IELTS band score calculator
Enter your four section bands to get your overall IELTS band, worked out with the official rounding rule. Below it, convert a Reading or Listening score out of 40 into a band.
Overall band score calculator
Overall band
6.5
Average of the four sections: 6.375, rounded to the nearest half band = 6.5.
How the IELTS overall band is calculated
Your overall band is the average of your Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking bands, rounded to the nearest whole or half band. The four sections count equally.
- If the average ends in .25, it is rounded up to the next half band. An average of 6.25 becomes 6.5.
- If the average ends in .75, it is rounded up to the next whole band. An average of 6.75 becomes 7.0.
- Anything else goes to the nearest half band. An average of 6.125 becomes 6.0, and 6.375 becomes 6.5.
| Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking | Average | Overall band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5 | 6.5 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 6.25 | 6.5 |
| 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.875 | 4.0 |
| 7.5 | 7.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.875 | 7.0 |
| 6.0 | 6.0 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 5.875 | 6.0 |
One practical consequence: raising a single section by half a band can lift your overall band, so it is often quicker to improve your weakest skill than to push your strongest one higher.
Reading and Listening score converter
Reading and Listening each have 40 questions, and your number of correct answers is converted to a band.
Estimated band
7.0
These are typical conversions. IELTS adjusts the exact thresholds slightly for each test version so that bands mean the same from one test to the next, which means a given score can occasionally fall half a band either side.
| Band | Academic Reading (out of 40) | General Training Reading (out of 40) | Listening (out of 40) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9.0 | 39–40 | 40 | 39–40 |
| 8.0 | 35–36 | 37–38 | 35–36 |
| 7.0 | 30–32 | 34–35 | 30–31 |
| 6.5 | 27–29 | 32–33 | 26–29 |
| 6.0 | 23–26 | 30–31 | 23–25 |
| 5.5 | 19–22 | 27–29 | 18–22 |
| 5.0 | 15–18 | 23–26 | 16–17 |
What about Writing and Speaking?
There is no raw score to convert for Writing or Speaking. An examiner gives a band for each of four criteria and averages them. In Writing, Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1. To see where you stand, practise with the IELTS Writing and IELTS Speaking questions, or take a full test on Stride for an estimated band in each skill.
Band score questions and answers
- Is 6.25 rounded up or down in IELTS?
- Up. An average ending in .25 is rounded up to the next half band, so 6.25 becomes an overall 6.5.
- What is the lowest section score I can have for an overall 7?
- The four bands must average at least 6.75. For example 7.5, 7.0, 6.5 and 6.0 average 6.75, which rounds up to 7.0. Many universities also set a minimum for each section, so check their requirement.
- Do all four sections count equally?
- Yes. Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking each contribute a quarter of the overall band.
- How many correct answers do I need for band 6.5 in Reading?
- Typically 27 to 29 out of 40 in Academic Reading and 32 to 33 in General Training.
- Is this calculator official?
- No. It applies the published rounding rule and typical score conversions, and it is provided by Stride, which is not affiliated with IELTS. Your Test Report Form is the only official result.