Comparing Duolingo, IELTS and TOEFL
The Duolingo English Test has become a widely accepted proof of English proficiency, but many universities still publish their requirements in IELTS bands or TOEFL iBT totals. This converter bridges the gap, taking your Duolingo total and showing the IELTS band and TOEFL range it roughly corresponds to so you can check it against a course’s stated minimum.
How it works
The Duolingo English Test reports an overall score from 10 to 160 in five-point steps. The converter places your score in a band drawn from the official concordance and returns the matching IELTS overall band and TOEFL iBT total range. For example, a Duolingo 120 maps to about an IELTS 6.5 and a TOEFL iBT in the low-to-mid 90s, while a Duolingo 130 rises to roughly an IELTS 7.0. The bands widen toward the extremes because the relationship between the tests is an average, not a one-to-one line.
Notes on accuracy
Treat these figures as a guide. The three tests are scored differently and assess English in different formats, so a concordance reflects an average relationship rather than a guaranteed conversion — your own result on one test may sit above or below the converted value from another. Universities also set their own minimums for each accepted test and usually want the genuine score from the test you sat, not a converted one. Use this tool to confirm your Duolingo result is in the right ballpark, then read the exact admissions requirement for the test your target course accepts.