IELTS Listening Band Scores: Score Chart, Marking Criteria & How to Calculate
International English Language Testing System ( IELTS )
IELTS band score overall is calculated based on individual band scores you score in each of the four sections of IELTS. The four section of IELTS are Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. You must understand how Listening band scores are calculated. This in turn will help you set clear goals and track your progress for the main exam day.
What Is the IELTS Listening Test?
Listening section is common for IELTS Academic and IELTS General. IELTS Listening section contains 40 questions to be answered in 30 minutes. You will be given recordings to hear and they can be conversations, monologues or discussions. Based on the recordings you hear you have to attempt given questions.
Question types tested on IELTS Listening are divided into four sections
- Section 1 A conversation in a social context
- Section 2 A monologue on a general topic
- Section 3 A conversation in an academic setting
- Section 4 A lecture or talk on an academic subject.
IELTS Listening Band Score Chart
IELTS band score is determined according to the number of correct answers you give on the test. Every question on the IELTS Listening is of 1 mark an there are 40 such questions in total. Below is the conversion chart-
| Raw Score (out of 40) | Band Score |
|---|---|
| 39–40 | 9 |
| 37–38 | 8.5 |
| 35–36 | 8 |
| 32–34 | 7.5 |
| 30–31 | 7 |
| 26–29 | 6.5 |
| 23–25 | 6 |
| 18–22 | 5.5 |
| 16–17 | 5 |
| 13–15 | 4.5 |
| 10–12 | 4 |
| 7–9 | 3.5 |
| 5–6 | 3 |
| 3–4 | 2.5 |
| 1–2 | 2 |
| 0 | 1 |
How Are Listening Marks Calculated?
You get 1 mark in for each correct answer. Make sure you get all your spellings, grammar and answer formats right for getting full marks.
Even if you get the idea of right but somewhere if the spelling is wrong you will not get any points.
There is no negative marking, so you can attempt all questions.
What every IELTS Band Score in Listening means
Let’s break down what each band score really says about your listening skills-
| IELTS Listening Band Score Interpretation | |
|---|---|
| Bands | Their Meanings- You can: |
| Band 9 | -understand all audio with ease. |
| Band 8 | -get wide range of language, might miss some sections |
| Band 7 | -understand the main idea with occasional misunderstandings |
| Band 6 | -understand main points but struggle with complex or fast ones |
| Band 5 | -get the gist of basic meaning but might misinterpret meaning |
| Band 4 | -catch main ideas but with limited accuracy |
| Band 3 | -unerstand only a few isolated phrases |
| Band 2 | -recognize very familiar words only, have very less understanding of the spoken English language. |
| Band 1 | -understand only single words, cannot hold conversations. |
Common Mistakes That Lower Your Listening Score in IELTS
Here are some avoidable errors that can reduce your band score:
-
Not reading questions in advance before the recording starts.
-
Misunderstanding instructions (for eg., writing too many words).
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Poor spelling or incorrect capitalisation.
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Losing focus and missing keywords or transitions.
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Transferring answers carelessly in the final 10 minutes.
Tips to Improve Your IELTS Listening Score
To increase your IELTS band scores,-
- Practice from official IELTS materials - Cambridge books
- Familiarise with different English accents - British, Australian, Canadian, American
- Listen to English daily
- Predict answers in our mind by reading questions before the recording begins.
- Review your mistakes to not repeat them.
Frequently Asked Questions
The frequently asked questions on this topic are-
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