Enter Your Four Skill Scores
Set each skill score using the official 0–9 scale (in 0.5 increments). Your overall band score updates instantly.
Convert Correct Answers to Band Scores
Move the slider to the number of questions you answered correctly — your band score is shown instantly.
Conversion thresholds are based on the official IELTS scoring methodology and the average tables published by IELTS test partners. Because each test version is individually equated for difficulty, the exact mark needed for a given band can shift by around 1 mark from one test date to another — use these figures as a highly reliable estimate rather than a guaranteed result.
🎧 Listening Score Converter
Select how many answers you got correct out of 40.
📖 Reading Score Converter
Select your test type, then move the slider.
How IELTS is Scored
Understanding exactly how each skill is assessed helps you target the right areas to improve.
IELTS Listening Scoring
The Listening test contains 40 questions across four recorded sections. Each correct answer earns one mark. There is no penalty for incorrect answers. Your raw score (number of correct answers) is then converted to the IELTS 9-band scale using an official conversion table.
| Correct Answers (out of 40) | 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 |
| 11 - 12 | 4 |
| 8 - 10 | 3.5 |
| 6 - 7 | 3 |
| 4 - 5 | 2.5 |
| 3 | 2 |
| 1 - 2 | 1 |
| 0 | 0 |
IELTS Reading Scoring
The Reading test contains 40 questions to be answered in 60 minutes. Each correct answer scores one mark. Academic and General Training use different conversion tables because the difficulty levels differ — General Training texts are generally less complex.
General Training Reading: Shorter, more practical texts — notices, advertisements, workplace documents, and one longer text.
Academic Reading
| Correct | 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 |
| 0 | 0 |
General Training Reading
| Correct | Band |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| 12 - 14 | 3.5 |
| 9 - 11 | 3 |
| 6 - 8 | 2.5 |
| 4 - 5 | 2 |
| 1 - 3 | 1 |
| 0 | 0 |
IELTS Writing Scoring
IELTS Writing is marked by a certified examiner on four equally weighted criteria. Task 1 contributes ⅓ of your writing score and Task 2 contributes ⅔. Final scores are rounded to the nearest 0.5 band.
Task Achievement / Task Response
How well you address the task requirements, cover all key points, and develop your ideas clearly and relevantly.
Coherence & Cohesion
How logically your response is organised, and how well you use linking words, pronouns, and discourse markers.
Lexical Resource
The range and accuracy of vocabulary you use, including less common words and natural collocations.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
The variety of grammatical structures you use and the frequency of errors that impact communication.
IELTS Speaking Scoring
The Speaking test is a face-to-face interview with a trained IELTS examiner, lasting 11–14 minutes. It is divided into three parts: an introduction and interview, a long turn (cue card), and a two-way discussion. Examiners use four equally weighted criteria.
Fluency & Coherence
How smoothly and logically you speak — your ability to keep talking without long pauses, self-correction, or losing the thread.
Lexical Resource
The range and appropriacy of your vocabulary, including your ability to paraphrase when you don't know a word.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
The range of grammatical structures you use and how accurately you use them in spoken context.
Pronunciation
How clearly you can be understood — your use of individual sounds, word stress, sentence rhythm, and intonation.
What Each Band Score Means
IELTS uses a 9-band scale. Here is the official description for each band level.
| Band | Level | Description | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Expert User | Full operational command of English. Appropriate, accurate, and fluent with complete understanding. | Top universities, C-suite international roles |
| 8 | Very Good User | Fully operational command with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies. Handles complex argumentation well. | Most top universities, professional migration (UK, AU, CA) |
| 7 | Good User | Operational command of the language. Occasional inaccuracies and misunderstandings in some situations. | Many universities, skilled migration programs |
| 6 | Competent User | Generally effective command despite some inaccuracies and misunderstandings. Comfortable with complex language. | Undergraduate entry, some visa categories |
| 5 | Modest User | Partial command, coping with overall meaning in most situations, though likely to make many mistakes. | Pathway programs, some vocational visas |
| 4 | Limited User | Basic competence limited to familiar situations. Frequent problems with comprehension and expression. | Below most university and visa thresholds |
Common Questions About IELTS Scores
Everything you need to know about how IELTS scoring works.
The four skill scores (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking) are added together and divided by four. The result is then rounded to the nearest whole or half band using IELTS's official rounding rules: 0.25 and 0.375 round up to the nearest half band, and 0.75 and 0.875 round up to the next whole band. However, 0.125 rounds down to the whole band below, and 0.625 rounds down to the nearest half band.
Yes — IELTS One Skill Retake (OSR) allows test takers who took their IELTS on a computer to retake one of the four skills within 60 days of the original test, keeping the three scores they are happy with.
IELTS scores are valid for two years from the test date. After two years, the score is considered to no longer accurately reflect your current English proficiency and most institutions will not accept it.
Academic IELTS is required for undergraduate and postgraduate university entry and professional registration. General Training is used for secondary education, work experience programmes, and migration to English-speaking countries. The Listening and Speaking tests are identical; only Reading and Writing differ.
There is no limit to the number of times you can take IELTS. You can retake the test as many times as you need. Many test centres allow booking tests just a few days apart, though giving yourself adequate preparation time is strongly recommended.
Yes. Each of the four skills (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking) contributes equally to the overall band score — each is worth 25%. Within the Writing test, however, Task 2 is worth twice as much as Task 1.