Free tool
IELTS band score calculator
Enter your four module bands and get your overall band — with the rounding rule that produced it shown in full.
- Cambridge 1–21
- Every book on the shelf
- 84 full tests
- Four papers in each book
- 40 questions
- Per Listening and Reading paper
- Minutes, not days
- All four modules — Writing and Speaking by AI
How many correct answers you need
| Band | Listening | Academic Reading | GT Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | 16 / 40 | 15 / 40 | 23 / 40 |
| 6.0 | 23 / 40 | 23 / 40 | 30 / 40 |
| 7.0 | 30 / 40 | 30 / 40 | 34 / 40 |
| 8.0 | 35 / 40 | 35 / 40 | 38 / 40 |
The rules this uses
- The overall band is the mean of the four module bands, rounded to the nearest half band.
- An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band; one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band.
- Module bands are reported in whole and half bands, so an average is always a multiple of 0.125.
- Writing Task 2 counts twice as much as Task 1 towards the Writing band.
- There is no pass mark. The band you need is set by the university, employer or immigration authority you are applying to.
Questions people ask
Add your four module bands — Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking — and divide by four, then round to the nearest half band. IELTS states that an average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band and one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band. For example 6.5, 6.5, 5.0 and 7.0 average 6.25, which becomes an overall band 6.5.
No. Four half-band scores can average to 6.125, and the nearest half band to 6.125 is 6.0, so the overall band is 6.0. Only averages ending exactly in .25 or .75 are the tie cases IELTS rounds upwards. An average of 6.375 rounds to 6.5 because it is simply nearer to 6.5.
IELTS lists 30 correct answers out of 40 as the indicative score for band 7 in Listening, 23 for band 6 and 35 for band 8. IELTS itself notes that the exact number of marks needed varies slightly from one test version to another, so treat 30 as a guide rather than a guarantee.
No. The same raw score gives a lower band on General Training Reading. The indicative anchors put 30 correct answers at band 7 in Academic Reading but band 6 in General Training Reading, because General Training texts are more everyday and the scale is set to compensate.
Yes. IELTS states that Task 2 contributes twice as much as Task 1 to the Writing score. Each task is assessed on four criteria of equal weight, and the Writing band combines the two tasks with Task 2 counting double.
Yes. Listening and Reading are reported in whole and half bands, and Writing and Speaking are too. That is why an overall average is always a multiple of 0.125 and why the quarter-band rounding cases come up so often.