- Each skill gets a band from 0 to 9, in whole or half bands, and the overall band is their average.
- The average is rounded: .25 rounds up to the next half band, and .75 rounds up to the next whole band.
- Listening and Reading bands come from your number of correct answers out of 40.
- Writing and Speaking are marked by trained examiners on four criteria each.
Your IELTS result is a set of five numbers: a band for Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, and an overall band. Knowing exactly how they are calculated helps you set a realistic target and see which skill will raise your score the fastest.
This guide explains the band scale, how the overall score is rounded, the raw score charts for Listening and Reading, and what examiners look for in Writing and Speaking.
The IELTS band scale from 0 to 9
| Band | Level | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Expert user | Full command of English: accurate, appropriate and fluent, with complete understanding. |
| 8 | Very good user | Full command with only occasional, unsystematic errors. Handles complex, detailed argument well. |
| 7 | Good user | Operational command with occasional errors and misunderstandings. Generally handles complex language well. |
| 6 | Competent user | Generally effective command despite some errors. Can use fairly complex language in familiar situations. |
| 5 | Modest user | Partial command. Copes with overall meaning in most situations but makes many mistakes. |
| 4 | Limited user | Basic competence in familiar situations only. Frequent problems with understanding and expression. |
| 3 | Extremely limited user | Understands and conveys only general meaning in very familiar situations. |
| 2 | Intermittent user | Great difficulty understanding spoken and written English. |
| 1 | Non-user | No real ability to use the language beyond a few isolated words. |
| 0 | Did not attempt | No assessable information provided. |
Half bands, such as 6.5, mean your performance is between the two levels.
How the overall band score is calculated
Add your four skill bands, divide by four, and round to the nearest half band. The rounding rule is the part most people get wrong:
- An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band (6.25 becomes 6.5).
- An average ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band (6.75 becomes 7.0).
- Anything in between rounds to the nearest half band (6.125 becomes 6.0, and 6.375 becomes 6.5).
| LListening | RReading | WWriting | SSpeaking | Average | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5 | 6.5 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 6.25 | 6.5 |
| 6.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.375 | 6.5 |
| 6.5 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 6.125 | 6.0 |
| 7.5 | 7.0 | 6.5 | 6.0 | 6.75 | 7.0 |
| 7.5 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 7.125 | 7.0 |
Try your own scores in the free IELTS band score calculator, which uses exactly these rules.
IELTS Listening band score chart
Listening has 40 questions, each worth one mark. Your raw score (the number of correct answers) is converted to a band using a table like this one. The conversion is the same for Academic and General Training.
| Correct answers (out of 40) | Band |
|---|---|
| 39–40 | 9.0 |
| 37–38 | 8.5 |
| 35–36 | 8.0 |
| 32–34 | 7.5 |
| 30–31 | 7.0 |
| 26–29 | 6.5 |
| 23–25 | 6.0 |
| 18–22 | 5.5 |
| 16–17 | 5.0 |
| 13–15 | 4.5 |
| 10–12 | 4.0 |
These are typical conversions. IELTS adjusts them slightly from test to test so that every version is equally fair. Work out your band from a practice test with the Listening score calculator.
IELTS Reading band score charts
Reading also has 40 one-mark questions, but Academic and General Training use different tables. General Training texts are generally less complex, so you need more correct answers for the same band.
| Correct answers (out of 40) | Band |
|---|---|
| 39–40 | 9.0 |
| 37–38 | 8.5 |
| 35–36 | 8.0 |
| 33–34 | 7.5 |
| 30–32 | 7.0 |
| 27–29 | 6.5 |
| 23–26 | 6.0 |
| 19–22 | 5.5 |
| 15–18 | 5.0 |
| 13–14 | 4.5 |
| 10–12 | 4.0 |
| Correct answers (out of 40) | Band |
|---|---|
| 40 | 9.0 |
| 39 | 8.5 |
| 37–38 | 8.0 |
| 36 | 7.5 |
| 34–35 | 7.0 |
| 32–33 | 6.5 |
| 30–31 | 6.0 |
| 27–29 | 5.5 |
| 23–26 | 5.0 |
| 19–22 | 4.5 |
| 15–18 | 4.0 |
Check a practice test with the Reading score calculator.
How IELTS Writing is marked
Trained examiners mark each Writing task on four criteria, each equally weighted. Task 2 counts for twice as much as Task 1 in your final Writing band.
| Criterion | What the examiner looks at |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | How fully you answer the task: an overview in Task 1, a clear position and developed ideas in Task 2. |
| Coherence and Cohesion | How logically your writing is organised: paragraphs, clear progression and linking words. |
| Lexical Resource | The range and accuracy of your vocabulary, including spelling and word choice. |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | The variety of sentence structures you use, and how accurate they are. |
Our guides to the Task 1 line graph and the opinion essay show what these criteria look like in a real answer, and the free writing checker estimates your band.
How IELTS Speaking is marked
The examiner gives one band for the whole Speaking test, based on four equally weighted criteria across Parts 1, 2 and 3:
| Criterion | What the examiner listens for |
|---|---|
| Fluency and Coherence | Speaking at length without long pauses, and linking ideas clearly. |
| Lexical Resource | Using a range of vocabulary, including less common words and natural expressions. |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | Using varied sentence structures with few errors. |
| Pronunciation | Being easy to understand, with clear sounds, natural stress and intonation. |
See our guides to Part 1, Part 2 cue cards and Part 3 for sample answers at band 7 and above.
IELTS band scores and CEFR levels
Many universities and employers describe English levels using the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). This is how IELTS bands roughly compare:
| CEFR level | IELTS band |
|---|---|
| C2 | 8.5–9 |
| C1 | 7–8 |
| B2 | 5.5–6.5 |
| B1 | 4–5 |
Convert any score with the free IELTS to CEFR converter.
What IELTS band do you need?
Requirements depend on where you are applying and why. As a general guide:
- Undergraduate degrees: often 6.0 to 6.5 overall.
- Postgraduate degrees: often 6.5 to 7.0 overall, sometimes higher for competitive courses.
- Professional registration (for example, medicine or nursing): often 7.0 or higher in every skill.
- Visas and immigration: requirements vary by country and route, and often set a minimum for each skill.
Find out your band before test day
Take full practice tests in the computer-delivered format and get a band for every skill, with AI marking for Writing and Speaking.
- Listening and Reading marked instantly
- Writing and Speaking bands on all four criteria
- See which skill to work on next
