IELTS band scores explained (and how they're calculated)
IELTS specialists — MUIC & Chulalongkorn University alumni, IELTS Speaking Band 9, IDP-certified.
IELTS reports each skill on a 0–9 scale in half-band steps. Your overall band is the average of the four skill bands, rounded to the nearest half band (an average of 6.25 rounds up to 6.5, and 6.75 rounds up to 7). Listening and Reading bands come from raw scores out of 40; Writing and Speaking are graded against four criteria each.
What the bands mean
- 9 — Expert user; 8 — Very good; 7 — Good; 6 — Competent; 5 — Modest; 4 — Limited.
- Most universities ask for 6.0–7.0 overall, often with a per-skill minimum.
How the overall band is rounded
Average the four skills. 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. So 6.25 → 6.5 and 6.75 → 7.0, but 6.125 → 6.0.
Raw score to band (approximate)
Listening and Academic Reading are out of 40. As a rough guide, about 30/40 is band 7, 23/40 is band 6, and 35/40 is band 8 — exact conversions vary slightly between test versions.
Frequently asked questions
How is the overall IELTS band calculated?
It's the mean of your four skill bands, rounded to the nearest half band using the .25-up / .75-up rule.
Can you get half bands in every skill?
Yes. Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking are all reported in 0.5 steps, as is the overall band.
Is Reading easier to score than Writing?
Reading is objective (right/wrong), so it's often more predictable to improve than Writing, which is graded on range and accuracy.
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