Updated October 2026
TOEFL band scores from 1 to 6: how scoring works
The 2026 TOEFL iBT replaced the familiar 0–120 scale with band scores. This page explains what the bands are and how to read them.
Four section bands and an overall band
Each of the four sections is reported as a band from 1 to 6, in half-band steps, so a section score might be 4.0 or 4.5. The overall score is a band on the same scale, based on the four section bands.
The bands are aligned with the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), which many universities already use to describe language requirements.
What happened to the 0–120 scale
Many institutions still state their requirements on the earlier 0–120 scale. For a transition period, ETS score reports also show a comparable score on that scale, so that a band score can be read against older requirements.
Always check the requirement of the institution you are applying to, and which scale it is stated in. ETS publishes the official comparison between the two scales.
How the adaptive sections are scored
In Reading and Listening, your result in the first module decides whether your second module is harder or easier. The band reflects both how many questions you answered correctly and how difficult they were.
This is why two people with the same number of correct answers can receive different bands, and why a harder second module is good news even if it feels worse.
How Writing and Speaking are scored
Written and spoken responses are rated against descriptions of performance at each level. For writing these cover how completely the task is addressed, organisation, and the range and accuracy of language; for speaking, intelligibility, fluency and language use.
On fullmock, these responses are rated automatically against the same kind of criteria, and the report shows which criteria cost you most.
What a mock score tells you
A mock score is an estimate. It is useful for seeing which section is furthest from your target and whether you are improving from one sitting to the next. It is not an official score and cannot be sent to an institution.
Treat a difference of half a band between two sittings with caution: it can come from the particular questions you met. A trend over three or four sittings is more reliable than any single result.
This is an independent summary written for test takers. ETS publishes the official specification of the test on its own website.