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TOEFL Listening score converter
TOEFL iBT now reports Listening on a 1–6 band, in half-point steps, with the familiar score out of 30 underneath and a CEFR level below that. Enter a section score and this converts between all three. No sign-up, and the whole table is below if you would rather read it.
Band (1–6)
4.5
Section score
21/30
CEFR
B2
Can follow the main lines of a lecture and most details, but loses ground when speech is fast or the subject is unfamiliar.
Lisenia is not affiliated with ETS. This is the published concordance applied to a score you entered — it is not a prediction, and only ETS issues results.
Don't have a score yet? Take the free test →The full concordance
Both scales are ETS's own, from the January 2026 redesign. The same numeric band means the same CEFR level on every section and overall.
| Section score | Band | CEFR |
|---|---|---|
| 28–30 / 30 | 6 | C2 |
| 26–27 / 30 | 5.5 | C1 |
| 22–25 / 30 | 5 | C1 |
| 20–21 / 30 | 4.5 | B2 |
| 17–19 / 30 | 4 | B2 |
| 13–16 / 30 | 3.5 | B1 |
| 9–12 / 30 | 3 | B1 |
| 6–8 / 30 | 2.5 | A2 |
| 4–5 / 30 | 2 | A2 |
| 2–3 / 30 | 1.5 | A1 |
| 0–1 / 30 | 1 | A1 |
Why there is no “questions correct” column
It is the first thing people look for, and it is the one thing that cannot honestly be given. Since January 2026 TOEFL Listening is multistage-adaptive: everyone takes a router module, and performance on it decides whether the second module is the easier or the harder one. Twenty-eight correct answers on the harder route and twenty-eight on the easier route are not the same achievement, and the scoring knows which you took.
That is also why the section length varies — roughly 27 to 36 minutes and about 35 to 47 questions, depending on the route. A fixed raw-to-scaled table would have to pretend none of that happens.
What the number does not tell you
Two candidates can both score 20 and need completely different practice. One is missing details under time pressure — numbers, dates, the second half of an option. The other hears everything and keeps choosing the answer that went one step too far, because TOEFL distractors are built from the passage on purpose: a word you definitely heard with its meaning twisted, a hedged claim restated as an absolute, something plausible that was never said.
The score is identical. The month of work that fixes it is not.
Common questions
How many questions do I need right for a particular score?
There is no published table, and since January 2026 there cannot be a reliable one. TOEFL Listening is multistage-adaptive: you take a router module, and how you do on it decides whether your second module is the easier or the harder one. The same number of correct answers means different things on different routes, which is the whole point of adaptive scoring. Any site offering you a raw-to-30 conversion is guessing.
Why does my score come with a band now?
ETS introduced a 1–6 band scale on 21 January 2026, in half-point steps. During the transition it reports both: the band, and the familiar 0–30 section score underneath. Older practice material is scored out of 30, which is why this tool converts between them.
Is the CEFR level official?
The band-to-CEFR alignment is ETS's own, and the same numeric band means the same CEFR level on every section and overall. It describes a level of listening, not a guarantee about any particular university's requirements — those are set by the institution, in whichever scale they ask for.
What score do universities ask for?
It varies widely by institution and by programme, and many are still publishing requirements in the 0–30 scale while the band scale beds in. Check the specific course rather than a general figure, and if a requirement is given as a total rather than per-section, a weak Listening score can still be offset by the other three.
Does this work for TOEFL Essentials or the paper test?
No. This is the iBT Listening section only. TOEFL Essentials uses a different scale entirely, and the paper-delivered test reports its sections differently again.
Lisenia is an independent study tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to ETS. Bands and levels here are indicative practice guidance, not official results. Format and scale details reflect the 2026 TOEFL iBT redesign; check ets.org for the current official specification before you book.