IELTS scoring explained: raw scores, bands and rounding

What the bands mean

The overall band and IELTS rounding

The overall band is the mean of the four skill bands, rounded to the nearest half band. Because each skill is a half band, the mean always ends in one of eight fractions:

The quickest way to use this is the sum rule: to reach overall band $B$, your four bands must add up to at least $4B - 1$.

Listening and Reading: raw score to band

Each of the 40 questions is worth one mark. A “choose TWO letters” question covers two question numbers and earns one mark per correct letter. There is no penalty for wrong answers, so a blank is always a wasted chance. The raw score is converted with a table that varies slightly between test versions to keep bands comparable. Typical conversions:

General Training Reading needs more correct answers for the same band because its texts are less demanding. At the top that is severe: 38/40 gives Band 8.5 in Academic Reading but Band 8 in General Training.

How answers are marked

• Spelling counts. A misspelled answer is wrong, even if you clearly heard or found the right word.
• Word limits are absolute. Under NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS, a three-word answer is wrong even if it contains the right words.
• What counts as a word: a number written as figures (1,500) is one word, and a hyphenated word (part-time) is one word.
• Capital letters don’t matter, and British and American spellings are both accepted.
• Grammar must fit. If the gap needs a plural, the singular form is wrong.
• For completion tasks, use words from the recording or passage, unless the task gives a word box.

Writing: four criteria, two tasks, double weight

An examiner rates each task on four equally weighted criteria, in whole bands:

Each task band combines its four criteria (for example 8, 8, 7, 7 gives 7.5). Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1, so the Writing band is about (Task 1 + 2 × Task 2) ÷ 3, reported as a half band. IELTS does not publish its exact internal rounding, but the weighting is what matters:

The same two task scores give a full band’s difference depending on which task is stronger.

Penalties examiners apply: responses under 150 words (Task 1) or 250 words (Task 2) lose marks for task fulfilment; memorised or off-topic text and wording copied from the prompt are not credited; notes and bullet points are penalised; an Academic report without an overview, a letter missing a bullet point, or an essay that ignores part of the question is held at about Band 5 on the task criterion.

Speaking: four criteria across the whole interview

The examiner rates your whole 11–14-minute performance, not each part separately, on Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation, equally weighted and in whole bands. The Speaking band combines them: 8, 8, 7 and 7 give 7.5. Parts 1–3 are designed to push you progressively harder, and the upper bands are usually confirmed or denied in Part 3.

Remarks and results

Computer results usually arrive within 1–5 days. If a Writing or Speaking band looks well below your practice level, you can request a remark (Enquiry on Results) within 6 weeks of the test for a fee, refunded if your score increases. A senior examiner re-marks the skills you choose. IELTS recommends that organisations accept results for 2 years, and most do.

Common misunderstandings

Quick recap

• Overall band = mean of four skill bands, rounded to the nearest half band (.25 rounds up to .5; .75 rounds up to the next band).
• Sum rule: overall $B$ needs a band sum of at least $4B - 1$, so 33 for 8.5.
• Listening and Academic Reading: 37–38/40 for 8.5 and 39–40 for 9. General Training Reading: 39 and 40.
• Spelling, word limits and grammar fit decide completion answers. Wrong answers carry no penalty.
• Writing: four criteria per task, and Task 2 counts double. Speaking: four criteria across the whole interview.