IELTS PracticeIELTS band scores explained
IELTS results are reported on a scale from 0 to 9, in whole and half bands, for each section and overall. There is no pass or fail: each organisation sets the score it needs.
The nine bands
The official site names the skill level of each band. In brief, in our words:
| Band | Official label | In short |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Expert | Full command: accurate, fluent and appropriate, with complete understanding. |
| 8 | Very good | Full command with only occasional slips; handles complex argument well. |
| 7 | Good | Good command with some inaccuracies and misunderstandings; generally handles complex language. |
| 6 | Competent | Effective command despite errors; copes with fairly complex language in familiar situations. |
| 5 | Modest | Partial command; gets the overall meaning in most situations but makes many mistakes. |
| 4 | Limited | Basic competence in familiar situations only; frequent problems. |
| 3 | Extremely limited | Only general meaning in very familiar situations. |
| 2 | Intermittent | Great difficulty with spoken and written English. |
| 1 | Non-user | A few isolated words at most. |
| 0 | Did not attempt the test | No questions answered. |
How the overall band is worked out
The overall band is the average of the four section bands, rounded to the nearest half band. The official rule for the awkward cases: an average ending in .25 is rounded up to the next half band, and one ending in .75 is rounded up to the next whole band.
The official site gives these examples. Section scores of 6.5, 6.5, 5.0 and 7.0 average 6.25, so the overall band is 6.5. Scores of 4.0, 3.5, 4.0 and 4.0 average 3.875, giving 4.0. Scores of 6.5, 6.5, 5.5 and 6.0 average 6.125, giving 6.0. Try your own with the band calculator.
Listening and Reading: marks to bands
Each has 40 questions, one mark each, and the mark out of 40 is converted to a band. The official site gives the average marks at four levels and warns that the exact number varies slightly from one test version to another.
| Band | Listening | Academic Reading | General Training Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 35 | 35 | not listed |
| 7 | 30 | 30 | 35 |
| 6 | 23 | 23 | 30 |
| 5 | 16 | 15 | 23 |
| 4 | not listed | not listed | 15 |
Notice that General Training Reading needs more correct answers for the same band. The official explanation is that Academic texts may be harder in vocabulary and style, and both are reported on the same scale. Full conversion tables found on other websites are estimates; only these points are published by IELTS on the page we read.
Writing and Speaking
These are marked by examiners against four criteria each, equally weighted. For Writing: task achievement or task response, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy. For Speaking: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. Each is explained on its own page in Writing and Speaking.
How long is a score valid?
The official site recommends that results be considered valid for two years after the test, and notes that organisations may choose to accept them for longer. Check with the organisation you are applying to.
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Independent practice site. IELTS Practice is not connected with, approved by or endorsed by the British Council, IDP IELTS or Cambridge University Press & Assessment, who jointly own IELTS. The practice tasks and sample answers here are our own; they are not official test questions, and we do not award bands. Facts about the test were read on ielts.org on 12 November 2026. For registration, fees, dates and official sample tests, go to ielts.org.