IELTS Band Scores 2025: Section Wise IELTS Score, Marking Scheme & Score Validity

IELTS assesses how good you are in English in four key areas. Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking are four sections of exam. Each area is scored on a scale from 0 to 9. Overall band score is calculated as average of these four scores.

IELTS Band Score tells how good your English level is in the IELTS exam. The score goes from Band 1 to Band 9, where Band 9 means you are very good in English. The test has four parts Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. You get a score for each part and then they make one overall band score by taking the average.

If you know how the IELTS band score is calculated, it helps you to study better. Most universities in the UK, Canada, Australia, and Germany ask for a minimum IELTS band score between 6.0 to 7.5. The score you need can change if you apply for study, work, or PR visa.

Your IELTS band score shows how good you are in grammar, vocabulary, speaking and understanding. Sometimes even a small 0.5 band can make big difference for your university admission or visa process. So you should know the IELTS band score chart, what each band means and how to improve your marks. With daily practice and right plan, you can increase your IELTS score and reach your target easily.

IELTS Band Score Scale

Scale of IELTS band score ranges from 0 to 9.

How IELTS Band Scores are Calculated?

It is important to understand how IELTS score is calculated. IELTS test is scored between 1 to 9. A candidate can also get scores in .5 also e.g. 5.5 or 6.5. Candidates get a band score for each of the skills (Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking) and an overall band score. The overall band score is the average of all the skills. The band scores are rounded to the nearest whole band or half band.

Each component of IELTS test contributes equally to the overall band score. The scoring process involves several steps:

• Individual Scores: Each section is scored out of 9.
• Averaging Scores: To calculate the overall band score, add the four individual scores together and divide by four.
• Rounding: The resulting average is then rounded to the nearest half or whole number:
  • If the average ends in .25, it rounds up to the next half band.
  • If it ends in .75, it rounds up to the next whole band (e.g., 6.75 becomes 7).

For example, if a candidate scores:

• Listening: 6.5
• Reading: 6.5
• Writing: 5.0
• Speaking: 7.0

The calculation would be:

(6.5 + 6.5 + 5.0+ 7.0)/4 = 6.25 

Section-Specific Scoring of IELTS Band Score 2025

One can check the section-wise scoring pattern of IELTS band score. 

Listening

The IELTS Listening test contains 40 questions and for each correct answer student is awarded one mark; therefore, the maximum raw score you can achieve is 40. A band score ranging from band 1 to band 9 is then awarded based on your raw score. The raw scores are converted into band scores based on a specific scale:

Reading

The IELTS Reading test contains 40 questions and for each correct answer student is awarded one mark; therefore, the maximum raw score you can achieve is 40. A band score ranging from band 1 to band 9 is then awarded based on your raw score.

Writing

The IELTS Writing band descriptors can help you understand how an examiner assesses your Writing Task 1 and 2 responses. Writing is assessed based on four criteria:

1. Task Achievement (Task Response for Task 2)
2. Coherence and Cohesion
3. Lexical Resource
4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Each criterion carries equal weight (25% each), and scores are given on a scale of 1 to 9 based on performance.

Speaking

The Speaking test is evaluated across four criteria:

1. Fluency and Coherence
2. Lexical Resource
3. Grammatical Range and Accuracy
4. Pronunciation

As with Writing, each criterion counts for 25% of the total score.

IELTS score calculator

In IELTS Result, you will get a band score for each section and an overall band score that is an average of the band scores for Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking. IELTS band scores are given as a whole or are rounded up to the nearest half-band score. If you look at the above table then the average of the four sections comes out to be 6.25 but it rounded off to 6.5, so, the overall band score comes out to be 6.5

Below we have given some possible scenarios that will help you understand how IELTS score banding works.

• In case, your overall band score is 7.75 then your final score will be 8.
• In case, your overall band score is 7.25 then your final score will be increased to 7.5
• In case, your overall band score is 7.85 then your final score will be 8.
• In case, your overall band score is 7.1 then your score will be 7 as this is the nearest whole band score.

IELTS Band Scores 2025 Descriptors

Read the IELTS band scores chart to understand the descriptor of each band score.

While checking the scores, you need to submit details of the candidate number, passport number, test date, identification document number, and date of birth. So, make sure to keep all these basic details with you before checking the scores. Also, keep these details handy for the next 28 days, as after this you won’t be able to see them online. This is just a preview, which is not counted as official. This is to help candidates to see their results before getting an Official Test Report form. The test report comprises the scores of all 4 sections. Make sure to keep this report completely safe as only one copy is issued per candidate. The higher your IELTS score is the better your chances of getting into your dream university.

Minimum IELTS Score

It depends on country, university, or organization you are targeting. As such, there is no concept of a minimum IELTS score. University/college/organization you are targeting may have its own set of minimum requirements for IELTS score. IELTS score can play a crucial role in your selection criteria.

IELTS Section Wise Band Score

The IELTS score is calculated after taking an average of all the sections. Check out the IELTS Band scores section-wise.

Listening Band Score

In the Listening section, the applicants have to listen to conversations, recorded texts, and monologues and write answers based on them. We have provided the table, so, you can calculate your estimated IELTS Listening band score using it. Also, there is no negative marking for wrong answers.

Reading Band Score

The reading section comprises 40 questions based on three passages. We have provided the table, so, you can calculate your estimated IELTS Reading band score using it. In addition to this, there is no negative marking for wrong answers.

IELTS Writing Assessment Criteria

Examiners use assessment criteria to award a band score on the below-mentioned criteria

• Task Achievement (for Task 1), Task Response (for Task 2): Candidates need to follow instructions carefully in the prompt, answering question or performing task completely.
• Coherence and Cohesion: It analyses the student's writing structure and how well they organized the essay and paragraphs. Whether transitions are useful, clear, and present. Relevance of ideas and supporting details.
• Lexical Resource: It analyses candidates' ability to use vocabulary in an effective way.

Examiners give equal weightage to each of criteria mentioned above and score on the task is average.

IELTS Speaking Assessment Criteria

Examiners use assessment criteria to award a band score for each of the mentioned criteria:

• Fluency and Coherence: This is the most important criterion for measuring IELTS Speaking skills. Here, a candidate needs to show that he/she is how much confident with the usage of the language.
• Lexical Resource: It measures whether the candidate has used a good range of vocabulary accurately.
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy: It analyses whether the candidate has used grammatical forms correctly.
• Pronunciation: It analyses how the candidate makes vowel and consonant sound along with intonation.

Examiners give equal weightage to each of the criteria mentioned above and the Speaking band score is the average.

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