IELTS reports five numbers: a band for each of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, plus an overall band. The overall band is the average of the four, rounded — and the rounding rule is precise enough that one half-band in one skill can move your overall score.
Everything below uses the figures IELTS publishes. Where IELTS does not publish a figure, this page says so rather than filling the gap.
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IELTS states that scores out of 40 are converted to the 9-band scale, and publishes average marks at selected bands. It also states that the precise number of marks needed varies slightly from test version to test version.
| Band | Listening: average marks out of 40 | Academic Reading: average marks out of 40 |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 16 | 15 |
| 6 | 23 | 23 |
| 7 | 30 | 30 |
| 8 | 35 | 35 |
Two things follow. Academic Reading needs one mark fewer than Listening at band 5 and the same from band 6 upward. And the step from band 7 to band 8 is five marks, the same as from 6 to 7 — the scale is not steeper at the top in raw terms, though the questions are harder.
| Fact | Consequence for you |
|---|---|
| IELTS publishes averages, not cut scores | Any table claiming “32 marks = band 7.5” is an estimate |
| Marks needed vary between test versions | The same raw score can give different bands on different papers |
| Both sections have 40 questions and 1 mark each | A Listening Part 1 form question is worth the same as a Part 4 lecture question |
| No penalty for wrong answers | Never leave a box empty in either section |
The practical reading of this: treat any raw score as a band range. Thirty marks is band 7 territory; whether a given paper puts 31 at 7 or 7.5 is not something you can plan around.
The overall band is the average of the four skill bands, rounded to the nearest half band. IELTS states the rule for the two boundary cases explicitly: an average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band, and an average ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band.
| L | R | W | S | Average | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.0 | 7.0 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 6.875 | 7.0 |
| 7.5 | 7.0 | 6.0 | 6.5 | 6.75 | 7.0 — .75 rounds up to the whole band |
| 7.0 | 6.5 | 6.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.25 | 6.5 — .25 rounds up to the half band |
| 8.0 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 7.25 | 7.5 |
| 6.0 | 6.0 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 5.875 | 6.0 |
| 7.0 | 7.0 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 6.375 | 6.5 |
Row two is the one worth understanding. Four skills averaging 6.75 report as an overall 7.0, which means a candidate needing 7.0 overall does not need 7.0 in every skill.
Because the four bands are averaged, the total across the four skills is what matters. To reach an overall band you need the following totals.
| Target overall | Minimum total of the four bands | Example combination |
|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | 23.0 | 6.5 + 6.0 + 5.5 + 5.0 |
| 6.5 | 25.0 | 7.0 + 6.5 + 6.0 + 5.5 |
| 7.0 | 27.0 | 7.5 + 7.0 + 6.5 + 6.0 |
| 7.5 | 29.0 | 8.0 + 7.5 + 7.0 + 6.5 |
| 8.0 | 31.0 | 8.5 + 8.0 + 7.5 + 7.0 |
This is why a strong Listening score is worth building even if your Writing is the weak skill: the average does not care which skill supplied the marks. Many organisations do, however, set a minimum per skill as well as an overall score, so check the specific requirement rather than the overall alone.
| Band | Name |
|---|---|
| 9 | Expert |
| 8 | Very good |
| 7 | Good |
| 6 | Competent |
| 5 | Modest |
| 4 | Limited |
| 3 | Extremely limited |
| 2 | Intermittent |
| 1 | Non-user |
Writing and Speaking are not raw-mark sections. An examiner awards a band on each of four criteria, and the criteria carry equal weight within the skill.
| Writing criteria | Speaking criteria |
|---|---|
| Task achievement (Task 1) / task response (Task 2) | Fluency and coherence |
| Coherence and cohesion | Lexical resource |
| Lexical resource | Grammatical range and accuracy |
| Grammatical range and accuracy | Pronunciation |
Within Writing, the two tasks are not equal: Task 2 contributes twice as much to the Writing band as Task 1. A candidate who spends 30 minutes on Task 1 and 30 on Task 2 has misallocated the time, which is why the recommended split is 20 and 40 minutes.
| Your profile | Push | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Listening and Reading well above Writing and Speaking | Writing | Writing is usually the lowest of the four, and Task 2 carries double weight within it |
| Reading behind Listening by a band or more | Reading | Usually timing, not comprehension — unattempted questions are the single biggest loss |
| Speaking a half band behind the rest | Speaking | The fastest half band available: extending answers moves fluency and coherence directly |
| All four within a half band of each other | Listening | Raw-mark section with the most technique-dependent marks available |
| Overall 0.25 short of target | Any half band anywhere | .25 rounds up, so one half band in one skill is enough |
Not a fixed one. IELTS states that raw scores out of 40 are converted to the 9-band scale and publishes average marks at selected bands — 16 marks for band 5 in Listening, 23 for band 6, 30 for band 7, 35 for band 8 — while noting that the precise marks needed vary slightly between test versions.
It is the average of the four skill bands, rounded to the nearest half band. An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band and .75 rounds up to the next whole band, so 6.75 reports as 7.0 and 6.25 reports as 6.5.
Around 30 out of 40 on average for Academic Reading, which is the same average as Listening at band 7. The exact figure varies by test version, so treat 30 as the middle of a band 7 range rather than a threshold.
No. Because the overall band is an average, a combination such as 7.5 Listening, 7.0 Reading, 6.5 Writing and 6.0 Speaking averages 6.75 and reports as 7.0. Many institutions do set a minimum per skill in addition to an overall requirement, so check the specific rule that applies to you.
No. Task 2 contributes twice as much as Task 1 to the Writing band, which is why the recommended time split is about 20 minutes on Task 1 and 40 on Task 2.
The band conversion differs between the two, and this page gives the Academic figures. Both have 40 questions with one mark each, but the marks needed for a given band are not the same.
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