Reading is marked the same way as Listening: forty questions, one mark each, and a chart that turns the total into a band.
There is one difference, and it catches people out. Academic and General Training do not use the same chart.
Academic Reading band score chart
| Correct answers (out of 40) | Band score |
|---|---|
| 39–40 | 9.0 |
| 37–38 | 8.5 |
| 35–36 | 8.0 |
| 33–34 | 7.5 |
| 30–32 | 7.0 |
| 27–29 | 6.5 |
| 23–26 | 6.0 |
| 19–22 | 5.5 |
| 15–18 | 5.0 |
General Training Reading band score chart
| Correct answers (out of 40) | Band score |
|---|---|
| 40 | 9.0 |
| 39 | 8.5 |
| 37–38 | 8.0 |
| 36 | 7.5 |
| 34–35 | 7.0 |
| 32–33 | 6.5 |
| 30–31 | 6.0 |
| 27–29 | 5.5 |
| 23–26 | 5.0 |
| 19–22 | 4.5 |
| 15–18 | 4.0 |
IELTS publishes average marks for four bands on each test. For Academic Reading: 15 for Band 5, 23 for Band 6, 30 for Band 7 and 35 for Band 8. For General Training: 15 for Band 4, 23 for Band 5, 30 for Band 6 and 35 for Band 7. The other rows are the widely published approximations.
The same score, two different bands
| Correct answers | Academic | General Training |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | 6.0 | 5.0 |
| 30 | 7.0 | 6.0 |
| 35 | 8.0 | 7.0 |
At these three points the gap is a full band.
The reason is the texts. General Training Reading uses notices, adverts, workplace documents and one longer passage. Academic Reading uses three long passages that may have harder vocabulary and a more complex style. Both are reported on the same scale, so the easier paper asks for more correct answers.
Two practical consequences:
- General Training is not the easy version. A Band 7 there leaves room for five or six mistakes. A Band 8 leaves room for two or three.
- Convert practice scores with the right chart. If you practise on Academic passages and will sit General Training, or the other way round, your practice band is wrong by up to a full band. Academic vs General Training covers what else differs.
How the Reading score is calculated
- One mark for each correct answer. All forty questions carry the same weight.
- No marks are deducted. A wrong answer scores the same as a blank, so never leave one empty.
- The total out of 40 is converted to a band, reported in whole and half bands. The Reading band score calculator converts your score for Academic or General Training.
- That band is averaged with the other three skills. The band score calculator works out the overall band and the rounding.
The exact marks needed “will vary slightly from test version to test version”, in the words of the official scoring guide. Treat any chart as accurate to within about a mark, and aim two or three answers above the band you need.
Why Reading marks are lost
The chart tells you how many answers you are short. It does not tell you why. In Reading the reasons are usually these.
Time, not understanding. Three passages in 60 minutes is 20 minutes each, with no extra time to transfer answers. Candidates who spend 28 minutes on the first passage rarely finish the third, and the third is worth as many marks as the first.
Not Given. Choosing False or No when the passage simply does not say is the most common single error. True/False/Not Given and Yes/No/Not Given set out the rule that separates them.
Matching words instead of meaning. Wrong options are built from the passage’s own vocabulary. This is how matching headings and multiple choice take marks from people who understood the text.
The word limit and spelling. One word too many makes a right answer wrong, and so does a copying mistake. Summary completion has the precise rules.
The slow question type. Matching information is the one type whose answers are not in passage order. Done first, it eats the time the other questions needed.
From 6.5 to 7.0
On Academic Reading this is the move from 27–29 correct to 30–32. On General Training it is from 32–33 to 34–35.
Either way it is two or three answers. Before you try to read faster, check where your last three practice tests lost marks. If most of your errors are in one question type, that type is your half band. If most are in the third passage, your problem is the clock, and the fix is a strict 20 minutes per passage.
Practise it
Do a full Reading test in 60 minutes with no pauses, then convert the score with the chart for your test. IELTS Studio has timed Reading practice and mock tests that mark every answer and show the band straight away.
Related: the Listening band score chart, and how raw scores become band scores for the two skills side by side.
Sources
- IELTS scoring in detail Official average marks for Academic Reading at Bands 5 to 8 and General Training Reading at Bands 4 to 7, and the statement that General Training usually needs more correct answers for a given band.
- IELTS Reading test format Official format: 60 minutes, three sections, 40 questions, one mark for each correct answer.
Last reviewed October 5, 2026. See our editorial policy for how guides are checked and corrected.
Frequently asked questions
- How many correct answers do I need for Band 7 in IELTS Reading?
- About 30 out of 40 on Academic Reading, and about 34 or 35 on General Training Reading. The exact boundary moves by a mark or so between test versions, so score two or three above it in practice before you rely on it.
- What is the IELTS Reading band score for 30 out of 40?
- On Academic Reading, about Band 7.0. On General Training Reading, about Band 6.0. The same number of correct answers gives a different band because the two tests use different charts.
- Why does General Training Reading need more correct answers?
- Because its texts are easier. The Academic test may use more difficult vocabulary and a more complex style, so the conversion asks General Training candidates for more correct answers to reach the same band. Both are reported on the same 9-band scale.
- What Academic Reading score is 23 out of 40?
- About Band 6.0. The official guide figure for Band 6 on Academic Reading is 23 correct answers, and published charts place 23 to 26 at Band 6.0.
- Do I lose marks for wrong answers in IELTS Reading?
- No. Each correct answer earns one mark and a wrong answer earns nothing, the same as a blank. Always write something for every question, because a guess can only add to your score.
- Is there extra time to transfer answers in IELTS Reading?
- No. The 60 minutes includes everything. On the paper test you must write on the answer sheet within that hour, and on the computer test you type answers as you go. Only the paper Listening test has separate transfer time.