Here are the section-wise IELTS exam band scores and marking criteria for Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking:
IELTS Listening band scores and what they meanThe IELTS Listening test has 40 questions. Each correct answer is given 1 mark. Scores out of 40 are converted to the IELTS 9-band scale. Scores are calculated and given in whole and half bands.
Here are the average number of marks scored at different levels of the IELTS scale in the Listening section. The actual number of marks needed to achieve these band scores will vary slightly from test versions.
IELTS Listening score table converterNumber of correct answers out of 40(Raw Score)
IELTS Listening band score
40
9
35
8
30
7
23
6
16
5
IELTS Reading band scores and what they meanThe IELTS Reading test has 40 questions, with each correct answer given 1 mark. These scores are then converted to the IELTS 9-band scale, reported in whole and half bands. Both the Academic and General Training Reading tests use the same scale, but the Academic test may have more complex texts. Generally, more correct answers are needed on the General Training test to achieve the same band score.
Below are the average marks required for different band scores in Academic and General Training Reading, noting that the exact marks can vary by test version.
IELTS Reading score table converterNumber of correct answers out of 40(Raw Score)
IELTS Reading Academic band score
40
9
35
8
30
7
23
6
15
5
Number of correct answers out of 40 (Raw Score)
IELTS Reading General Training band score
35
7
30
6
23
5
15
4
IELTS Writing band score and what they meanExaminers use assessment criteria to give a score for each of the following four criteria:
Task achievement (for task 1) and task response (for task 2)
Coherence and cohesion
Lexical resource
Grammatical range and accuracy.
Each task is assessed independently. The criteria are weighted equally and the score on the task is the average. The assessment of Task 2 carries more weight in marking than Task 1.
IELTS Speaking band score and what they meanExaminers use assessment criteria to award a score for each of the following four areas:
Fluency and coherence
Lexical resource
Grammatical range and accuracy
Pronunciation
Each of the criteria carries equal weighting and the overall average gives the IELTS score for Speaking.