How IELTS band scores work

Working out the overall band

Add your four section scores and divide by four. Then round to the nearest half band. These are the official IELTS examples:

Listening and Reading: right answers to bands

Each right answer earns 1 mark out of 40, and the marks convert to a band. IELTS publishes average marks for some bands, but the exact number changes slightly between test versions, so any score calculator is an estimate.

General Training Reading needs more right answers than Academic for the same band, because Academic texts can be harder.

Writing and Speaking: four criteria each

Examiners score Writing on task achievement (Task 1) or task response (Task 2), coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy. The criteria count equally, and each task is marked separately. Task 2 carries more weight than Task 1.

Speaking is scored on fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. The four count equally, and their average is your Speaking band.

What the bands mean

IELTS bands and CEFR levels (B1, B2, C1, C2)

IELTS lines its bands up with the CEFR levels that universities and governments often use. Band 8.5 and above is C2, and band 8 sits on the C1/C2 border. The C1 threshold falls between 6.5 and 7, so a 6.5 is often C1 but not always. Band 5 is on the border of B1 and B2.

UKVI uses three fixed points: 4.0 in each section for B1, 5.5 for B2 and 7.0 for C1.

How long your score lasts

IELTS recommends that results are treated as valid for two years. UKVI also treats SELT results as valid for two years. Some organisations accept older results, so check with them.