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 abroad, 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 Scores Descriptors

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

How the IELTS Band Scores are Calculated

It is actually simple math to calculate IELTS score. You get a score from 0 to 9 for every skill (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking). To find your Overall IELTS Band Score, they take the average of these 4 scores.

But sometimes the average is a decimal number like 6.1 or 6.25. In this case, IELTS has special rules to round up or round down your score to the nearest whole band or half band.

Here is the rules you need to know:

• If your score ends in .25, it rounds UP to the next half band.

• If your score ends in .75, it rounds UP to the next whole band.

• If the score is closer to the lower number (like .1), it goes down.

Check this table, i made it to explain how the rounding happens:

IELTS Listening and Reading Band Scores

For IELTS Listening and Reading, your score depends on how many questions you answer correctly. There are 40 questions in total. You get 1 mark for every correct answer.

Important rules:

• No negative marking: If you get an answer wrong, you do not lose marks. So, never leave an empty space!

• Listening: The test is the same for everyone (Academic and General Training).

• Reading: The test is different. The General Training (GT) reading is easier, so you need more correct answers to get the same band score compared to IELTS Academic.

Here is the tables to help you calculate your score.

1. Listening Score Table

(Same for Academic and General Training)

Check Details: IELTS Listening Band Scores

2. Academic Reading Score Table

(For students applying to universities)

Also Check: IELTS Reading with Practice Tests with Answers

3. General Training Reading Score Table

(For work or migration)

Note: You need more correct answers here to get a Band 7 or 6.

IELTS Writing Assessment Criteria

For the IELTS writing test, you have two tasks: Task 1 and Task 2. The examiner gives you a band score based on 4 criteria. Each one carries 25% of the marks.

It is important to know that for Task 2, the marking is the same for everyone. But for Task 1, it is little bit different because General Training students write a letter and Academic students write a report.

Here is the table that explains what the examiner checks:

IELTS Speaking Assessment Criteria

The IELTS Speaking test is exactly the same for everyone. It does not matter if you are Academic or General Training. The examiner talks to you and gives scores on 4 things.

Each part is worth 25% of your final speaking score.