Sourced from ETS
TOEFL Band 3: What It Means (2026 Format)
Written by the Reach120 research teamReviewed
An overall 3 aligns with CEFR B1 and corresponds to 44–57 on the previous 0–120 scale. ETS publishes no IELTS pairing for this band.
Band 3 at a glance
- CEFR
- B1
- Previous 0–120 scale
- 44–57
- ETS publishes 44+.
- IELTS pairing
- not published
Source: ETS — TOEFL iBT score scale update (for institutions), read 2026-08-06.
If an institution still lists a 0–120 requirement
ETS publishes this institution-requirement recommendation only for bands 5.0, 4.5, 4.0 and 3.5 (previous 100, 90, 80 and 70). It publishes no rewritten-requirement row at 3 — an institution's own current policy is the authority on what it accepts.
This is ETS's own requirement-rewriting recommendation for institutions, not a statement about what any specific program requires or what a test taker is qualified for — confirm the current requirement with the institution itself.
Common questions
- What CEFR level is a TOEFL band 3?
- ETS aligns TOEFL band 3 with CEFR B1.
- What is band 3 on the previous 0–120 scale?
- ETS states the transition-period comparable score for band 3 is 44+ on the 0–120 scale (published range 44–57); the score report shows the midpoint, about 51.