IELTS band score calculator
You will be given an overall band score and a band score from 1 (the lowest) to 9 (the highest) for each section of the test.
IELTS scores are reported as band scores on a scale from 1 (the lowest) to 9 (the highest). You will be given a band score from 1 to 9 for each section of the test – Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. The overall band score is calculated as an average of your four individual test section band scores.
Listening
The IELTS Listening test contains 40 questions. Each correctly answered question is awarded one mark; therefore the maximum raw score you can achieve is 40. A band score ranging from band 1 to band 9 is then awarded on the basis of your raw score.
Reading
The IELTS Reading test contains 40 questions. Each correctly answered question is awarded one mark; therefore the maximum raw score you can achieve is 40. A band score ranging from band 1 to band 9 is then awarded on the basis of your raw score.
Writing
The IELTS Writing band descriptors can help you understand how an examiner will assess your Writing Task 1 and Task 2 responses.
Speaking
The IELTS Speaking band descriptors can help you understand how an examiner will assess you during the Speaking test.
Band scores
Band 9
Task achievement
Fully satisfies all the requirements of the task
Clearly presents a fully developed response
Coherence and cohesion
Uses cohesion in such a way that it attracts no attention
Skilfully manages paragraphing
Lexical resource
Uses a wide range of vocabulary with very natural and sophisticated control of lexical features; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’
Grammatical range and accuracy
Uses a wide range of structures with full flexibility and accuracy; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’
Band 8
Task achievement
Covers all requirements of the task sufficiently
Presents, highlights and illustrates key features/ bullet points clearly and appropriately
Coherence and cohesion
Sequences information and ideas logically
Manages all aspects of cohesion well
Uses paragraphing sufficiently and appropriately
Lexical resource
Uses a wide range of vocabulary fluently and flexibly to convey precise meanings
Skilfully uses uncommon lexical items but there may be occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation
Produces rare errors in spelling and/or word formation
Grammatical range and accuracy
Uses a wide range of structures
The majority of sentences are error-free
Makes only very occasional errors or inappropriacies
Band 7
Task achievement
Covers the requirements of the task
(Academic Training) presents a clear overview of main trends, differences or stages
(General Training) presents a clear purpose, with the tone consistent and appropriate
Clearly presents and highlights key features/bullet points but could be more fully extended
Coherence and cohesion
Logically organises information and ideas; there is clear progression throughout
Uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately although there may be some under-/over-use
Lexical resource
Uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision
Uses less common lexical items with some awareness of style and collocation
May produce occasional errors in word choice, spelling and/or word formation
Band 6
Task achievement
Addresses the requirements of the task
(Academic) presents an overview with information appropriately selected
(General Training) presents a purpose that is generally clear; there may be inconsistencies in tone
Presents and adequately highlights key features/ bullet points but details may be irrelevant, inappropriate or inaccurate
Coherence and cohesion
Arranges information and ideas coherently and there is a clear overall progression
Uses cohesive devices effectively, but cohesion within and/or between sentences may be faulty or mechanical
May not always use referencing clearly or appropriately
Lexical resource
Uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task
Attempts to use less common vocabulary but with some inaccuracy
Band 5
Task achievement
Generally addresses the task; the format may be inappropriate in places (Academic) recounts detail mechanically with no clear overview; there may be no data to support the description
(General Training) may present a purpose for the letter that is unclear at times; the tone may be variable and sometimes inappropriate
Presents, but inadequately covers, key features/ bullet points; there may be a tendency to focus on details
Coherence and cohesion
Presents information with some organisation but there may be a lack of overall progression
Makes inadequate, inaccurate or over-use of cohesive devices
May be repetitive because of lack of referencing and substitution
Lexical resource
Uses a limited range of vocabulary, but this is minimally adequate for the task
Band 4
Task achievement
Attempts to address the task but does not cover all key features/bullet points; the format may be inappropriate
(GT) fails to clearly explain the purpose of the letter; the tone may be inappropriate
May confuse key features/bullet points with detail; parts may be unclear, irrelevant, repetitive or inaccurate
Coherence and cohesion
Presents information and ideas but these are not arranged coherently and there is no clear progression in the response
Uses some basic cohesive devices but these may be inaccurate or repetitive
Lexical resource
Uses only basic vocabulary which may be used repetitively or which may be inappropriate for the task
Has limited control of word formation and/or spelling; errors may cause strain for the reader
Band 3
Task achievement
Fails to address the task, which may have been completely misunderstood
Presents limited ideas which may be largely irrelevant/repetitive
Coherence and cohesion
Does not organise ideas logically
May use a very limited range of cohesive devices, and those used may not indicate a logical relationship between ideas
