How IELTS band scores are calculated (with the rounding rules)

By the AIL teaching team, Melbourne · Updated 4 November 2026 · 3 min read

Short answer

Each section gets a band from 0 to 9 in half bands. The overall band is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band. An average ending in .25 rounds up to .5, and one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band. For example, 6.5 + 6.5 + 5.5 + 6.0 = 24.5, divided by 4 is 6.125, which rounds down to 6.0.

Your Test Report Form shows five numbers: a band for each of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, and an overall band. Knowing how the overall band is produced helps you decide where extra study will pay off.

The overall band: average, then round

Add the four section bands, divide by four, and round to the nearest half band. The rounding rule catches people out:

Average ends in	Rounds to	Example
.0	stays	6.0 → 6.0
.125	down to .0	6.125 → 6.0
.25	up to .5	6.25 → 6.5
.375	up to .5	6.375 → 6.5
.5	stays	6.5 → 6.5
.625	down to .5	6.625 → 6.5
.75	up to next whole band	6.75 → 7.0
.875	up to next whole band	6.875 → 7.0

Worked examples

Example 1. Listening 7.0, Reading 6.5, Writing 6.0, Speaking 6.5. Total 26.0, average 6.5. Overall 6.5.

Example 2. Listening 7.0, Reading 7.0, Writing 6.5, Speaking 6.5. Total 27.0, average 6.75. Overall 7.0. Two 6.5s did not stop this candidate getting a 7 overall.

Example 3. Listening 6.5, Reading 6.5, Writing 5.5, Speaking 6.0. Total 24.5, average 6.125. Overall 6.0. Here an extra half band in any one skill would have lifted the average to 6.25 and the overall to 6.5.

That third case is common. If your average sits just below a rounding point, a half-band gain in your strongest skill can be easier to get than in your weakest.

Listening and Reading: raw score to band

Listening and Reading each have 40 questions, one mark each. Your raw score (out of 40) is converted to a band using a table. The exact table varies slightly from test to test to account for difficulty, but these are the commonly used figures.

Band	Listening	Academic Reading	General Training 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

General Training Reading needs more correct answers for the same band because the texts are easier. More detail is in our guides to Listening band scores and Reading band scores.

Find out where you are todayTry a free 15-minute IELTS practice in any skill, then sit a full timed practice test with band scores in minutes.

Start free practice

Writing and Speaking: four criteria each

Writing and Speaking are marked by trained examiners against band descriptors. Each has four criteria, worth a quarter each.

Writing: Task Achievement (Task 1) or Task Response (Task 2), Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy. Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1.
Speaking: Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, Pronunciation.

So a Writing band of 6.5 might come from criterion scores of 7, 6, 7 and 6. Our guide to the Writing band descriptors shows what separates a 6 from a 7 on each criterion.

"Each band" versus "overall"

When using IELTS results for visa applications, university admission or professional registration in Australia, it's important to understand the difference between an overall band score and individual band scores.

Some organisations and visa categories require a minimum score in each of the four skills, rather than just an overall score. For example, an overall band score of 7.0 with 5.5 in Writing would not meet a requirement of 6.0 in each skill.

Always check the specific English language requirements of the relevant organisation or visa category before booking your test.

How our practice test scores you

The AIL practice tests use the same rounding rule and the same kind of raw-score tables. Listening and Reading are marked instantly. Writing and Speaking are marked by AI against the public band descriptors, criterion by criterion, so you can see which of the four is holding you back.

Check one essay freePaste your writing and get an estimated band with corrections in about 30 seconds. No account needed.

Check my writing

Questions people also ask

Does 6.25 round up to 6.5 in IELTS?

Yes. An overall average of 6.25 rounds up to 6.5, and 6.75 rounds up to 7.0. Averages of 6.125 round down to 6.0 and 6.625 round down to 6.5.

How many correct answers do I need for band 7 in Listening?

Usually 30 out of 40. The exact cut-off can shift by a mark from test to test.

Is Writing Task 2 worth more than Task 1?

Yes. Task 2 carries twice the weight of Task 1 in the Writing band.

Can I get a 7 overall with a 6.5 in two sections?

Yes. For example 7.0, 7.0, 6.5 and 6.5 average 6.75, which rounds up to 7.0.