IELTS Band Scores & How They Are Calculated

The IELTS (International English Language Testing System)  band score is reported on a scale of 9 bands. Before we can understand everything about the IELTS band score, let us first understand what IELTS band scores are and what each band score indicates.

What are IELTS Band Scores

When an aspirant takes the IELTS test, your English language skills are assessed using band scores ranging from 0 to 9. Each band score represents a different level of English-language competence. Each section of the test (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking) is scored individually, and the scores are averaged to determine the aspirant’s overall band score, which is then rounded to the nearest half or whole band score.

Understanding Each IELTS Band Scores 

A band score of 9 indicates that the candidate is an expert user with a fully operational command of English. As the band score decreases, it reflects a diminishing command of the language, with lower scores indicating that the candidate performs well only in familiar situations. A band score of 4 or below suggests that the candidate’s proficiency ranges from limited user to non-user.

9 - Expert User: This demonstrates full operational command of the aspirant over the English language. He/she has demonstrated accurate, appropriate, and fluent usage of the language while exhibiting full understanding as well.

8 - Very Good: The aspirant has complete control over the English language with unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriate usage taking place only occasionally. They may not understand a few aspects of scenarios that are unfamiliar. Otherwise, they can tackle detailed and complex argumentation quite well.

7 - Good User: The aspirant has total functional control over the English language although he/she displays sporadic inappropriate usage, inaccuracies, and misinterpretation in a few scenarios. They usually deal with complex language satisfactorily while understanding the reasoning of a detailed nature.

6 - Competent User: The aspirant has practical English language command despite a few instances of improper usage, inaccuracies, and misinterpretations. They can use and understand complex language, especially during familiar situations.

5 - Modest User: The aspirant doesn’t have complete command over the English language and will be able to cope with most situations although they are likely to make several mistakes. They will be able to manage primary communication in their areas of operation.

4 - Limited User: The English language understanding of the aspirant is restricted to known and experienced scenarios. He/she will frequently demonstrate issues in expression and understanding alike. He/she will be unable to make use of advanced language.

3 - Extremely Limited User: The aspirant understands and communicates just basic meanings in highly familiar scenarios. The communication is not fluent and often disrupted.

2 - Intermittent User: These aspirants face many problems in properly comprehending written and spoken English. 

1 - Non-User: The aspirant only possesses the skill to use English in some particular words.

Why IELTS Band Scores Matter Importance of IELTS Band Scores 

IELTS band scores are crucial in various contexts, primarily related to education, employment, and immigration. Here's why they are important:

1. Educational Opportunities: Many universities and colleges worldwide require a specific IELTS band score as part of their admission process for non-native English speakers. The scores indicate a student's proficiency in English, which is essential for success in academic settings where instruction and communication are in English.
2. Employment: Employers may use IELTS scores to assess the English language skills of potential employees, especially in roles where strong communication skills are vital. Certain professions or positions, particularly those in multinational companies or in English-speaking countries, may require a specific band score to ensure effective communication in the workplace.
3. Immigration: Countries like Australia, Canada, the UK, and New Zealand use IELTS scores in their immigration processes. The scores help determine if applicants meet the language proficiency requirements for visas, residency, or citizenship. Higher band scores can enhance the chances of being accepted.
4. Professional Licensing: For some professions, especially those regulated by professional bodies, a specific IELTS band score may be required to obtain certification or licensing. This ensures that practitioners can effectively communicate in their field, which is critical for safety and professionalism.
5. Personal Development: Achieving a high band score can also be a personal milestone, reflecting one's commitment to improving their English skills. It can boost confidence and open doors to various personal and professional opportunities.

Difference between Raw Scores & Band Scores in IELTS

In the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exam, raw scores and band scores represent different aspects of an aspirant's performance:

Raw Scores:

Raw scores simply represent the number of correct answers in each section of the IELTS test. For example, if you answer 30 questions correctly out of 40 in the Listening section, your raw score is 30.

Purpose: Raw scores help assess how many questions you got right, but they are not the scores that will be reported to you or institutions.

Band Scores:

Band scores are the standardized scores reported to you and institutions, representing your proficiency level in English. IELTS uses a 9-band scale, where each band indicates a specific level of language ability, from 1 (Non-User) to 9 (Expert User).

How They’re Calculated: Your raw scores are converted into band scores through a conversion table or formula. This conversion accounts for the difficulty of the test and ensures fairness. For instance, getting 30 correct answers might correspond to a Band 6.0 or Band 6.5, depending on the overall test difficulty and the specific scoring criteria.

Detailed Example:

Listening Section:

Raw Score: Suppose you answer 25 out of 40 questions correctly.

Band Score: The conversion table will map your raw score (25 correct answers) to a band score, which might be Band 5.5 or Band 6.0, depending on the test’s difficulty and statistical scaling.

In a nutshell, raw scores reflect the number of correct answers and are used internally to determine your band scores. Whereas, band scores are the standardized scores that reflect your overall English proficiency and are used to report and assess your language ability.

Recommended Read: IELTS Speaking Band Score

How Are IELTS Band Scores Calculated

The IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exam has four components — Listening, Writing, Reading, and Speaking.

The individual scores received in each section are summed up, and an average score is calculated to get the IELTS band score. If the average band score is in decimal, then this score is then rounded off to the nearest half or whole band (whichever is closer). For example, if an aspirant gets 6.5, 6.5, 5.0, and 7.0 in the four sections, then the average of these four scores will be 6.25, and the band score will be rounded off to the nearest half i.e., 6.5.

Likewise, suppose another aspirant gets 4.0, 3.5, 4.0, and 4.0 for these sections, their average score will be 3.875. Then, their IELTS score would be 4.0. 

