How do you measure your English level? How do exams relate to each other? Read this article to understand it all!
Once you have spent some time learning English, you’ll surely want to know where you are. Am I still considered a beginner? Or should I consider myself the equal of Chaucer and Shakespeare? While there are many exams, each one uses its own grading scale, and it is hard to compare your B in CAE with your friend’s 90 in TOEFL iBT.
Luckily for all of us, somebody already took the effort of organizing a coherent scale of language ability levels. Defined by the Council of Europe, the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR) divides language proficiency into six different levels (from most elementary to most advanced): A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2. CEFR’s popularity has led the administrators of the most popular English level tests to produce mappings of their exam results to CEFR. Let’s see how different tests compare to each other!
CEFR and English Exams
Note: This table is just for reference. For formal equivalences and recognition, please contact the managing organization of the exam you plan to take.
| Exam | Grade Range | CEFR Level |
|---|---|---|
| Cambridge English: Key (KET) | Pass or Merit | A2 |
| Distinction | B1 | |
| Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET) | Pass or Merit | B1 |
| Distinction | C1 | |
| Cambridge English: First (FCE) | C or B | B2 |
| Grade A | C1 | |
| Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) | C or B | C1 |
| A | C2 | |
| Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) | A, B or C | C2 |
| Cambridge English: Business Preliminary (BEC Preliminary) | Pass or Merit | B1 |
| Distinction | B2 | |
| Cambridge English: Business Vantage (BEC Vantage) | C or B | B2 |
| A | C1 | |
| Cambridge English: Business Higher (BEC Higher) | C or B | C1 |
| A | C1 | |
| BULATS | 10-19 | A1 |
| 20-39 | A2 | |
| 40-59 | B1 | |
| 60-74 | B2 | |
| 75-89 | C1 | |
| 90-100 | C2 | |
| TOEFL iBT Total Score* | 42-71 | B1 |
| 72-94 | B2 | |
| 95-120 | C1 or above | |
| IELTS** | 4-5 | B1 |
| 5.5-6.5 | B2 | |
| 6.5-8 | C1 | |
| 8 and above | C2 | |
| TOEIC Listening and Reading | Listening: 60-109
Reading: 60-114 |
A1 |
| Listening: 110-274
Reading: 115-274 |
A2 | |
| Listening: 275-399
Reading: 275-384 |
B1 | |
| Listening: 400-489
Reading: 385-454 |
B2 | |
| Listening: 490 and above
Reading: 455 and above |
C1 | |
| TOEIC Speaking and Writing | Speaking: 50-89
Writing: 30-69 |
A1 |
| Speaking: 90-119
Writing: 70-119 |
A2 | |
| Speaking:120-159
Writing: 120-149 |
B1 | |
| Speaking: 160-179
Writing: 150-179 |
B2 | |
| Speaking: 180 and above
Writing: 180 and above |
C1 | |
| Speaking:
Writing: |
C2 | |
| TOEIC Bridge | Listening: 46-63
Reading: 46-69 |
A1 |
| Listening: 64-83
Reading: 70-85 |
A2 | |
| Listening: 84 and above
Reading: 86 and above |
B1 |
*According to ETS, the organization in charge of TOEFL, in addition to obtaining a certain total score, there are specific requirements that must be fulfilled in each section for the result to really be equivalent to the levels mentioned here. To put an example, for a total result of 80 to correspond to the CEFR B2 level, a result of at least 20 has to be obtained in the speaking section.
** IELTS does not have strict correspondences between its results and the CEFR levels, with several IELTS grades being borderline between CEFR levels, but we are using the available data to give a rough idea.
Sources:
Other Cambridge Exams – CEFR Correspondence
What about you?
Which is your current level? Have you passed any of the tests above? Do you agree with the table above? Let us know in the comments! We also suggest you watch the following video, useful for anybody planning to take an exam!
Problems understanding this video? Watch it on VoiceTube and unleash the full power of your English!