English exam pass marks: ECCE, ECPE, Cambridge, LRN, IELTS, LTE
What score do you actually need? How ECCE, ECPE, B2 First, C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency, LRN, IELTS and LanguageCert LTE are scored, and which of them have a pass mark at all.
"What do I need to pass?" has a different answer for every English certificate, and some of them don't have a pass mark at all. Here is how each major exam reports your result, in one place, so you can set a real target for your mock exams.
One caution first. Exam bodies change their rules from time to time. Use this page to understand the shape of each scale, and check the current rules with your exam centre before you book.
At a glance
| Exam | How results are reported | What counts as success |
|---|---|---|
| Michigan ECCE and ECPE | Each of the four sections gets a score from 0 to 1000 | Certificate if the average of the four sections is 650 or more |
| Cambridge B2 First, C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency | Cambridge English Scale, one score per skill plus an overall score | A grade or CEFR level read from the overall score |
| LRN Level 1 (B2) and Level 3 (C2) | Marks out of 80 (B2) or 100 (C2) | Pass, Merit or Distinction |
| IELTS Academic and General Training | Bands from 0 to 9 | No pass mark: each organisation sets its own band |
| LanguageCert LTE | A score from 0 to 100 per module | No pass mark: the score is read as a CEFR level |
Michigan ECCE and ECPE
Each of the four sections (Listening, GVR or GCVR, Writing, Speaking) gets a scaled score from 0 to 1000. The scaling is done statistically, and the raw-to-scaled conversion is not published, because it varies from one test form to the next.
Section scores fall into bands:
- Honors: 840 to 1000
- Pass: 750 to 835
- Low Pass: 650 to 745
- Borderline Fail: 610 to 645
- Fail: 0 to 605
You earn the certificate when the average of your four section scores is 650 or more. You earn it with Honors when every section is 840 or more. Because the average counts, a strong Listening score can carry a weaker Writing score, within limits.
Cambridge B2 First, C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency
Cambridge reports five scores on the Cambridge English Scale: Reading, Use of English, Writing, Listening and Speaking. The overall score is the average of the five, rounded to the nearest whole number. There is no minimum score for any single paper.
| Exam | Reported range | What the overall score means |
|---|---|---|
| B2 First | 140 to 190 | 160 to 172 is grade C at B2 level, 173 to 179 is grade B, 180 to 190 is grade A and shows C1 ability. 140 to 159 is B1 level |
| C1 Advanced | 160 to 210 | 180 to 192 is grade C at C1 level, 193 to 199 is grade B, 200 to 210 is grade A and shows C2 ability. 160 to 179 is B2 level |
| C2 Proficiency | 180 to 230 | 200 to 212 is grade C at C2 level, 213 to 219 is grade B, 220 to 230 is grade A. 180 to 199 is C1 level |
In practice, 160 on B2 First, 180 on C1 Advanced and 200 on C2 Proficiency are the scores that mark each exam's own level. Cambridge also publishes guidance for turning practice-test marks into scale scores, and it advises treating about three points either side of a boundary as uncertain. Take the same attitude to your own mock results.
LRN Level 1 and Level 3
LRN marks four components of equal weight: Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking.
- Level 1 (B2): each component is marked out of 20, so the total is 80. Overall, 40 to 51 is a Pass, 52 to 63 is a Merit and 64 or more is a Distinction.
- Level 3 (C2): each component is marked out of 25, so the total is 100. Overall, 50 to 64 is a Pass, 65 to 79 is a Merit and 80 or more is a Distinction.
LRN numbers its levels differently from the CEFR: Level 1 is B2, Level 2 is C1 and Level 3 is C2. Our LRN B2 guide walks through each paper.
IELTS Academic and General Training
IELTS gives Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking each a band from 0 to 9, in half bands. The overall band is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band. In Writing, the second task counts twice as much as the first.
IELTS has no pass mark. A university, an employer or an immigration authority names the band it needs, often per skill ("6.5 overall, no band below 6.0"). As a rough guide to CEFR levels, 5.5 to 6.5 sits at B2, 7.0 to 8.0 at C1 and 8.5 to 9.0 at C2. Our IELTS comparison explains which version to book.
LanguageCert LTE
Each LTE module is scored from 0 to 100, and the score is read as a level: 10 to 19 is A1, 20 to 39 is A2, 40 to 59 is B1, 60 to 74 is B2, 75 to 89 is C1 and 90 to 100 is C2. There is no pass or fail. If you need B2, you need 60 in each module you sit. More detail is in our LTE guide.
Turning this into a mock-exam target
- Find the requirement in writing. A university page or job posting tells you the score or level you need.
- Translate it into the scale of your exam. For Michigan, that is an average of 650 or more. For Cambridge, it is the overall score for your level. For IELTS, it is the band.
- Aim above the line in every mock. Mock results are estimates, so a result right on the boundary can go either way on exam day. Several points of margin is a sensible buffer.
- Watch your weakest section. On Michigan and Cambridge a weak paper pulls the average down, and on IELTS and LTE many organisations ask for a minimum in each skill.
certifyboost reports each mock on the scale of the exam it prepares you for: scaled scores and bands for Michigan, the Cambridge English Scale for Cambridge, marks and grades for LRN, bands for IELTS and 0 to 100 for LTE. Results from mock exams are estimates, and the AI marking of writing and speaking is an estimate too. Mock 1 of every exam is free: see the exams or start free.