Free tool
IELTS band score calculator.
Enter your four skill bands to get your overall band with official rounding, or convert your Listening and Reading raw scores. No sign-up, nothing stored.
Overall band
The average of your four bands, rounded to the nearest half band (.25 and .75 round up).
Overall band
6.5
Average: 6.50
Raw score to band
Convert correct answers out of 40 into an approximate band.
Approximate band
7.0
Boundaries shift slightly between test versions; treat these as close estimates, not guarantees.
How IELTS rounding actually works
Your overall band is the arithmetic mean of the four skill bands, rounded to the nearest half band. Two rules surprise people: 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.
- 6.5 + 6.5 + 5.0 + 7.0 = average 6.25 → overall 6.5
- 7.0 + 7.0 + 6.5 + 6.5 = average 6.75 → overall 7.0
- 6.5 + 6.5 + 6.5 + 6.0 = average 6.375 → overall 6.5 (rounds to the nearest half)
This means one strong skill can pull a weak one up more than most candidates expect — and it is why knowing your weakest skill matters. If Writing is holding your average down, targeted writing practice with criteria-level feedback moves your overall band faster than more hours on a skill that is already at target.
Raw score conversion tables
Listening and Reading are marked out of 40 and converted to bands. These are the commonly published boundaries; individual test versions are calibrated and can differ by a mark.
Listening
| Correct | Band |
|---|---|
| 39–40 | 9.0 |
| 37–38 | 8.5 |
| 35–36 | 8.0 |
| 32–34 | 7.5 |
| 30–31 | 7.0 |
| 26–29 | 6.5 |
| 23–25 | 6.0 |
| 18–22 | 5.5 |
| 16–17 | 5.0 |
| 13–15 | 4.5 |
| 10–12 | 4.0 |
Academic Reading
| Correct | Band |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| 13–14 | 4.5 |
| 10–12 | 4.0 |
General Training Reading
| Correct | Band |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Common questions
How is the overall IELTS band score calculated?
Your overall band is the average of your Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking bands, rounded to the nearest half band. Averages ending in .25 round up to the next half band, and averages ending in .75 round up to the next whole band.
Does a 6.25 average round up or down?
Up. An average of 6.25 becomes an overall band of 6.5. Similarly, 6.75 rounds up to 7.0. Only averages below .25 or below .75 round down.
How many correct answers do I need for Band 7 in Listening?
Approximately 30 out of 40 correct answers gives Band 7 in Listening. The exact boundary can shift slightly between test versions because each version is calibrated separately.
Are Reading conversion tables different for Academic and General Training?
Yes. General Training Reading requires more correct answers for the same band. For example, Band 7 needs roughly 30 correct answers on Academic but around 34 on General Training.
Your target band is closer than you think.
Start today with one essay or one Cambridge test. Ten minutes is enough.