How is IELTS scored?

By APTTI TEFL faculty · Updated 6 October 2026 · 2 min read

IELTS is scored on a 9-band scale. Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking each get a band from 0 to 9, in whole or half bands. The overall band is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half or whole band. Writing and Speaking are marked against public band descriptors with four criteria each; Listening and Reading are converted from raw scores out of 40.

What this means in practice

Trainers who understand exactly how marks are awarded can give candidates far more useful feedback than 'write better' or 'speak more fluently'.

The four papers

Listening: about 30 minutes, 4 parts, 40 questions
Reading: 60 minutes, 3 sections, 40 questions
Writing: 60 minutes, Task 1 (at least 150 words) and Task 2 (at least 250 words)
Speaking: 11–14 minutes, 3 parts, face to face with an examiner

Writing and Speaking criteria

Writing: Task Achievement (Task 1) or Task Response (Task 2), Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Speaking: Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, Pronunciation

How rounding works

If the average of the four bands ends in .25, it rounds up to the next half band; if it ends in .75, it rounds up to the next whole band. For example, 6.5, 6.5, 5.0 and 7.0 average 6.25, giving an overall band of 6.5.

Explaining scores to candidates

Candidates often focus on the overall band and ignore the paper holding them back. Show them each paper's band, link it to the descriptor criteria, and set one or two specific targets, such as 'fully address both parts of the Task 2 question'. Clear, criterion-based feedback is what separates an effective IELTS trainer from a general English teacher.

Practical next steps

Learn the band descriptors for Writing and Speaking.
Mark sample answers against each criterion.
Give candidates feedback by criterion.
Track raw scores in Listening and Reading practice tests.
Show candidates how their overall band is calculated.

ExampleA trainer in Vadodara showed a candidate that his Writing was held at 6.0 by Task Response, not grammar. Focusing on fully answering the question moved him to 6.5.

What to keep in mind

Check the official IELTS website for the current format and scoring details, as minor changes happen.

Common follow-up questions

What is a good IELTS score?

It depends on the requirement: many universities ask for 6.0–7.0 overall, and some professional bodies ask for 7.0 or higher in each paper.

Are Academic and General Training scored the same way?

Both use the same 9-band scale; the Reading and Writing tasks differ.

How is the IELTS Listening band calculated?

Your number of correct answers out of 40 is converted to a band using a conversion table published by IELTS.

Related course

Teaching IELTS Course

Teach all four IELTS papers: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, the band descriptors, and the exam strategies that move candidates up a band.

₹9,000 + 18% GST · USD 130 international

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