IELTS Listening and Reading are both marked out of 40. That raw score is then converted to a band from 1 to 9 using a fixed table — and the table is not a straight percentage. 30 out of 40 is 75%, but it is band 7.0 in Listening and band 7.0 in Academic Reading, while the same 30 is only band 6.0 in General Training Reading. Below are the conversion tables for all three papers, the rounding rule for your overall band, and what each half-band step actually costs in extra correct answers.
IELTS Listening band score chart
The Listening paper is the same for Academic and General Training candidates, so one table covers both. There are 40 questions across four parts, one mark each.
| Band | Correct answers (out of 40) |
|---|---|
| 9.0 | 39–40 |
| 8.5 | 37–38 |
| 8.0 | 35–36 |
| 7.5 | 32–34 |
| 7.0 | 30–31 |
| 6.5 | 26–29 |
| 6.0 | 23–25 |
| 5.5 | 18–22 |
| 5.0 | 16–17 |
| 4.5 | 13–15 |
| 4.0 | 10–12 |
| 3.5 | 8–9 |
| 3.0 | 6–7 |
| 2.5 | 4–5 |
The steep part of this table sits between band 5.5 and 6.5: 18 correct answers is 5.5, but 26 is only 6.5. That stretch of eight questions buys you a single band, which is why candidates often feel stuck in the middle of the scale. Above 30 the table tightens sharply — every two or three extra answers is worth half a band.
Academic Reading band score chart
Academic Reading uses three long passages taken from journals, textbooks and newspapers, with 40 questions in total. There is no transfer time in Reading — unlike the ten minutes paper-based candidates get at the end of Listening, your answers must go straight onto the answer sheet within the hour.
| Band | Correct answers (out of 40) |
|---|---|
| 9.0 | 39–40 |
| 8.5 | 37–38 |
| 8.0 | 35–36 |
| 7.5 | 33–34 |
| 7.0 | 30–32 |
| 6.5 | 27–29 |
| 6.0 | 23–26 |
| 5.5 | 19–22 |
| 5.0 | 15–18 |
| 4.5 | 13–14 |
| 4.0 | 10–12 |
| 3.5 | 8–9 |
| 3.0 | 6–7 |
| 2.5 | 4–5 |
General Training Reading band score chart
General Training Reading uses everyday texts — notices, advertisements, workplace documents and one longer passage of general interest. Because the texts are more accessible, the conversion table is markedly stricter: a perfect 40 is required for band 9.0, and band 7.0 needs 34 correct answers rather than the 30 required in Academic Reading.
| Band | Correct answers (out of 40) |
|---|---|
| 9.0 | 40 |
| 8.5 | 39 |
| 8.0 | 37–38 |
| 7.5 | 36 |
| 7.0 | 34–35 |
| 6.5 | 32–33 |
| 6.0 | 30–31 |
| 5.5 | 27–29 |
| 5.0 | 23–26 |
| 4.5 | 19–22 |
| 4.0 | 15–18 |
| 3.5 | 12–14 |
| 3.0 | 9–11 |
| 2.5 | 6–8 |
Common misreading
A General Training candidate who scores 30/40 and expects band 6.5 (the Academic equivalent would be 6.5) actually receives 6.0. If your target is band 7.0 in General Training Reading, you can afford six wrong answers in the whole paper.
How the overall band is calculated
Your overall band is the mean of the four skill bands — Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking — rounded to the nearest half band. The rounding rule is specific and it always favours the candidate at the quarter points:
- An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band.
- An average ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band.
- Anything below .25 or between .25 and .75 rounds to the nearest half band as usual.
So 6.5 + 6.5 + 6.0 + 6.0 averages to 6.25 and is reported as 6.5. But 6.5 + 6.0 + 6.0 + 6.0 averages to 6.125 and is reported as 6.0. A single half-band in one skill decides the result. Only the overall figure is rounded — the four skill bands are reported exactly as awarded. You can try your own combination in the calculator.
What band 7 actually costs you
Reading the table as "how many more questions do I need" is more useful than reading it as a grade. Counting up from a typical band 6.0 performance:
| Paper | Band 6.0 | Band 7.0 | Extra answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listening | 23 | 30 | +7 |
| Academic Reading | 23 | 30 | +7 |
| General Training Reading | 30 | 34 | +4 |
Seven questions is a realistic target, and it is usually not seven different weaknesses. In Reading it is most often one question type — True/False/Not Given and matching headings between them account for a large share of lost marks. In Listening it is usually Part 3 (the multi-speaker discussion) and spelling slips in Part 1. Finding the pattern in your errors is worth more than doing another full test.
Answer everything
There is no negative marking in IELTS. A blank scores exactly what a wrong guess scores, so leave nothing empty — on a three-option question a guess is worth roughly a third of a mark, and across a paper that is real band movement.
How exact are these tables?
IELTS does not publish a single binding conversion table. Each test version is statistically equated so that the same band means the same ability across papers, which means the raw score needed for a given band can shift by a mark or two between versions. The tables above are the standard published conversions used in official practice materials, and they are the tables this site uses to mark practice tests — so a band you see here is the band those tables give, not an estimate invented for the page.
Treat them as accurate to within about one mark, and treat a borderline result as borderline. If you are consistently landing on 29–30 in Reading, you are a band 6.5–7.0 candidate rather than a band 7.0 candidate, and the honest plan is to build a margin rather than hope for a friendly paper.
Frequently asked
How many correct answers do you need for band 7 in IELTS Listening?
You need 30 out of 40 correct answers for band 7.0 in IELTS Listening, and 32 for band 7.5. Band 6.5 starts at 26 correct.
How many correct answers do you need for band 7 in IELTS Academic Reading?
You need 30 out of 40 for band 7.0 in IELTS Academic Reading, and 33 for band 7.5. Band 6.5 starts at 27 correct.
Is General Training Reading marked more harshly than Academic Reading?
Yes. The texts are easier, so the conversion table demands more correct answers for the same band. Band 7.0 needs 34 out of 40 in General Training Reading compared with 30 in Academic Reading, and band 6.0 needs 30 rather than 23.
Is there negative marking in IELTS Listening or Reading?
No. Nothing is deducted for a wrong answer, so you should answer every question. A blank and a wrong answer cost exactly the same.
Does a spelling mistake lose the mark in IELTS Listening and Reading?
Yes. Answers in Listening and Reading must be spelled correctly to earn the mark, though both British and American spellings are accepted. Plural errors also cost the mark when the answer requires a plural.