A candidate scoring 6.5, 6.5, 5.5, and 6.0 in these portions will have an average score of 6.125 and a band score of 6.0. If the average ends at the .25 mark, then the overall band score will be rounded off to the nearest half band, which will be .50. And if it ends at .75, then it will be rounded to the next whole band.

Section-Wise Understanding of IELTS Band Score

Listening Section

The listening section has 40 questions in total. Every right answer gets a single mark. The IELTS listening band score is marked out of 40 and is converted into a 9-band IELTS scale. Here’s a table depicting the total marks scored and the band score awarded based on that:

Reading Section

The IELTS Reading section has 40 questions with one mark given for every correct answer. Out of 40, the scores will be converted into a 9-band scale. The Academic and General Training Reading examinations are graded on a similar scale, but the only difference is that a candidate has to answer a larger number of correct questions on the General Training Reading examination to get a good band score as compared to its Academic Reading counterpart.

IELTS Academic Reading Section Score and Subsequent Band Score

Recommended Reads:

Writing Section

The IELTS Writing Section consists of two tasks and each of them is assessed on the basis of four criteria that are employed to award band scores. Each criterion carries equal weightage, and the scores are an average of marks awarded in each of them. They are as follows:

1. Task Achievement (Task 1) and Task Response (Task 2)

For Task 1, candidates are required to write a 150-word description, and their ability to go into details of the content accurately to describe the illustrations and key features or respond to a situation makes them score a higher band score in IELTS. Failing to meet the word count requirement can lead to a penalty. 

For Task 2 of the IELTS Writing section, an essay-type question is presented for which a response has to be written in 250 words. The candidate is assessed on the basis of the use of relevant examples in the essay and the way the main idea is developed. Failing to meet the word count requirement for Task 2 of IELTS might lead to negative marking.

2. Lexical Resource

While marking a test taker under this category, the use of spellings, vocabulary, word formation, and correct implementation is assessed. It is advisable to avoid the use of informal language and wrong words to score high under this criterion.

3. Coherence and Cohesion

The examiner checks how the candidate has put linking words to use, implementation of cohesive devices such as conjunctions and connectors, and paragraphing skills. The number of paragraphs into which the answer is divided is also taken into consideration while marking. Therefore, dividing the essay into too many or too few paragraphs can lead to a good or a lower band score respectively.

4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Factors such as proper use of sentences, ensuring the formation of sentence structures, grammatical knowledge, using simple as well as complex sentences with clear ideas, and putting the right punctuation are assessed while scoring under this criterion.

Speaking Section

The IELTS Speaking section requires a face-to-face interaction between the candidate and a qualified IELTS examiner. The section consists of three tasks. Specific assessment criteria are employed to award band scores, which are as follows. Each criterion carries equal weightage, and the scores are an average of marks awarded in each of them.

1. Grammatical Range and Accuracy

In order to score high in IELTS Speaking, a candidate should accurately use a variety of grammatical structures. Producing a limited range of accurate sentences by ‘playing it safe’ will not be enough to get a high score. It is imperative to demonstrate the use of a good mix of various grammatical structures accurately such as a balanced combination of simple, compound, and complex sentences. 

Use of a range of tenses, modals for different functions, active and passive voice appropriately, connectors to link two or more ideas, comparative and superlative adjectives, and subordinate and relative clauses are taken into consideration while marking on the basis of grammatical range and accuracy. 

2. Fluency and Coherence

To denote a candidate’s fluency, their ability to speak at length without noticeable hesitation, pauses or repetition, and how easily the message is comprehended is checked. On the other hand, in terms of coherence, their ability to link within and between sentences while speaking and make the listener follow their ideas is taken into account. 

Factors that contribute to higher scores in Fluency & Coherence

• Understanding how to develop the points around a particular topic and produce logical ideas connected with it
• Limited use of self-correction
• Presenting ideas with the help of a range of linking words and other strategies
• Minimizing the use of language-related hesitation 
• Avoiding the use of repetitive words or phrases or fillers such as like, you know, etc.

3. Lexical Resource

A lexical resource is the range of vocabulary used by a candidate. To score high on this parameter, it is better to use less common phrases and idiomatic language, in a natural way and a wide range of vocabulary. 

Factors that contribute to higher scores in Lexical Resource

• Ability to avoid repetition and putting different words for the same thing
• Knowing the use of uncommon words in the right context
• Ability to paraphrase 
• Correct use of collocations, such as go shopping instead of doing shopping
• Accurate use of phrasal verbs, idiomatic expressions and figurative language
• Knowing the choice of right words for the right connotation. For instance, it is better to use slim as it conveys a positive meaning, but skinny sounds negative.

4. Pronunciation

It is necessary to understand that pronunciation and accent are different. Candidates are expected to speak in a particular way so that it is clearly understood and the examiner does not have to focus on every word that is uttered.  The following features should be included in pronunciation to score high in IELTS. 

• correct individual sounds (phonemes)
• strong and weak sounds in sentences
• stress - at word and sentence level
• intonation - to convey the right emotion
• linking sounds and contractions for fluency
• chunking - a combination of pause and stress, for emphasis

How Overall IELTS Band Score is Calculated

Averaging the Four Sections

The overall IELTS band score is calculated by taking a sum of the individual scores received in the Writing, Speaking, Listening, and Reading sections. This sum’s average is then calculated by dividing it by 4, and your band score is marked on a scale of 0-9. 

Rounding Rules

Once the overall band score is calculated, it is rounded off to the nearest half or whole band. For instance, if the average of your individual band scores is 6.25, then it would be rounded off to 6.5. However, if your overall band score is 6.125, then it would be rounded off to the nearest whole band score, which is 6. On the other hand, if your average band score is 6.75, then your overall band score would be rounded off to 7. 

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