How is the IELTS Band Score Calculated?: A Step-by-Step Guide - 2024

Preparing for the globally recognized English proficiency test, IELTS requires a solid grasp of how band scores are calculated. This easy-to-follow guide will demystify the step-by-step process behind IELTS band score calculation. We'll delve into the criteria utilized by examiners to assess language proficiency in listening, reading, writing, and speaking modules, providing invaluable insights for test-takers.

Exam Structure:

Section	Questions	Minutes
Listening	40	30 minutes
Reading	40	60 minutes
Writing	2	60 minutes
Speaking	3 parts	11–14 minutes

Scoring System:

IELTS scores range from 0 to 9, with half the scores possible (like 6.5 or 7.5). You get a score from 0 to 9 for each skill - listening, reading, writing, speaking. Your overall score is the average of these. And there is no negative marking for incorrect answers in IELTS.

Let’s delve into how the IELTS scores are calculated for each section.

Listening:

The listening section of the IELTS test is scored based on correct answers. There are 40 questions and each question in these sections carries one mark, and there is no negative marking for incorrect answers. The score for each section is calculated by adding up the number of correct answers and converting it to a band score using the official IELTS conversion table as shown below.

Marks in the Listening exam	Listening Band Score
39-40	9
37-38	8.5
35-36	8
33-34	7.5
30-32	7
27-29	6.5
23-26	6
19-22	5.5
15-18	5
13-14	4.5
10-12	4
8-9	3.5
6-7	3
4-5	2.5

Reading:

Similar to the Listening section, the Reading section is scored based on correct answers. There are 40 questions and each question in these sections carries one mark. There is no negative marking for incorrect answers. The score for each section is calculated by adding up the number of correct answers and converting it to a band score using the official IELTS conversion table. However, the conversion tables here are different for IELTS General Training (GT) test and Academic Candidates (AC).

IELTS General Training (GT) Reading Score

Marks in the Listening exam	Listening Band Score
39-40	9
37-38	8.5
35-36	8
33-34	7.5
30-32	7
27-29	6.5
23-26	6
19-22	5.5
15-18	5
13-14	4.5
10-12	4
8-9	3.5
6-7	3
4-5	2.5

IELTS Academic Candidates (AC) Reading Score

Marks in the Listening exam	Listening Band Score
40	9
39	8.5
37-38	8
36	7.5
34-35	7
32-33	6.5
30-31	6
27-29	5.5
23-26	5
19-22	4.5
15-18	4
12-14	3.5
9-11	3
6-8	2.5

Writing:

The writing section of the IELTS test is scored based on four criteria: task achievement, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy. Each criterion is given a band score from 0 to 9, which is then averaged to give an overall writing band score.

Speaking:

The speaking section of the IELTS test is scored based on a detailed assessment of the candidate's performance by a trained examiner. The examiner evaluates the candidate's fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. Each criterion is given a band score from 0 to 9, which is then combined to give an overall speaking band score.

Overall scoring:

The overall band score for the IELTS test is calculated by taking the average of the scores from all four sections. This average is then rounded to the nearest half or whole number.
Let's understand it better with an example:

Example 1: If your overall score computes to 5.2, it will be rounded down to 5. This adjustment is made because 5.2 is closer to band 5 than to 5.5.

Example 2: Consider a scenario where your overall score calculates to 6.7. In this case, your final result would be band 7. The rationale behind this adjustment lies in the fact that 6.7 is closer to band 7 than to 6.5.

Example 3: When the overall score averages to 4.8, it will be rounded up to 5. This decision is based on the fact that 4.8 falls precisely between band 4 and 4.5, prompting IELTS to push the score up to the nearest whole number, which is 5.

Example 4: Similarly, if your overall score tallies to 7.3, it will be rounded up to 7.5. This is because 7.3 lies precisely between 7 and 7.5, warranting a rounding up to the higher band.

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