How is the IELTS scored?

A big question that IELTS aspirants have in their minds is - How is the IELTS scored? Let’s dive right into it! 

You can get a band score between 0-9 in the IELTS. This band score is the average of the scores you received in the four sections - Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. The final score is rounded to the nearest half or whole band. If you want to get a more thorough idea of the format of the IELTS, read this blog on the Overview of IELTS.

Let’s try to understand this with the help of an example.

Lara is an IELTS aspirant who gave the test and received the following scores

Lara’s overall band score is 6.5 which is the average of all four section scores. But, how were Lara’s section scores calculated? The process for calculating the section score is different for all four sections.

Listening

In the Listening section, there are 40 questions asked. Each correct question is given one mark. The total raw score (number of questions you got right) is then converted to a band score. The below table shows the average band scores that you can get from your scores.

Source - https://www.ielts.org/for-organisations/ielts-scoring-in-detail

Reading

In the Reading section, you will again be marked as per the number of questions you get right out of 40 questions. The raw scores will be converted to a band score. 

The Reading sections in the Academic and General Training Tests are scored on the same scale. However, the Academic test will have more difficult questions compared to the General Training.

Academic Reading Average Band Scores

General Training Reading Average Band Scores 

WRITING

The 2 Writing tasks are scored by an examiner. However, to ensure accuracy in the marking, the essays are checked by 2 - 4 examiners. They assess the essays in four areas:

• Task Achievement (for Task 1) and Task Response (for Task 2)
• Coherence and Cohesion
• Lexical Resource
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy

You can get a band score between 0-9 in the 2 tasks. However, Task 2 is given more weightage than Task 1. You can check out the criteria for marking the two tasks here.

Speaking

The Speaking Test is conducted by trained and certified IELTS examiners and you are given a band score between 0-9. The examiner that conducts your Speaking test assesses and marks you in four areas:

• Fluency and Coherence
• Lexical Resource
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy
• Pronunciation

What does each band score mean in the IELTS?

The band scores from 0-9 are a measure of your ability to understand and use the English language in an academic or informal setting. 

Band 9 (Expert User) - This score means that you have a fully operational command of the language. You use the English language appropriately, accurately, and fluently with a complete understanding of it.

Band 8 (Very Good User) - This score means that you have a fully operational command of the language but are sometimes inaccurate or inappropriate in the use of the language. You may misunderstand things in unfamiliar situations. But, you can handle detailed and complex argumentations well.

Band 7 (Good User) -  This score means that you have an operational command of the language but with some inaccuracies, inappropriacies , and misunderstandings in some situations. You handle complex language well and understand detailed reasoning.

Band 6 (Competent User) - This score means that you have an effective command of the language with some inaccuracies, inappropriacies , and misunderstandings. You can use and understand fairly complex language in familiar situations.

Band 5 (Modest User) - This score means that you have a partial command of the language and can cope with the overall meaning in most situations, though are likely to make mistakes. You should be able to handle basic communication in your own field.

Band 4 (Limited User) - This score means that your basic competence to use language is limited to familiar situations. You frequently face problems in understanding and expressing yourself and are not able to use complex language. 

Band 3 (Extremely Limited User) - This score means that you understand only general meaning in very familiar situations and there are frequent breakdowns in communication.

Band 2 (Intermittent User) - This score means that you find it very difficult in understanding spoken and written English.

Band 1 (Non-user) - This score means that you do not have the ability to use the language except for a few isolated words.

Band 0 (Did not attempt the test) - This means that you did not answer any of the questions.

The only way to ensure a high band score on the IELTS is to improve your vocabulary. The IELTS Vocabulary Flashcards are a sure-shot way to improve, retain, and remember words. By using the flashcards, you will learn the pronunciations, parts of speech, meanings, antonyms, synonyms, and usage of the words. If you want to know more about them, read the blog on How To Use IELTS Vocabulary Flash Cards?