IELTS band score chart

Correct answers out of 40 for every band, how the overall band is rounded, and what each band means.

IELTS Listening and Reading each have 40 one-mark questions, and your raw score converts to a band from 1 to 9. Band 7 needs about 30 correct answers in Listening and Academic Reading, but 35 in General Training Reading. Writing and Speaking have no raw score: examiners give a band against four criteria. Your overall band is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band.

Raw score to band, every module

Correct answers out of 40 needed for each band. Estimated — see the notes below.
Band	Listening	Academic Reading	General Training Reading	CEFR
9.0	39–40	39–40	40	C2
8.5	37–38	37–38	39	C2
8.0	35–36	35–36	37–38	C1
7.5	32–34	33–34	36	C1
7.0	30–31	30–32	35	C1
6.5	26–29	27–29	32–34	B2
6.0	23–25	23–26	30–31	B2
5.5	18–22	19–22	27–29	B2
5.0	16–17	15–18	23–26	B1

IELTS publishes four exact points per module (for example, 30 correct answers is band 7 in Listening). The rows between come from past papers, and each test version is equated, so a cut-off can move by about a mark. Treat the chart as an estimate.

How the overall band is worked out

Add the four module bands and divide by four. If the average ends in .25 it rounds up to the next half band; if it ends in .75 it rounds up to the next whole band. Anything else rounds to the nearest half band.

L	R	W	S	Average	Overall
6.5	6.5	6.0	6.0	6.25	6.5
7.0	6.5	6.5	6.5	6.625	6.5
6.5	7.0	7.0	7.5	7	7.0
8.0	7.5	7.0	7.0	7.375	7.5

Writing and Speaking bands

There is no raw score for Writing or Speaking. Writing is marked on four criteria — task achievement (Task 1) or task response (Task 2), coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy — and Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1. Speaking is marked on fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation.

What each band means

Find out your band on a real 40-question section.

Take a free test Band calculator

Common questions

How is the IELTS overall band score calculated?

Add the four module bands and divide by four. An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band and one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band, so 6.25 becomes 6.5 and 6.75 becomes 7.0.

Is the band score chart the same for Academic and General Training?

Listening uses the same chart for both. Reading does not: General Training needs more correct answers for the same band, because its texts are less demanding. 30 correct answers is band 7 in Academic Reading but band 6 in General Training.

How are Writing and Speaking scored if there is no raw score?

Examiners give a band for each of four criteria. Writing is marked on task achievement or response, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource and grammatical range and accuracy, with Task 2 counting twice as much as Task 1. Speaking is marked on fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation.

Raw score to band, every module

Correct answers out of 40 needed for each band. Estimated — see the notes below.
Band	Listening	Academic Reading	General Training Reading	CEFR
9.0	39–40	39–40	40	C2
8.5	37–38	37–38	39	C2
8.0	35–36	35–36	37–38	C1
7.5	32–34	33–34	36	C1
7.0	30–31	30–32	35	C1
6.5	26–29	27–29	32–34	B2
6.0	23–25	23–26	30–31	B2
5.5	18–22	19–22	27–29	B2
5.0	16–17	15–18	23–26	B1

How the overall band is worked out

L	R	W	S	Average	Overall
6.5	6.5	6.0	6.0	6.25	6.5
7.0	6.5	6.5	6.5	6.625	6.5
6.5	7.0	7.0	7.5	7	7.0
8.0	7.5	7.0	7.0	7.375	7.5