IELTS Band Score Calculator
Convert your Listening and Reading answers into bands, add your Writing and Speaking scores, and get your overall band with the exact rounding IELTS uses. Academic and General Training.
| Skill | Band |
|---|---|
| Average | |
| Overall band (rounded) |
| Band | Listening | Academic Reading | General Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9.0 | 39–40 | 39–40 | 40 |
| 8.5 | 37–38 | 37–38 | 39 |
| 8.0 | 35–36 | 35–36 | 37–38 |
| 7.5 | 32–34 | 33–34 | 36 |
| 7.0 | 30–31 | 30–32 | 34–35 |
| 6.5 | 26–29 | 27–29 | 32–33 |
| 6.0 | 23–25 | 23–26 | 30–31 |
| 5.5 | 18–22 | 19–22 | 27–29 |
| 5.0 | 16–17 | 15–18 | 23–26 |
| 4.5 | 13–15 | 13–14 | 19–22 |
| 4.0 | 11–12 | 10–12 | 15–18 |
How to Use IELTS Band Score Calculator
How IELTS Band Scores Work
Every IELTS skill is reported on a band scale from 0 to 9 in half-band steps. Listening and Reading are counted: each has 40 questions, one mark per correct answer, and the raw total is converted into a band using a table. Writing and Speaking are judged by examiners against four published criteria each. The overall band is the average of the four skills, rounded to the nearest half band.
The rounding rule, with examples
- Listening 6.5, Reading 6.5, Writing 5.0, Speaking 7.0 → average 6.25 → overall 6.5
- Listening 4.0, Reading 3.5, Writing 4.0, Speaking 4.0 → average 3.875 → overall 4.0
- Listening 6.5, Reading 6.5, Writing 5.5, Speaking 6.0 → average 6.125 → overall 6.0
That last case is why one half band in a single skill matters. Raising Writing from 5.5 to 6.0 in the same profile lifts the average to 6.25 and the overall band to 6.5 — often the difference between meeting an offer and missing it.
The overall band is rarely the whole requirement
Most universities ask for an overall band and a minimum in every skill — for example "6.5 overall with no band below 6.0". A candidate on 7.0 overall with a 5.5 in Writing does not meet that offer. The calculator shows your lowest skill alongside the overall band for exactly this reason.
Academic or General Training?
Academic is the test for university admission at undergraduate and postgraduate level. General Training is mainly used for migration, work and some vocational courses — Canada, Australia and New Zealand all use it for skilled-migration points. Listening and Speaking are identical in both; Reading and Writing differ.
A note for students in Pakistan
IELTS is available through the British Council and IDP in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and other cities, on paper and on computer. If you are applying for a UK course through a university that has asked for a Secure English Language Test, book IELTS for UKVI rather than the standard test — the content is the same, but only the UKVI version is accepted for that purpose.
Frequently Asked Questions
It 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 one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band, so 6.25 becomes 6.5 and 6.75 becomes 7.0. An average of 6.125 rounds down to 6.0.
Roughly 30 out of 40 in Listening, about 30 in Academic Reading, and about 34 in General Training Reading. These boundaries move slightly between test versions, so treat a score right on the line as uncertain.
Because its texts are easier. General Training draws on everyday and workplace material, while Academic uses longer, denser passages, so IELTS asks for more correct answers in General Training to award the same band.
Yes. Both versions sit the same Listening test, so one conversion table covers both.
No. Writing and Speaking are marked by trained examiners against published criteria, not counted. Enter the bands from your Test Report Form, or a teacher's estimate from a practice task.
Universities set their own requirements, typically 6.0 to 7.0 overall with a minimum in each skill. Separately, UK visa rules require English at CEFR B2 for degree-level study, and a university that tests you through a Secure English Language Test usually expects IELTS for UKVI. Your offer letter states the exact score that applies to you.
Test Report Forms are generally treated as valid for two years from the test date. Most universities and visa authorities will not accept an older result.