Duolingo English Test scores: what 10–160 means, and why 105 to 115 is one IELTS band

All scores are on 10–160. The certified test gives four individual subscores, speaking, writing, reading and listening, and Duolingo says they average to the overall score.

It also reports four integrated subscores, production, literacy, comprehension and conversation, each the average of two individual subscores. Our reading: they are a second view of the same four numbers, useful for seeing which pair pulls you down, not four more skills to train.

The test takes about an hour: 5 minutes of setup and ID checks, 45 minutes of scored assessment, and 10 minutes of writing and speaking samples. You take it at home, with no appointment, and Duolingo says results come in two days.

This is the overall-score comparison published on englishtest.duolingo.com/scores, read on 16 October 2026. Duolingo links it to its research on score comparisons; universities set their own minimums and may not use it.

160 · C2 · IELTS 8.5–9 · TOEFL iBT 120

155 · C2 · IELTS 8 · TOEFL 119

150 · C1 · IELTS 8 · TOEFL 117–118

145 · C1 · IELTS 7.5 · TOEFL 113–116

140 · C1 · IELTS 7.5 · TOEFL 109–112

135 · C1 · IELTS 7 · TOEFL 104–108

130 · C1 · IELTS 7 · TOEFL 98–103

125 · B2 · IELTS 6.5 · TOEFL 93–97

120 · B2 · IELTS 6.5 · TOEFL 87–92

115 · B2 · IELTS 6 · TOEFL 82–86

110 · B2 · IELTS 6 · TOEFL 76–81

105 · B2 · IELTS 6 · TOEFL 70–75

100 · B2 · IELTS 5.5 · TOEFL 65–69

95 · B1 · IELTS 5.5 · TOEFL 59–64

90 / 85 / 80 · B1 · IELTS 5 · TOEFL 53–58 / 47–52 / 41–46

75 / 70 / 65 · B1 · IELTS 4.5 · TOEFL 35–40 / 30–34 / 24–29

60 · B1 · IELTS 4 · TOEFL 18–23

10–55 · A1–A2 · IELTS 0–4 · TOEFL 0–17

IELTS 6 is three DET scores wide. 105, 110 and 115 all sit at IELTS 6 on Duolingo's chart, while one step up, 120, is already IELTS 6.5. Our reading: if a university asks for "IELTS 6 or DET 115", a 105 is the same IELTS band and still short, so read the DET number they wrote, never the conversion.

B1 is the widest band on the scale: 60 to 95, eight steps. A DET 60 and a DET 95 are both "B1" on the chart, but they sit three IELTS half-bands apart (4 and 5.5). For a CEFR-based requirement, B1 on its own says little about where you are inside it.

The TOEFL column moves in smaller steps than the IELTS one. Every 5 DET points is a different TOEFL range, so the TOEFL comparison is the finer of the two. How the TOEFL scale itself works is in our TOEFL score guide, IELTS bands in the IELTS guide, and Pearson's own IELTS table in the PTE Academic guide. All five tests side by side: IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, Duolingo and TOEIC compared.

Results are valid for two years. After that, the help centre says, you can no longer share your result or view your certificate, and institutions lose access to it.

You can buy three tests in any 30 days, and you must wait for your result before taking a new test.

One purchase gives three attempts. A test credit gives one certified result, and you have three attempts to complete and upload it; every time you start the test counts as an attempt. A technical failure or a broken rule can be retaken on the same credit while attempts remain.

One thing the DET does not give you is a speaking partner: the speaking section is answered to a screen. If speaking is your lowest subscore, practising with a person is the part the test cannot simulate.