Free IELTS Band Calculator: work out your overall IELTS band score in seconds. Enter your four module scores — as bands, or as raw marks out of 40 for Listening and Reading — and see your overall band, worked out the same way IELTS does it. No sign-up needed.
IELTS Band Score Calculators
There are four quick calculators on this page. The first three turn your raw marks — the number of correct answers out of 40 — into band scores for Listening and Reading. The fourth one works out your overall band from your four module bands. Use whichever ones you need; most students end up using the overall calculator right after a mock test.
Listening Score Calculator
General Reading Score Calculator
Academic Reading Score Calculator
Overall Band Score Calculator
Your overall band
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Raw-score conversions use the approximate chart further down this page, so treat converted results as a close estimate, not an official score.
IELTS Band Score Conversion Chart
Listening and Reading start as raw marks — the number of correct answers out of 40 — and IELTS converts those marks into bands. The chart below shows the commonly published versions, and it’s a good guide. Just keep one thing in mind: every real test paper is calibrated slightly differently, so the marks needed for a band can move by one or two answers on the day. Listening uses the same column for both test types. Reading doesn’t — the General Training column is separate, because its texts are shorter and more everyday, so you need more correct answers for the same band.
| Band | Listening — correct answers | Academic Reading — correct answers | General Reading — correct answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9.0 | 39–40 | 39–40 | 40 |
| 8.5 | 37–38 | 37–38 | 39 |
| 8.0 | 35–36 | 35–36 | 37–38 |
| 7.5 | 32–34 | 33–34 | 36 |
| 7.0 | 30–31 | 30–32 | 34–35 |
| 6.5 | 26–29 | 27–29 | 32–33 |
| 6.0 | 23–25 | 23–26 | 30–31 |
| 5.5 | 18–22 | 19–22 | 27–29 |
| 5.0 | 16–17 | 15–18 | 23–26 |
| 4.5 | 13–15 | 13–14 | 19–22 |
| 4.0 | 10–12 | 10–12 | 15–18 |
| 3.5 | 8–9 | 8–9 | 12–14 |
| 3.0 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 9–11 |
| 2.5 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 6–8 |
| 2.0 | 2–3 | 2–3 | 4–5 |
| 1.5 | — | — | 2–3 |
| 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
How to Use These IELTS Band Calculators
Step 1: If you’ve done a practice test and only have marks, start with the three small calculators at the top. Type your correct answers out of 40 into the Listening calculator, then use the General Reading or Academic Reading calculator — whichever matches your test — and press Calculate to see your band.
Step 2: Move to the Overall Band Score Calculator and pick your four module bands from the menus. If you just converted your Listening and Reading marks in step 1, use those bands here. Writing and Speaking are always entered as bands, because examiners score them directly on the band scale.
Step 3: Press Calculate and read your result. You’ll see your overall band, the full working, a plain-English description of your level, and which module is holding you back. Add a target band if you want to know exactly how far you still have to go. Made a mistake? Each calculator has its own Reset button.
How IELTS Calculates Your Overall Band
There’s no secret formula here. Your overall band is simply the average of your four module bands — Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking each count for exactly a quarter, so no single skill matters more than the others. Add the four bands together, divide by four, and then round the answer to the nearest half band.
It’s that rounding step where people get caught out. IELTS doesn’t round the way most of us learned in school. If your average ends below .25, it drops to the whole band underneath. If it lands anywhere from .25 to .74, you get the half band. And if it reaches .75 or higher, it jumps up to the next whole band. So an average of 6.25 becomes 6.5, while 6.125 becomes 6.0. A single quarter of a band can feel unfairly big — and honestly, sometimes it is — but it’s the same rule for every candidate.
Example 1: Listening 7.5, Reading 7.0, Writing 6.5, Speaking 6.5. The total is 27.5, the average is 6.875, and because that ends above .75, the overall band rounds up to 7.0.
Example 2: Listening 6.0, Reading 6.0, Writing 6.0, Speaking 6.5. The total is 24.5, the average is 6.125, and that sits below .25, so the overall band stays at 6.0. Notice how close this is to Example 1’s cousin: change just one 6.0 to a 6.5 and the average becomes 6.25, which rounds up to 6.5. Half a band in one module really can change your final result.
What Your Band Means
A band score is a level, not a percentage. Here’s how IELTS describes each level, and the CEFR level it roughly matches:
| Band | IELTS description | CEFR |
|---|---|---|
| 9.0 | Expert user | C2 |
| 8.5 | Very good user | C2 |
| 8.0 | Very good user | C1 |
| 7.5 | Good user | C1 |
| 7.0 | Good user | C1 |
| 6.5 | Competent user | B2 |
| 6.0 | Competent user | B2 |
| 5.5 | Modest user | B1 |
| 5.0 | Modest user | B1 |
| 4.5 | Limited user | B1 |
| 4.0 | Limited user | B1 |
| 3.5 and below | Extremely limited user | below B1 |
What do you actually need? It depends on who’s asking. Many universities ask for an overall 6.0 to 7.0, often with a minimum band in each module as well, and immigration programmes set their own numbers. Always check the exact requirement for your course or programme before you book a test — “close” doesn’t count if one module falls short.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does IELTS work out the overall band?
It averages your four module bands and rounds the result to the nearest half band. Averages ending below .25 round down, averages from .25 to .74 round to the half band, and averages of .75 or more round up to the next whole band.
My average is 6.25. Is my overall band 6.0 or 6.5?
It’s 6.5. The .25 mark rounds up to the half band, and .75 rounds up to the next whole band — so 6.75 would give you 7.0. Only averages below .25, like 6.125, round down.
Are the raw-score conversion tables exact?
No, and no honest calculator should pretend otherwise. They’re the commonly published approximate tables. Each real IELTS paper is calibrated, so the marks behind a band can shift slightly from test to test. Use them for a close estimate, especially with practice tests.
Why does Reading convert differently in General Training?
General Training Reading uses shorter, more everyday texts than Academic Reading. Because the questions are a little less demanding, you need more correct answers to reach the same band. Listening, Writing, and Speaking convert — or are scored — exactly the same way in both versions.
Can I use this calculator with a mock test score?
Yes, that’s exactly what it’s built for. Enter your mock Listening and Reading marks out of 40 plus your Writing and Speaking bands, and you’ll get a realistic estimate of where you stand and which module to work on first.
What band do I need for a university or for immigration?
There’s no single answer. Many universities ask for 6.0 to 7.0 overall, sometimes with no module below a set band, and each immigration programme publishes its own requirement. Check the official page for your specific course or programme — that’s the number to aim at with the target box above.
More Free English Tools
Keep learning with our other free tools: Word Counter, Case Converter, Idiom Finder, Text to Speech, and Pronunciation Checker. You can find them all on the Free English Learning Tools page. Preparing for IELTS Speaking? Natural idioms are part of a high band score — browse the Idiom Finder and practise a few until they feel like your own words.