How IELTS band scores are calculated
Each of the four skills gets a band from 0 to 9, and your overall band is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band. An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band, and one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band.
Listening and Reading: correct answers out of 40
Both tests have 40 questions worth one mark each. Your number of correct answers is converted to a band with a table. Approximate conversions:
| Band | Listening | Academic Reading | General Training Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 39-40 | 39-40 | 40 |
| 8 | 35-36 | 35-36 | 37-38 |
| 7 | 30-31 | 30-32 | 34-35 |
| 6 | 23-25 | 23-26 | 30-31 |
| 5 | 16-17 | 15-18 | 23-26 |
The official conversion can shift by a mark or two between test versions, so these are guides, not promises. General Training Reading needs more correct answers for the same band because its texts are easier.
Writing and Speaking: four criteria each
Examiners mark Writing and Speaking against four criteria with equal weight. In Writing, each task is marked separately and Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1.
- Writing: Task Achievement (Task 1) or Task Response (Task 2), Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- Speaking: Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, Pronunciation
The overall band
Add the four skill bands and divide by four, then round:
| Average | Overall band |
|---|---|
| 6.125 | 6.0 |
| 6.25 | 6.5 |
| 6.375 | 6.5 |
| 6.625 | 6.5 |
| 6.75 | 7.0 |
For example, Listening 7.0, Reading 6.5, Writing 6.0 and Speaking 6.5 average 6.5, so the overall band is 6.5. Try your own numbers with the band score calculator.