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Educational Testing Service (ETS) previously mapped TOEFL iBT® test scores to CEFR levels to support score interpretation. After user feedback and decision-maker actions, ETS revised the CEFR cut scores in 2014 and this memorandum presents the rationale and validity evidence that the revised cut scores are reasonable and preserve the quality of admissions decisions.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-association-between-toefl-ibt-test-scores-and-the-common-european-framework-of-reference-cefr-levels-research-memorandum-no-rm-15-06/488164/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-association-between-toefl-ibt-test-scores-and-the-common-european-framework-of-reference-cefr-levels-research-memorandum-no-rm-15-06/488164.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"gewufjwa","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-12","2026-09-30",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":44},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is the purpose of revising CEFR cut scores in 2014?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The memorandum presents the rationale for the CEFR cut score revision and provides validity evidence that the revised scores are reasonable and do not harm admissions decision quality.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How are TOEFL iBT® test scores used in academic admissions?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"TOEFL iBT® scores are used by universities to decide whether prospective ESL students have sufficient English-language skills for admission, using criterion-based interpretations aligned to CEFR levels.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"Why is mapping test scores to proficiency descriptions important?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"A test score alone does not show whether a criterion has been met; mapping associates TOEFL iBT scores with level descriptions of language proficiency, enabling clearer score interpretation.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},488164,1790822079,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":44,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},3985747882900,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_9964176cb1d06d4a9deccf72a44ae3dc","Research Memorandum  \nETS RM–15-06  \nThe Association Between TOEFL iBT® Test Scores and the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) Levels  \nSpiros Papageorgiou  \nRichard J. Tannenbaum Brent Bridgeman  \nYeonsuk Cho  \nETS Research Memorandum Series  \nEIGNOR EXECUTIVE EDITOR  \nJames Carlson Principal Psychometrician  \nASSOCIATE EDITORS  \nBeata Beigman Klebanov Research Scientist  \nHeather Buzick Research Scientist  \nBrent Bridgeman  \nDistinguished Presidential Appointee Keelan Evanini  \nManaging Research Scientist Marna Golub-Smith  \nPrincipal Psychometrician  \nShelby Haberman  \nDistinguished Presidential Appointee  \nDonald Powers  \nManaging Principal Research Scientist Gautam Puhan  \nPrincipal Psychometrician John Sabatini  \nManaging Principal Research Scientist Matthias von Davier  \nSenior Research Director  \nRebecca Zwick  \nDistinguished Presidential Appointee  \nPRODUCTION EDITORS  \nKim Fryer  \nManager, Editing Services  \nAyleen Stellhorn Editor  \nSince its 1947 founding, ETS has conducted and disseminated scientific research to support its products and services, and to advance the measurement and education fields. In keeping with these goals, ETS is committed to making its research freely available to the professional community and to the general public. Published accounts of ETS research, including papers in the ETS Research Memorandum series, undergo a formal peer-review process by ETS staff to ensure that they meet established scientific and professional standards. All such ETS-conducted peer reviews are in addition to any reviews that outside organizations may provide as part of their own publication processes. Peer review notwithstanding, the positions expressed in the ETS Research Memorandum series and other published accounts of ETS research are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Officers and Trustees of Educational Testing Service.  \nThe Daniel Eignor Editorship is named in honor of Dr. Daniel R. Eignor, who from 2001 until 2011 served the Research and Development division as Editor for the ETS Research Report series. The Eignor Editorship has been created to recognize the pivotal leadership role that Dr. Eignor played in the research publication process at ETS.  \nThe Association Between TOEFL iBT® Test Scores and the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) Levels  \nSpiros Papageorgiou, Richard J. Tannenbaum, Brent Bridgeman, and Yeonsuk Cho Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey  \nAugust 2015  \nCorresponding author: Spiros Papageorgiou, E-mail: spapageorgiou@ets.org  \nSuggested citation: Papageorgiou, S., Tannenbaum, R. J., Bridgeman, B., & Cho, Y. (2015) . The association between TOEFL iBT® test scores and the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) levels (Research Memorandum No. RM-15-06). Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.  \nFind other ETS-published reports by searching the ETS ReSEARCHER database at [http://search.ets.org/researcher/](http://search.ets.org/researcher/)  \nTo obtain a copy of an ETS research report, please visit [http://www.ets.org/research/contact.html](http://www.ets.org/research/contact.html)  \nAction Editor: Donald Powers  \nReviewers: Jonathan Schmidgall and Michael Kane  \nCopyright © 2015 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved.  \nETS, the ETS logo, and TOEFL IBT are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS) . MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. All other trademarks are the property of their  \nrespective owners.  \nAbstract  \nThe Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), published by the Council of Europe (2001) is arguably one of the most influential language frameworks in the field of second language teaching and assessment, articulating a progression of language proficiency through a number of levels. Tannenbaum & Wylie (2008) mapped the TOEFL iBT® test scores onto the CEFR levels to help test users and decision makers interpret TOEFL iBT test scores in terms of the CEFR levels. B","cbCaifIyr71P4kX2","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaifIyr71P4kX2","pdf",779653,28,"English","# Abstract\n## Key words\n## Validity and score interpretation\n## Mapping TOEFL iBT scores to CEFR levels","[{\"question\":\"What is the purpose of revising CEFR cut scores in 2014?\",\"answer\":\"The memorandum presents the rationale for the CEFR cut score revision and provides validity evidence that the revised scores are reasonable and do not harm admissions decision quality.\"},{\"question\":\"How are TOEFL iBT® test scores used in academic admissions?\",\"answer\":\"TOEFL iBT® scores are used by universities to decide whether prospective ESL students have sufficient English-language skills for admission, using criterion-based interpretations aligned to CEFR levels.\"},{\"question\":\"Why is mapping test scores to proficiency descriptions important?\",\"answer\":\"A test score alone does not show whether a criterion has been met; mapping associates TOEFL iBT scores with level descriptions of language proficiency, enabling clearer score interpretation.\"}]","The Association Between TOEFL iBT® Test Scores and the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) Levels - Research Memorandum No. RM-15-06 | PDF",1790810954,71]