IELTS Grading System Explained: Bands, Scores, Rounding

A nine-band scale

IELTS results are reported on a scale from zero to nine, and you receive a band score for each of the four skills: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. You also receive an overall band score. Scores can be whole numbers or half bands, such as six and a half or seven. There is no pass or fail in the standard test. Instead, each university, employer or immigration authority decides what score it needs, so the same result can be enough for one purpose and too low for another.

How Listening and Reading are marked

Listening and Reading each contain forty questions, and every correct answer earns one mark. The total number of correct answers, the raw score, is converted into a band. Because the conversion tables differ slightly between test versions, charts you find online are approximate. As a rough guide, thirty correct answers in Listening often equals a band seven, though Reading conversions differ between the Academic and General Training modules. Wrong answers do not lose marks, so you should answer every question.

How Writing is marked

Writing is marked by trained examiners using four published criteria: task achievement or task response, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy. Each criterion carries equal weight. Task Two counts for more than Task One, so spending your time wisely matters. Examiners compare your response to band descriptors, which describe what a response at each level looks like. A well-organised essay with accurate language and a clear position usually scores higher than a long essay with errors.

How Speaking is marked

The Speaking test is a face-to-face or video conversation with an examiner and is recorded. It is assessed on fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. Again, each criterion has equal weight. Examiners do not judge your opinions or your accent as such. They judge how clearly and naturally you communicate, whether your vocabulary is flexible, and whether your grammar is accurate. Natural speech with occasional self-correction can still score highly.

How the overall band is calculated

The overall band is the average of the four skill bands, rounded to the nearest half band. If the average ends in .25, it is rounded up to the next half band, and if it ends in .75, it is rounded up to the next whole band. For example, scores of seven, six and a half, six and six and a half average to six and a half, while scores of seven, seven, six and a half and six and a half average to six and three quarters, which becomes seven.

Why individual bands matter

Many organisations set minimum bands for each skill, not only an overall target. A candidate with an overall band of seven might still be rejected if their Writing is below the required minimum. Always read the exact wording of the requirement, such as overall seven with no component below six and a half. Check whether a single sitting is required, since some institutions do not accept scores combined across different tests.

Academic versus General Training

The two test types share the same Listening and Speaking tests but have different Reading and Writing papers. The band scale is the same, so a six and a half in General Training is reported on the same scale as a six and a half in Academic, but they are not interchangeable for every purpose. Universities usually ask for Academic, while some immigration routes ask for General Training. Check which version your goal needs before booking the exam.

Using the system to plan your study

Because the grading system is transparent, you can set clear goals. Identify the overall band you need and any minimum per skill. Take a diagnostic test and estimate each skill. Then plan to improve the lowest one first, since a single weak skill often limits your overall result. Track your progress with practice tests under timed conditions, and use feedback from teachers or reliable resources for Writing and Speaking, where self-marking is harder.

A nine-band scale

IELTS results are reported on a scale from zero to nine, and you receive a band score for each of the four skills: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. You also receive an overall band score. Scores can be whole numbers or half bands, such as six and a half or seven. There is no pass or fail in the standard test. Instead, each university, employer or immigration authority decides what score it needs, so the same result can be enough for one purpose and too low for another.

How Listening and Reading are marked

Listening and Reading each contain forty questions, and every correct answer earns one mark. The total number of correct answers, the raw score, is converted into a band. Because the conversion tables differ slightly between test versions, charts you find online are approximate. As a rough guide, thirty correct answers in Listening often equals a band seven, though Reading conversions differ between the Academic and General Training modules. Wrong answers do not lose marks, so you should answer every question.

How Writing is marked

Writing is marked by trained examiners using four published criteria: task achievement or task response, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy. Each criterion carries equal weight. Task Two counts for more than Task One, so spending your time wisely matters. Examiners compare your response to band descriptors, which describe what a response at each level looks like. A well-organised essay with accurate language and a clear position usually scores higher than a long essay with errors.

How Speaking is marked

The Speaking test is a face-to-face or video conversation with an examiner and is recorded. It is assessed on fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. Again, each criterion has equal weight. Examiners do not judge your opinions or your accent as such. They judge how clearly and naturally you communicate, whether your vocabulary is flexible, and whether your grammar is accurate. Natural speech with occasional self-correction can still score highly.

How the overall band is calculated

The overall band is the average of the four skill bands, rounded to the nearest half band. If the average ends in .25, it is rounded up to the next half band, and if it ends in .75, it is rounded up to the next whole band. For example, scores of seven, six and a half, six and six and a half average to six and a half, while scores of seven, seven, six and a half and six and a half average to six and three quarters, which becomes seven.

Why individual bands matter

Many organisations set minimum bands for each skill, not only an overall target. A candidate with an overall band of seven might still be rejected if their Writing is below the required minimum. Always read the exact wording of the requirement, such as overall seven with no component below six and a half. Check whether a single sitting is required, since some institutions do not accept scores combined across different tests.

Academic versus General Training

The two test types share the same Listening and Speaking tests but have different Reading and Writing papers. The band scale is the same, so a six and a half in General Training is reported on the same scale as a six and a half in Academic, but they are not interchangeable for every purpose. Universities usually ask for Academic, while some immigration routes ask for General Training. Check which version your goal needs before booking the exam.

Using the system to plan your study

Because the grading system is transparent, you can set clear goals. Identify the overall band you need and any minimum per skill. Take a diagnostic test and estimate each skill. Then plan to improve the lowest one first, since a single weak skill often limits your overall result. Track your progress with practice tests under timed conditions, and use feedback from teachers or reliable resources for Writing and Speaking, where self-marking is harder.