IELTS band score calculator
Enter how many Listening and Reading questions you got right out of 40, add your Writing and Speaking bands, and see your overall IELTS band. It uses the same conversion tables as our free Listening tests and free Reading tests.
How the overall band is worked out
Each of the four skills gets a band from 0 to 9 in half-band steps. Your overall band is the mean of the four, rounded to the nearest half band. IELTS rounds up at the quarter marks: an average ending in .25 goes up to the next half band and one ending in .75 goes up to the next whole band.
- Listening 6.5, Reading 6.5, Writing 5, Speaking 7 → average 6.25 → overall 6.5
- Listening 4, Reading 3.5, Writing 4, Speaking 5 → average 4.125 → overall 4
- Listening 7, Reading 7.5, Writing 6.5, Speaking 7 → average 7.0 → overall 7
- Listening 8, Reading 7.5, Writing 6.5, Speaking 7 → average 7.25 → overall 7.5
IELTS Listening band score chart
Listening has 40 questions, one mark each, and the same conversion for Academic and General Training. IELTS gives these anchor points: 16 correct ≈ band 5, 23 ≈ band 6, 30 ≈ band 7 and 35 ≈ band 8.
| Correct answers | Band |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| 8–9 | 3.5 |
| 6–7 | 3 |
| 4–5 | 2.5 |
| 1–3 | 1 |
IELTS Reading band score chart
Reading also has 40 one-mark questions, but the two modules convert differently. General Training texts are easier, so the same number of correct answers gives a lower band. Anchors published by IELTS: Academic 15 ≈ 5, 23 ≈ 6, 30 ≈ 7, 35 ≈ 8; General Training 15 ≈ 4, 23 ≈ 5, 30 ≈ 6, 35 ≈ 7.
| Correct answers | Band |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| 8–9 | 3.5 |
| 6–7 | 3 |
| 4–5 | 2.5 |
| 1–3 | 1 |
| Correct answers | Band |
|---|---|
| 40 | 9 |
| 39 | 8.5 |
| 37–38 | 8 |
| 36 | 7.5 |
| 35 | 7 |
| 32–34 | 6.5 |
| 30–31 | 6 |
| 27–29 | 5.5 |
| 23–26 | 5 |
| 19–22 | 4.5 |
| 15–18 | 4 |
| 12–14 | 3.5 |
| 9–11 | 3 |
| 6–8 | 2.5 |
| 1–5 | 1 |
Writing and Speaking bands
Writing and Speaking are marked by a trained examiner against four criteria each. Writing uses Task Achievement (Task Response in Task 2), Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Task 2 carries more weight than Task 1. Speaking uses Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation. To see where your speaking sits, try the free Speaking band estimator or a full Speaking mock test with an AI examiner. The Speaking band descriptors explained guide shows what each band sounds like.
Get a real score to put in the calculator
The quickest way to know your Listening and Reading bands is to sit a full timed test. Every test on Sprechify is free, marks itself and gives you a band from these tables:
- IELTS Listening Practice Test 1 (4 parts, 40 questions, real recordings)
- IELTS Academic Reading Test 1 (3 passages, 60 minutes)
- Reading practice by question type, if one type keeps costing you marks
Frequently asked questions
How is the IELTS overall band score calculated?
Your overall band is the average of your four skill bands (Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking), rounded to the nearest half band. An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band, and an average ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band. So 6.25 becomes 6.5, 6.75 becomes 7, and 6.125 becomes 6.
How many correct answers do I need for band 7 in IELTS Listening?
Around 30 out of 40. IELTS publishes 30 correct answers as the approximate score for band 7 in Listening, 35 for band 8 and 23 for band 6. The exact cut-off can move by one mark between test versions.
Is the Reading band the same for Academic and General Training?
No. General Training texts are easier, so you need more correct answers for the same band. About 30 correct answers gives band 7 in Academic Reading but only band 6 in General Training. Listening uses one table for both modules.
Can I calculate my Writing and Speaking bands from a raw score?
No. Writing and Speaking are not marked out of 40. An examiner gives a band for each of four criteria and your skill band is the average of those. Pick the band you expect (or the one from a mock test) in the calculator.
How accurate is this calculator?
The Listening and Reading tables match every anchor point IELTS publishes (for example 30 correct = band 7 in Listening and Academic Reading). The steps between anchors follow the tables printed in Cambridge IELTS practice books. Treat the result as a close estimate: the real conversion can shift by a mark from one test to the next.
Source for the anchor points and rounding rule: IELTS, “IELTS scoring in detail” (ielts.org). Conversions are approximate and can vary by a mark between test versions.