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IELTS band calculator

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Your overall IELTS band is the average of your four section bands, rounded to the nearest half band. Choose your scores below to see the result.

Choose all four scores to see your overall band.

How is the overall band rounded?

An average ending in .25 goes up to the next half band, and one ending in .75 goes up to the next whole band. Other averages go to the nearest half band.

Worked examples of the overall band
L, R, W, SAverageOverall
6.5, 6.5, 5.0, 7.06.256.5
4.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.03.8754.0
6.5, 6.5, 5.5, 6.06.1256.0

Rule and examples from IELTS scoring in detail.

How many correct answers make each band?

Listening and Reading are marked out of 40. These are the test owner's average figures, which vary slightly between test versions.

Listening

  • Band 5.0: 16/40
  • Band 6.0: 23/40
  • Band 7.0: 30/40
  • Band 8.0: 35/40

Academic Reading

  • Band 5.0: 15/40
  • Band 6.0: 23/40
  • Band 7.0: 30/40
  • Band 8.0: 35/40

General Training Reading

  • Band 4.0: 15/40
  • Band 5.0: 23/40
  • Band 6.0: 30/40
  • Band 7.0: 35/40

What CEFR level is my IELTS band?

The test owner says an overall score of 5.5 to 6.5 is equivalent to CEFR B2, and 7 to 8 corresponds to C1. Band 9 corresponds approximately to C2.

IELTS is not a level-based test, so the match is not exact. Read more on IELTS and the CEFR. For what your Speaking score means, see the speaking band descriptors.

SpeakWisely is an independent practice tool. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by IELTS, the British Council, IDP or Cambridge University Press & Assessment.

Questions people ask

How is the overall IELTS band calculated?
Add your Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking bands, divide by four, and round to the nearest half band. An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band, and one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band.
Is the calculation different for Academic and General Training?
No. Both use the same averaging and rounding. What differs is how Reading marks convert to a band, so the same number of correct answers gives a lower band in General Training Reading.
What is 6.25 in IELTS?
An average of 6.25 becomes an overall band of 6.5, because averages ending in .25 round up to the next half band.
What is 6.75 in IELTS?
An average of 6.75 becomes an overall band of 7.0, because averages ending in .75 round up to the next whole band.
Can this calculator predict my real score?
No. It only does the arithmetic on scores you enter. Your official score comes from your test provider.

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