Question 1

How is the overall IELTS band score calculated?

Accepted Answer

Your overall band is the average of your Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking 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. Example: 6.5 + 6.5 + 6.0 + 7.0 = 26, divided by 4 is 6.5 — so the overall band is 6.5.

Question 2

Does IELTS round scores up or down?

Accepted Answer

Both, in different places. The overall band rounds in your favour: an average of 6.25 becomes 6.5 and 6.75 becomes 7.0. Inside Writing and Speaking it is the opposite — the average of the four criteria rounds down, so criterion scores of 7, 7, 7 and 6 average 6.75 but produce a 6.5 for that task.

Question 3

How many correct answers do I need for Band 7?

Accepted Answer

Out of 40 questions, roughly 30 correct in Listening, 30 in Academic Reading, and 34 in General Training Reading. The exact boundary moves by about a mark between test versions, since each paper is calibrated for difficulty.

Question 4

Is scoring different for Academic and General Training?

Accepted Answer

Listening, Writing and Speaking are scored identically. Reading also has 40 questions in both modules, but the conversion table differs: General Training texts are less dense, so you need more correct answers for the same band — 30/40 is Band 7 in Academic but Band 6 in General Training.

Question 5

How is the IELTS Writing band score calculated?

Accepted Answer

An examiner scores each task on four criteria — Task Achievement or Response, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range & Accuracy — in whole bands. Each task's band is the average of its four criteria, rounded down to the half band. Task 2 then counts twice as much as Task 1 in the final Writing band.

Question 6

What is a good IELTS band score?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the door you're trying to open. Most universities ask for an overall 6.5–7.0. Skilled-migration programmes often want strong section minimums — for example, Canada's CLB 9 requires Listening 8.0 with 7.0 in Reading, Writing and Speaking. Professional registration bodies commonly ask for 7.0–7.5 in every section.

Question 7

Are half bands possible in every section?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All four sections — and the overall result — are reported in whole and half bands, so scores like Listening 7.5 or Writing 6.5 are standard.

Question 8

How accurate is this calculator?

Accepted Answer

The overall calculator applies the officially published rounding rule exactly. The Listening and Reading converters use the indicative tables aligned to the anchor scores IELTS publishes, so treat results as accurate to within about half a band. Writing is the one section no table can score — the criteria require judgement, which is what Bandly's essay checker estimates for you.

Correct answers (of 40)	Band score
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
8–9	3.5
6–7	3.0
4–5	2.5

Correct answers (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
13–14	4.5
10–12	4.0
8–9	3.5
6–7	3.0
4–5	2.5

Correct answers (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
12–14	3.5
9–11	3.0
6–8	2.5

Average of four sections	Overall band	Why
6.125	6.0	below .25 — rounds down
6.25	6.5	.25 — rounds up
6.5	6.5	already a half band
6.75	7.0	.75 — rounds up

Band	Skill level	In practice
9	Expert user	Full operational command — accurate, fluent, and precise in any situation.
8	Very good user	Handles complex, detailed argument well with only rare slips or odd word choices.
7	Good user	Operational command with occasional inaccuracies — the level most universities and skilled-migration programmes ask for.
6	Competent user	Generally effective in familiar situations despite noticeable errors.
5	Modest user	Partial command — copes overall but makes frequent mistakes in unfamiliar territory.
4	Limited user	Basic competence restricted to familiar situations, with regular breakdowns.

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