What IELTS band scores mean
IELTS is scored from 0 to 9. This page explains what each band means, how correct answers turn into a band, and what the examiner looks at in Writing and Speaking.
How the overall band is calculated
The four sections — Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking — are scored separately. The overall band is their average.
An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band; one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band. For example 6.0 / 6.5 / 7.0 / 7.0 = 6.625 → 6.5.
What each band means
Full, accurate and fluent command of the language.
Occasional errors only; handles complex argument well.
Good command, with occasional inaccuracies that don't obscure meaning.
Generally effective; errors occur but communication works.
Partial command — gets the basic meaning across, with many errors.
Copes only with familiar situations; struggles with complex language.
Conveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar situations.
Correct answers → band (Listening and Reading)
Each section has 40 questions. The table below is the widely used approximate conversion; on a real test the threshold can shift by a question or two depending on how hard that version is. General Training Reading needs more correct answers for the same band, because its texts are easier.
| Correct answers | Band |
|---|---|
| 39–40 | 9.0 |
| 37–38 | 8.5 |
| 35–36 | 8.0 |
| 33–34 | 7.5 |
| 30–32 | 7.0 |
| 27–29 | 6.5 |
| 23–26 | 6.0 |
| 19–22 | 5.5 |
| 15–18 | 5.0 |
| 13–14 | 4.5 |
| 10–12 | 4.0 |
| Correct answers | Band |
|---|---|
| 40 | 9.0 |
| 39 | 8.5 |
| 37–38 | 8.0 |
| 36 | 7.5 |
| 34–35 | 7.0 |
| 32–33 | 6.5 |
| 30–31 | 6.0 |
| 27–29 | 5.5 |
| 23–26 | 5.0 |
| 19–22 | 4.5 |
| 15–18 | 4.0 |
| Correct answers | Band |
|---|---|
| 39–40 | 9.0 |
| 37–38 | 8.5 |
| 35–36 | 8.0 |
| 32–34 | 7.5 |
| 30–31 | 7.0 |
| 26–29 | 6.5 |
| 23–25 | 6.0 |
| 18–22 | 5.5 |
| 16–17 | 5.0 |
| 13–15 | 4.5 |
| 11–12 | 4.0 |
Writing: what the examiner looks at
Four criteria, equally weighted — and Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1.
Did you answer every part of the question — and in Task 1, is there an overview?
Logical order of ideas, paragraphing, and natural linking.
Range and precision of vocabulary; repetition and wrong word choice cost marks.
Variety of structures and how many errors there are.
Speaking: what the examiner looks at
Four criteria here too, equally weighted.
Can you keep going without frequent pauses, and does your answer hold together?
Can you find the word you need, and do your phrases sound natural?
Variety of sentence types and how accurate they are.
How easy you are to understand; whether stress and intonation carry the meaning. A pronunciation check in the app is coming soon.
IELTS and CEFR (A1–C2)
Many universities and employers ask for a CEFR level. This is the official mapping.
| CEFR level | IELTS band |
|---|---|
| C2 | 8.5 – 9.0 |
| C1 | 7.0 – 8.0 |
| B2 | 6.0 – 6.5 |
| B1 | 5.0 – 5.5 |
| A2 | 4.0 – 4.5 |
| A1 | 3.0 – 3.5 |
Being straight about the scores in this app
In mock tests, Listening and Reading are scored with exactly this table. Writing is graded by AI: usually within about ±0.5 band, and never a replacement for an official result. AI grading for Speaking is coming soon. The diagnostic is short (25 minutes), so its estimate is the roughest — a full mock is the better measure.
Want to know your current level?
A 25-minute diagnostic gives you a starting band across all four skills.