United States · English testDuolingo English Test score to IELTS
| DET score | IELTS band | CEFR level |
|---|---|---|
| 160 | 8.5 to 9 | C2 |
| 155 | 8 | C2 |
| 150 | 8 | C1 |
| 145 | 7.5 | C1 |
| 140 | 7.5 | C1 |
| 135 | 7 | C1 |
| 130 | 7 | C1 |
| 125 | 6.5 | B2 |
| 120 | 6.5 | B2 |
| 115 | 6 | B2 |
| 110 | 6 | B2 |
| 105 | 6 | B2 |
| 100 | 5.5 | B2 |
| 95 | 5.5 | B1 |
| 90 | 5 | B1 |
| 85 | 5 | B1 |
| 80 | 5 | B1 |
| 75 | 4.5 | B1 |
| 70 | 4.5 | B1 |
| 65 | 4.5 | B1 |
| 60 | 4 | B1 |
| 10 to 55 | 0 to 4 | A1 to A2 |
The table is Duolingo’s, from its 2026 Scoring Guide for Teachers. CEFR is the Common European Framework of Reference. Duolingo first published the overall comparison in 2022, built from official IELTS Academic score reports. A later study of 1,942 people who took both tests in 2024 found no need to change it.
It shows the most likely matching IELTS score, not a guaranteed one. Duolingo’s own advice is to take extra care below about 60 and above about 150, where it had fewer people to compare.
Duolingo English Test vs IELTS at a glance
| Detail | DET | IELTS Academic |
|---|---|---|
| Length | About 1 hour | 2 hours 45 minutes |
| Where | Your own computer, anywhere private | A test center or online |
| Sections | 13 question types, not split into skill sections | Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking |
| Score | 10 to 160, in steps of 5 | Bands 1 to 9, in half bands |
| Results | Within 48 hours | Within 1 to 2 days on computer, 13 days on paper, 6 to 8 days online, IELTS says |
| How long results count | Two years | Two years, IELTS recommends |
The IELTS figures come from IELTS’s own pages. IELTS says results on computer and online usually take that long.
Duolingo vs IELTS subscores
Both tests report reading, writing, listening and speaking. Duolingo also publishes a skill-by-skill comparison with IELTS, released in August 2026. Reading, Listening and Speaking line up across almost the whole IELTS range. Writing tops out at IELTS 7.5 or 8, because in both of its studies Duolingo found no IELTS Writing scores above 8 and only a handful of 8s to compare with.
Duolingo’s advice to schools is to use these tables for setting their score rules, not as proof that two people’s scores are equal.
Should you take the Duolingo English Test or IELTS?
The one the school, employer or visa office you’re applying to accepts, at the score it asks for. Check its own requirements first. Duolingo says thousands of universities in over 100 countries recognize the DET, and IELTS says more than 13,500 organizations trust its results.
Duolingo’s table also lists scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based test (TOEFL iBT) on its old 0 to 120 scale. For how Educational Testing Service (ETS), which runs TOEFL, compares its own test, see our TOEFL comparison.
Sources: Duolingo · Duolingo English Test blog · IELTS and 3 more. Checked October 2026.
- Duolingo: DET Scoring Guide for Teachers, updated October 16, 2026 (PDF) ↗
- Duolingo English Test blog: DET vs IELTS scores, the subscore concordance (August 26, 2026) ↗
- Duolingo: Official Guide for Test Takers, 2026 (PDF) ↗
- IELTS: IELTS Academic test format and sections ↗
- IELTS: IELTS scoring in detail ↗
- IELTS: Fast IELTS results ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.