BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- An examination institution affiliated with China's Ministry of Education and the U.S.-based Educational Testing Service (ETS) Wednesday jointly released the results of their collaborative research on linking TOEFL iBT to China's Standards of English Language Ability (CSE).

The research results show the cutoff scores of the TOEFL iBT test mapped to CSE levels, according to a statement issued by the ministry's National Education Examinations Authority (NEEA) and the ETS.

According to the results, a total score of 87 in the TOEFL iBT test is equivalent to CSE level 7, while a total score of 101 is equivalent to CSE level 8.

"The research will help Chinese students, schools and test-takers understand the requirements and scores of the international examination and be better prepared," said Yu Han, deputy head of the NEEA.

The TOEFL iBT test measures learners' four skills of reading, listening, speaking and writing in English at the university level, with a total score ranging between 0 and 120.

The CSE, the first full-range English proficiency scale designed for Chinese English learners and users, was released by authorities in February 2018. It categorizes the ability of Chinese English learners into nine proficiency levels across the three broad stages of basic, intermediate and advanced. The collaborative research focuses on CSE levels 4 to 8.