Comparing IELTS scores to other English tests

IELTS is the most popular high-stakes English test and is accepted by more than 12,500 organisations in over 150 countries. IELTS test results are accepted by a variety of organisations, including universities, colleges, schools and governments, as well as professional and industry bodies.

Making comparisons between scores on different tests is challenging. That’s because test products differ in their design, purpose, and format. And the greater the difference in design the more problematic the exercise is. Nonetheless, test score users (such as universities, governments and professional bodies) are often interested to know how results on two differing tests may compare, for practical purposes.

If you want to understand how IELTS compares to other English language ability tests, the following tables will provide you with a basis for comparison so that you can be confident that all applicants are treated fairly, regardless of which test they have taken.

The table below summarises the IELTS and PTE equivalencies, based on a robust study conducted by IELTS Partners.

The first two columns compare overall scores.

To interpret the other columns, identify the skill you are interested in, identify the IELTS level, then look across to the appropriate skill column – for example an IELTS reading score of 6.5 is 60.6 on the Pearson scale.

At IELTS, we cannot confirm the specific ways in which the PTE-A overall score is calculated; we recommend referring to the four skills columns when making decisions and comparing test scoring systems.

The Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) standard is a descriptive scale of language ability in English as a Second Language (ESL) written as 12 benchmarks or reference points along a continuum from basic to advanced. The table below shows the relationship between CLB and IELTS:

The table displays the alignment between the TOEFL iBT and the IELTS Academic overall band scores.