Understanding the IELTS Scoring System
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
uses a unique scoring system to assess a test taker's English language
proficiency.
It's important to understand how your IELTS test is scored
so you can better prepare and aim for your target band score.
Band Scores:
IELTS results are reported as band scores, on a scale from 0
to 9. Each band corresponds to a specific level of English language ability:
Band 9: Expert User
Band 8: Very Good User
Band 7: Good User
Band 6: Competent User
Band 5: Modest User
Band 4: Limited User
Band 3: Extremely Limited User
Band 2: Intermittent User
Band 1: Non-User
Band 0: Did Not Attempt the Test
Scoring Each Section:
Each of the four IELTS sections—Listening, Reading, Writing,
and Speaking—is scored individually.
Listening and
Reading: These sections have 40 questions, and each correct answer is
typically worth one mark. Your raw score is then converted to a band score.
(How to calculate this? See indetails)
Writing and Speaking:
These sections are assessed by trained examiners based on specific criteria.
Overall Band Score:
You will be given a score from 1 to 9 for each part of the test – Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. The average of these four scores produces your overall band score. You can score whole (e.g., 5.0, 6.0, 7.0) or half (e.g., 5.5, 6.5, 7.5) bands in each part of the test.
If the average score
ends in .25, it is rounded up to the next half band. If it ends in .75, it is
rounded up to the next whole band.
For example:
Important Points to Note:
There is no "pass" or "fail" in IELTS.
You receive a band score, and the institution or organization you are applying
to will specify the score they require.
The scoring criteria for Writing and Speaking are quite
detailed and consider factors such as task achievement, coherence and cohesion,
lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation (in
Speaking).
Understanding the IELTS scoring system can help you focus
your preparation on the areas that will have the greatest impact on your
overall band score.