If you’re a first-time international student, you’ve probably encountered the term ‘IELTS band score’ quite frequently. This score determines your eligibility to apply for admission to your desired university. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you grasp the concept:

What is an IELTS Band Score?

A band score on a scale ranging from 1 (lowest) to 9 (highest) represents your performance in each language skill, which contributes to the four sections of the test: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking.

How is the band grade determined?

The average of the grades from the four sections—which are rounded to the nearest whole or half band—makes up the overall band score. The sectional scores carry equal weight.

The overall band score is rounded up to the next half band or the next whole band, depending on whether the average of the sections ends in 0.25 or 0.75.

Examples:

The table below will help you understand the band scales and significance of each:

Band score	Skill level	Description
9	Expert	The test taker has fully operational command of the language. Their use of English is appropriate, accurate and fluent, and shows complete understanding.
8	Very good	The test taker has fully operational command of the language with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriate usage. They may misunderstand some things in unfamiliar situations. They handle complex and detailed argumentation well.
7	Good	The test taker has operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and misunderstandings in some situations. They generally handle complex language well and understand detailed reasoning.
6	Competent	The test taker has an effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and misunderstandings. They can use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations.
5	Modest	The test taker has a partial command of the language and copes with overall meaning in most situations, although they are likely to make many mistakes. They should be able to handle basic communication in their own field.
4	Limited	The test taker’s basic competence is limited to familiar situations. They frequently show problems in understanding and expression. They are not able to use complex language.
3	Extremely Limited	The test taker conveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar situations. There are frequent breakdowns in communication.
2	Intermittent	The test taker has great difficulty understanding spoken and written English.
1	Non-user	The test taker has no ability to use the language except a few isolated words.
0	Test not attempted	The test taker did not answer the questions.

How marking is done for each of the modules:

1. Listening section

The table below indicates the average number of marks required to achieve the desired IELTS Listening band score in the Listening test:

Band Score	Raw Score Out of 40
5	16
6	23
7	30
8	35

2. Reading section

This section consists of 40 questions, for which you receive one mark per correct answer. The table below indicates the average number of marks required to achieve the desired IELTS Reading band score in Academic Reading.

Academic Reading
Band Score	Raw Score Out of 40
5	15
6	23
7	30
8	35

General Training
Band Score	Raw Score Out of 40
4	15
5	23
6	30
7	34
8	38

3. Writing section

• Task Response
• Coherence and cohesion
• Lexical resource
• Grammatical range and accuracy

A minimum of two examiners will mark your writing test, and a maximum of three to four to ensure high level accuracy and fair play.

4. Speaking section

The Speaking test in IELTS follows a conversational style

• Fluency and coherence
• Lexical resource
• Pronunciation
• Grammatical range
• Accuracy