How is the IELTS band score calculated?
The four section scores are averaged and rounded to the nearest half band. Averages ending in .25 and .75 always round up.
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In IELTS, each of the four sections (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking) gets its own band score. Scores run from 0 to 9 in whole and half bands. Knowing how the overall score is built helps you decide where to spend your study time.
The overall score: average, then round
The overall band score is the average of the four section scores, rounded to the nearest half band. Two rules matter most:
- An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band: 6.25 becomes 6.5.
- An average ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band: 6.75 becomes 7.
Three examples
- 6.5 + 6.5 + 5.0 + 7.0 = 25, an average of 6.25. Overall score 6.5.
- 4.0 + 3.5 + 4.0 + 4.0 = 15.5, an average of 3.875. Overall score 4.0.
- 6.5 + 6.5 + 5.5 + 6.0 = 24.5, an average of 6.125. Overall score 6.0.
What this tells you
If you need an overall 7, you do not need a 7 in every section: an average of 6.75 rounds up to 7. Some programmes, though, set a minimum for each section as well as for the overall score. Read both numbers in the requirements.
In the app you can go straight to your weakest section and practise its tests. Raising your lowest section is usually the fastest way to lift the average.
Practice tests in your exam's format, generated at your level.