Cambridge English Exams vs IELTS and TOEFL: How the Levels Line Up
OBARA Hiroki · DeveloperAlphaGeorgeHow-To
Cambridge English Qualifications are a family of English exams run by Cambridge University Press & Assessment, part of the University of Cambridge. The five main exams for adults are, from easiest to hardest, A2 Key (KET), B1 Preliminary (PET), B2 First (FCE), C1 Advanced (CAE) and C2 Proficiency (CPE). People who are choosing an English exam usually also look at IELTS and TOEFL iBT, and the three are easy to confuse because all of them report results against the same framework.
This post explains how the Cambridge exams work, how they differ from IELTS and TOEFL iBT, and how the levels line up. I have taken every number from the test providers’ own pages, checked in October 2026.
The common yardstick: the CEFR
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, or CEFR, was developed by the Council of Europe. It describes language ability in six levels, A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2. A is a basic user, B an independent user and C a proficient user (Council of Europe CEFR page).
The names of the Cambridge exams carry a CEFR level because each exam is built to target one level. A2 Key targets A2, B2 First targets B2, and so on (Cambridge English qualifications). IELTS and TOEFL iBT work the other way round. Everyone sits the same test, and the score tells you where you are.
How Cambridge results work
Cambridge reports results on the Cambridge English Scale. You get a score for each skill, and the average of these gives your overall result. The overall score decides the grade, A, B or C, and there is also a certificate for the level below. Here is B2 First as an example (B2 First results).
| Cambridge English Scale | Result | CEFR |
|---|---|---|
| 180 to 190 | Grade A | C1 |
| 173 to 179 | Grade B | B2 |
| 160 to 172 | Grade C | B2 |
| 140 to 159 | Level B1 | B1 |
So a very strong result on B2 First is certified as C1, and a result that falls short of B2 can still earn a B1 certificate. Below 140 there is no certificate, but the score appears on the Statement of Results. The other exams follow the same pattern. The main certificate range is 120 to 150 for A2 Key, 140 to 170 for B1 Preliminary, 180 to 210 for C1 Advanced and 200 to 230 for C2 Proficiency, each with a certificate for the level below.
This is the main thing I would want a newcomer to understand. A Cambridge exam is a target. You choose a level, prepare for it, and the result tells you whether you reached it, went beyond it or fell one level short.
How IELTS and TOEFL iBT report results
IELTS reports results on a nine-band scale, for each skill and overall. IELTS itself is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press & Assessment, so in a sense it is Cambridge’s other exam. The official IELTS page on the CEFR is careful. It says IELTS is not level based, so there is no one-to-one correspondence with CEFR levels. It places the minimum for C1 between bands 6.5 and 7, recognises 8.5 and above as C2, treats 8 as borderline for C2, and gives 5 as an example of a score where B1 or B2 is unclear (IELTS and the CEFR).
TOEFL iBT changed its score scale in January 2026. Each section and the overall score are now reported from 1 to 6 in half-point steps, and the overall score is the rounded average of the four sections. ETS built the new scale around the CEFR, so the same number means the same level in every section: 1 is A1, 2 is A2, 3 is B1, 4 is B2, 5 is C1 and 6 is C2, with the half points sitting inside the lower level (ETS report on the banded score scale, April 2026). Older reports on the 0 to 120 scale are still around, and the same report includes tables linking the two scales.
Format
All three exams test reading, listening, writing and speaking, but the speaking test is where they feel most different.
In B2 First the papers are Reading and Use of English (1 hour 15 minutes), Writing (1 hour 20 minutes), Listening (about 40 minutes) and Speaking (14 minutes for a pair). You take the Speaking test with one or two other candidates. There are two examiners: one talks to you and the other listens and assesses. The exam is available on paper and on computer, with the same format (B2 First format). Part of the test is a discussion with the other candidate, so you need to practise responding to someone else’s ideas, not only answering an examiner.
The IELTS Speaking test is a face-to-face interview between you and one examiner, 11 to 14 minutes long and recorded (IELTS Speaking format). TOEFL iBT, the internet-based test, is taken on a computer. If speaking face to face with another candidate makes you nervous, or if it suits you, that alone can be a reason to choose one exam over another.
Validity
Cambridge states that its certificates do not expire. It also says that each university, college or employer decides for itself how recent a result must be, and that organisations can verify results online with the candidate’s reference number and date of birth (B2 First results).
With IELTS and TOEFL iBT, too, it is the receiving institution that decides how old a score it will accept. Whichever exam you take, check what your target asks for before you book anything.
Lining the levels up
Putting the official statements side by side gives a rough guide.
| CEFR | Cambridge exam | IELTS (official notes) | TOEFL iBT (1 to 6) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A2 | A2 Key | not stated in text | 2 |
| B1 | B1 Preliminary | around 5 is borderline B1/B2 | 3 |
| B2 | B2 First | below the C1 threshold | 4 |
| C1 | C1 Advanced | minimum between 6.5 and 7 | 5 |
| C2 | C2 Proficiency | 8.5 and above | 6 |
Please read this as a map, not a conversion chart. The IELTS partners and ETS both say the CEFR was not designed for exact equating, and the tests differ in purpose and format. A B2 First grade B and a TOEFL overall score of 4 both point to B2, but they are not the same piece of paper, and a university that asks for one may not accept the other.
How I would choose
Start from where you will use the result. If a university or employer names a test and a score, that answers the question. If you are free to choose, I think the Cambridge exams suit people who like a clear target and want a certificate that does not expire. IELTS and TOEFL iBT suit people who need a single score for an application and are less interested in the certificate itself.
About AlphaGeorge
AlphaGeorge, an app I make for iPhone and iPad, is for preparing for the Cambridge exams. It has a course of six levels from A1 to C2 with 66 units in total, and the levels from A2 to C2 match KET through CPE. A diagnostic test of about five minutes places you at a level to start. The app’s interface and explanations are in English and Japanese.
The questions were all written for the app. It is not a Cambridge publication, and I would use the official sample papers and prep books as well to get used to the real format. I compared these options in AlphaGeorge vs Other Ways to Prepare for Cambridge English Exams.
AlphaGeorge is free to start, with ads and a limit of hearts. You have up to five hearts, lose one for each mistake, and get one back every five hours. AlphaGeorge Premium, a monthly or yearly subscription, removes ads, makes hearts unlimited and lets you replay finished lessons. Getting Started with AlphaGeorge walks through the first session.
