TOEFL Speaking Score Conversion: Old 0–30 to New 1–6
Last updated: September 2026.
A TOEFL Speaking score of 25–26 on the old 0–30 scale is a band 5 on the new scale, and 23–24 is a band 4.5. ETS retired the 0–120 total as the reported scale on 21 January 2026, keeping it only as a reference figure on score reports through January 2028. Every section is now reported from 1 to 6 in half-point increments, aligned to the CEFR.
What changed on 21 January 2026
Three things changed in the same release, and they are often run together:
- The scale. Each section is reported from 1 to 6 in 0.5 increments instead of 0 to 30. The overall score is the average of the four section scores rounded to the nearest half band, not the sum. A 0–120 total no longer exists.
- The CEFR alignment. ETS built the 1–6 scale to map onto CEFR levels, which is why it settled on six bands.
- The Speaking section itself. The old four-task format was replaced by Listen and Repeat and Take an Interview.
The first two are arithmetic. The third is not, and no conversion table covers it.
The official ETS Speaking conversion table
ETS publishes this concordance between the new 1–6 Speaking band and the old 0–30 Speaking score.
| New Speaking band | Old Speaking score (0–30) | CEFR |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 28 – 30 | C2 |
| 5.5 | 27 | C1 |
| 5 | 25 – 26 | C1 |
| 4.5 | 23 – 24 | B2 |
| 4 | 20 – 22 | B2 |
| 3.5 | 18 – 19 | B1 |
| 3 | 16 – 17 | B1 |
| 2.5 | 13 – 15 | A2 |
| 2 | 10 – 12 | A2 |
| 1.5 | 5 – 9 | A1 |
| 1 | 0 – 4 | A1 |
The ranges are uneven. Band 5.5 covers a single old score, 27, while band 1.5 covers five. The scale is compressed at the top, exactly where most university requirements sit, so half a band at the C1 end represents a smaller change in performance than half a band further down.
The shortcut that works for totals and fails for sections
A common piece of advice is that you can convert a TOEFL score by dividing by 20. For the old total, that happens to be right:
| Old total (0–120) | New overall band |
|---|---|
| 100 | 5 |
| 90 | 4.5 |
| 80 | 4 |
| 70 | 3.5 |
It does not transfer to sections. ETS set a separate range for each section, and those ranges are not aligned with one another. Two examples from the official table:
- An old score of 24 is band 4.5 in Speaking but band 5 in Writing.
- An old score of 28 is band 5.5 in Reading but band 6 in Listening.
A candidate with 24 in both Speaking and Writing, who previously read those as identical results, now sees 4.5 and 5, because the sections were never equivalent on the old scale.
What your university’s old requirement means now
ETS asked institutions to publish requirements on the 1–6 scale during autumn 2025, but many admissions pages still list old Speaking minimums. The common ones convert like this:
| Old Speaking requirement | New band |
|---|---|
| 26 | 5 |
| 24 | 4.5 |
| 23 | 4.5 |
| 22 | 4 |
| 20 | 4 |
| 18 | 3.5 |
A requirement of 23 and one of 24 are now the same band, so a distinction some departments cared about has disappeared. Meanwhile 26 sits one point below the 27 needed for band 5.5, so a programme that asked for 26 and one that asked for 27 now ask for visibly different bands.
If your target institution has not updated its page, your score report settles it: through January 2028, every report shows the CEFR level, the 1–6 scores and a comparable 0–120 score side by side. After that date, only the 1–6 scale appears.
The conversion tells you nothing about the new test
The concordance maps one scale onto another. ETS built it so institutions could translate existing requirements without re-benchmarking every programme. It does not predict your performance on the test as it exists today, because the Speaking section was rebuilt in the same release:
- Listen and Repeat (7 questions) asks you to reproduce a sentence exactly as you heard it, scoring your ear and your articulation. Preparation that once went into planning content no longer applies. The Listen and Repeat task, in detail.
- Take an Interview (4 questions) is a spontaneous exchange with no meaningful preparation window. Worked model answers for the interview task.
Neither resembles the old independent and integrated tasks, which rewarded a rehearsed structure. A candidate whose old 26 came largely from a well-drilled template is not carrying a band 5 into the new format, and a candidate who spoke fluently but organised poorly may find the reverse. Why TOEFL Speaking templates stopped working covers what replaced them.
Converting to other exams
If you are choosing between tests rather than converting a score you already hold, the CEFR column is the safer bridge, since both scales are anchored to it.
| CEFR | TOEFL Speaking band | Roughly comparable IELTS Speaking |
|---|---|---|
| C2 | 6 | 8.5 – 9.0 |
| C1 | 5 – 5.5 | 7.0 – 8.0 |
| B2 | 4 – 4.5 | 5.5 – 6.5 |
| B1 | 3 – 3.5 | 4.0 – 5.0 |
These are indicative correspondences, not equivalences an admissions office is obliged to accept. Institutions publish their own tables and they do not always agree with the test providers’. IELTS vs TOEFL Speaking compares what the two formats ask you to do, and the IELTS band score calculator covers the rounding rules on that side.
Working out your own band before test day
Because the section and the scale changed together, old practice scores have lost their reference point. A Speaking result from a 2025 mock test converts to a band on paper, but it was produced by tasks that no longer exist.
To get a current figure you have to speak under exam conditions and have the recording scored against criteria. OralPrep runs timed speaking simulations with an AI examiner and returns a criterion-by-criterion breakdown of fluency, pronunciation and language use, with full exam simulations for IELTS, TCF and DELF. Try OralPrep.
Related: the redesigned TOEFL Speaking section explained and CEFR speaking levels compared across exams.
Source: ETS, TOEFL iBT Score Scale Update.
Frequently asked questions
What is TOEFL Speaking 26 on the new 1-6 scale?
A Speaking score of 26 on the old 0-30 scale is a band 5 on the new 1-6 scale, according to ETS's official concordance. Band 5 is aligned to CEFR C1. The old Speaking range 25-26 maps to band 5, while 27 on its own maps to band 5.5.
When did TOEFL change from the 0-120 scale to the 1-6 scale?
On 21 January 2026. From that date the TOEFL iBT reports each section on a 1-6 scale in half-point increments aligned to the CEFR, and the overall score is the average of the four section scores rounded to the nearest half band rather than their sum.
Can I convert a TOEFL section score by dividing by 20?
No. Dividing by 20 works for the old 0-120 total, where 100 becomes band 5 and 80 becomes band 4, but it fails for individual sections. ETS set a different range for each section, so an old score of 24 is band 4.5 in Speaking and band 5 in Writing.
How long will TOEFL score reports still show the old 0-120 score?
Until January 2028. During the two-year transition that began on 21 January 2026, every ETS score report carries three things: the CEFR level, the new 1-6 scores, and a comparable score on the old 0-120 scale.
What CEFR level is TOEFL Speaking band 4?
Band 4 and band 4.5 both correspond to CEFR B2. Bands 5 and 5.5 correspond to C1, band 6 to C2, and bands 3 and 3.5 to B1. ETS designed the 1-6 scale to map onto CEFR levels, which is the main reason it replaced the 0-30 section scale.
Does the concordance table predict what I would score on the new TOEFL Speaking test?
No. The table converts between two score scales and does not predict performance. ETS redesigned the Speaking section in the same release, replacing the four independent and integrated tasks with Listen and Repeat and Take an Interview, so the skills being measured changed alongside the numbers.