Demystifying Your IELTS Score: How It's Calculated

Taking the IELTS exam is a significant step, whether for study, work, or immigration. But once the test is done, understanding your score can feel like another challenge! Don't worry, it's quite straightforward once you break it down. This post will explain how IELTS scoring works and how you can estimate your own score.

The Basics: The 0-9 Band Scale

IELTS uses a 9-band scoring system to measure English language proficiency. Scores are reported for each of the four skills – Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking – as well as an overall band score.

• 9: Expert User
• 8: Very Good User
• 7: Good User
• 6: Competent User
• 5: Modest User
• 4: Limited User
• 3: Extremely Limited User
• 2: Intermittent User
• 1: Non-User
• 0: Did not attempt the test

Scores are given in whole bands (e.g., 6.0, 7.0) or half bands (e.g., 6.5, 7.5).

How Each Section is Scored

Each of the four sections contributes equally to your overall band score. Here's how the individual sections are graded:

Listening

• Format: 40 questions.
• Scoring: You get one mark for each correct answer. Your total number of correct answers out of 40 is converted into the IELTS 9-band scale using a specific conversion table. Spelling and grammar count!

Here's the typical conversion table for Listening:

| Correct Answers | Band Score | |-----------------|------------| | 39 - 40 | 9 | | 37 - 38 | 8.5 | | 35 - 36 | 8 | | 32 - 34 | 7.5 | | 30 - 31 | 7 | | 26 - 29 | 6.5 | | 23 - 25 | 6 | | 18 - 22 | 5.5 | | 16 - 17 | 5 | | 13 - 15 | 4.5 | | 10 - 12 | 4 | | Below 10 | Below 4 |

Reading

• Format: 40 questions.
• Scoring: Similar to Listening, you get one mark per correct answer. However, the conversion tables differ slightly between the Academic and General Training tests because the texts are different.

Academic Reading Score Conversion:

| Correct Answers | Band Score | |-----------------|------------| | 39 - 40 | 9 | | 37 - 38 | 8.5 | | 35 - 36 | 8 | | 33 - 34 | 7.5 | | 30 - 32 | 7 | | 27 - 29 | 6.5 | | 23 - 26 | 6 | | 19 - 22 | 5.5 | | 15 - 18 | 5 | | 13 - 14 | 4.5 | | 10 - 12 | 4 | | Below 10 | Below 4 |

General Training Reading Score Conversion:

| Correct Answers | Band Score | |-----------------|------------| | 40 | 9 | | 39 | 8.5 | | 37 - 38 | 8 | | 36 | 7.5 | | 34 - 35 | 7 | | 32 - 33 | 6.5 | | 30 - 31 | 6 | | 27 - 29 | 5.5 | | 23 - 26 | 5 | | 19 - 22 | 4.5 | | 15 - 18 | 4 | | Below 15 | Below 4 |

(Note: These tables are guides. Slight variations can occur between different test versions.)

Writing

• Format: Two tasks (Task 1 and Task 2). Task 2 contributes more to the score than Task 1.
• Scoring: Certified IELTS examiners assess your writing based on four criteria:
  • Task Achievement (Task 1) / Task Response (Task 2): Did you answer the question fully and appropriately?
  • Coherence and Cohesion: Is your writing well-organized and easy to follow? Do you use linking words effectively?
  • Lexical Resource: Do you use a good range of vocabulary accurately and appropriately?
  • Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Do you use a variety of grammatical structures accurately? Each criterion is equally weighted, and the examiner gives a band score for each part.

Speaking

• Format: A face-to-face interview with an examiner (can be in-person or via video call), consisting of three parts.
• Scoring: A certified examiner assesses your performance based on four criteria:
  • Fluency and Coherence: How smoothly and naturally do you speak? How well-connected are your ideas?
  • Lexical Resource: How wide is your vocabulary range? How accurately and appropriately do you use words?
  • Grammatical Range and Accuracy: How wide is your range of grammar? How accurately do you use it?
  • Pronunciation: How clear and easy to understand is your speech?

How to Calculate Your Overall Band Score

Your overall band score is the average of the scores you received for the four sections (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking).

1. Add the band scores for the four sections together.
2. Divide the total by 4.
3. Round the result to the nearest half or whole band.

Rounding Rules:

• If the average ends in .25, it rounds up to the next half band (e.g., 6.25 becomes 6.5).
• If the average ends in .75, it rounds up to the next whole band (e.g., 6.75 becomes 7.0).
• If the average ends in .125, it rounds down to the nearest whole band (e.g., 6.125 becomes 6.0). Technically, it rounds to the nearest band/half-band, so .125 is closer to .0 than .5.
• If the average ends in .375, it rounds up to the nearest half band (e.g., 6.375 becomes 6.5). Technically, it rounds to the nearest band/half-band, so .375 is closer to .5 than .0.
• If the average ends in .625, it rounds down to the nearest half band (e.g., 6.625 becomes 6.5). Technically, it rounds to the nearest band/half-band, so .625 is closer to .5 than .0.
• If the average ends in .875, it rounds up to the nearest whole band (e.g., 6.875 becomes 7.0). Technically, it rounds to the nearest band/half-band, so .875 is closer to .0 (of the next band) than .5.

Example Calculation:

Let's say your scores are:

• Listening: 7.5
• Reading: 8.0
• Writing: 6.5
• Speaking: 7.0

1. Add: 7.5 + 8.0 + 6.5 + 7.0 = 29.0
2. Divide: 29.0 / 4 = 7.25
3. Round: 7.25 rounds up to 7.5

Your Overall Band Score would be 7.5.

Easy Calculation Tool

Want a quick way to calculate your potential overall score based on your section scores (or estimated scores)? Use this handy online calculator:

IELTS Score Calculator

Understanding how the IELTS is scored helps you know what to aim for in each section. Use the tables above to see how many correct answers you need in Listening and Reading for your target score, and focus on the assessment criteria for Writing and Speaking. Good luck!