transition, what should the applicant do?
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Confirm with the university whether 90 refers to the old 0-120 scale or if they have published an updated 1-6 equivalent.7. True or False: During the transition period, a score report will show only the new 1-6 scale.
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False – it will show both the new 1-6 scale and the old 0-120 scale side by side.8. What does a CEFR level of A1 correspond to on the new TOEFL scale?
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A new-scale score of 1.9. A test-taker scores a 6 on the new scale for Speaking. What old-scale range does this roughly correspond to?
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Roughly 114-120.10. Why does TOEFL report both scales at once during 2026-2028, rather than switching over immediately?
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To help institutions that have not yet updated their published score requirements to the new scale.11. A test-taker with a target CEFR B2 receives a new-scale score of 3. Have they met their target?
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No – a score of 3 corresponds to B1, one level below their B2 target.12. What framework is the new 1-6 scale explicitly aligned with, and why does that matter for international comparison?