Lexical resource
Uses only a very limited range of words and expressions with very limited control of word formation and/or spelling
Errors may severely distort the message
Grammatical range and accuracy
Attempts sentence forms but errors in grammar and punctuation predominate and distort the meaning
Band 2
Task achievement
Answer is barely related to the task
Coherence and cohesion
Has very little control of organisational features
Lexical resource
Uses an extremely limited range of vocabulary; essentially no control of word formation and/or spelling
Grammatical range and accuracy
Cannot use sentence forms except in memorised phrase
Band 1
Task achievement
Answer is completely unrelated to the task
Coherence and cohesion
Fails to communicate any message
Lexical resource
Can only use a few isolated words
Grammatical range and accuracy
Cannot use sentence forms at all
Band 0
Task achievement
Does not attend
Does not attempt the task in any way
Writes a totally memorised response
Coherence and cohesion
Does not attend
Does not attempt the task in any way
Writes a totally memorised response
Lexical resource
Does not attend
Does not attempt the task in any way
Writes a totally memorised response
Grammatical range and accuracy
Does not attend
Does not attempt the task in any way
Writes a totally memorised response
Band 9
Task response
Fully addresses all parts of the task
Presents a fully developed position in answer to the question with relevant, fully extended and well supported ideas
Coherence and cohesion
Uses cohesion in such a way that it attracts no attention
Skilfully manages paragraphing
Band 8
Task response
Sufficiently addresses all parts of the task
Presents a well-developed response to the question with relevant, extended and supported ideas
Coherence and cohesion
Sequences information and ideas logically
Manages all aspects of cohesion well
Uses paragraphing sufficiently and appropriately
Lexical resource
Uses a wide range of vocabulary fluently and flexibly to convey precise meanings
Skilfully uses uncommon lexical items but there may be occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation
Produces rare errors in spelling and/or word formation
Grammatical range and accuracy
Uses a wide range of structures
The majority of sentences are error-free
Makes only very occasional errors or inappropriacies
Band 7
Task response
Addresses all parts of the task
Presents a clear position throughout the response
Presents, extends and supports main ideas, but there may be a tendency to over-generalise and/or supporting ideas may lack focus
Coherence and cohesion
Logically organises information and ideas; there is clear progression throughout
Uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately although there may be some under-/over-use
Presents a clear central topic within each paragraph
Lexical resource
Uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision
Uses less common lexical items with some awareness of style and collocation
May produce occasional errors in word choice, spelling and/or word formation
Grammatical range and accuracy
Uses a variety of complex structures
Lexical resource
Uses a wide range of vocabulary with very natural and sophisticated control of lexical features; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’
Grammatical range and accuracy
Uses a wide range of structures with full flexibility and accuracy; rare minor errors occur only as ‘slips’
Band 6
Task response
Addresses all parts of the task although some parts may be more fully covered than othersPresents a relevant position although the conclusions may become unclear or repetitive
Presents relevant main ideas but some may be inadequately developed/unclear
Coherence and cohesion
Arranges information and ideas coherently and there is a clear overall progression
Uses cohesive devices effectively, but cohesion within and/or between sentences may be faulty or mechanical
May not always use referencing clearly or appropriately
Uses paragraphing, but not always logically
Lexical resource
Uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task
Attempts to use less common vocabulary but with some inaccuracy
Makes some errors in spelling and/or word formation, but they do not impede communication
Band 5
Task response
Addresses the task only partially; the format may be inappropriate in places
Expresses a position but the development is not always clear and there may be no conclusions drawn
Presents some main ideas but these are limited and not sufficiently developed; there may be irrelevant detail
Coherence and cohesion
Presents information with some organisation but there may be a lack of overall progression
Makes inadequate, inaccurate or over-use of cohesive devices
May be repetitive because of lack of referencing and substitution
May not write in paragraphs or paragraphing may be inadequate
Lexical resource
Uses a limited range of vocabulary, but this is minimally adequate for the task
May make noticeable errors in spelling and/or word formation that may cause some difficulty for the reader
Band 4
Task response
Responds to the task only in a minimal way or the answer is tangential; the format may be inappropriate
Presents a position but this is unclear
Presents some main ideas but these are difficult to identify and may be repetitive, irrelevant or not well supported
Coherence and cohesion
Presents information and ideas but these are not arranged coherently and there is no clear progression in the response
Uses some basic cohesive devices but these may be inaccurate or repetitive
May not write in paragraphs or their use may be confusing
Lexical resource
Uses only basic vocabulary which may be used repetitively or which may be inappropriate for the task
Has limited control of word formation and/or spelling; errors may cause strain for the reader
Band 3
Task response
Does not adequately address any part of the task
Does not express a clear position
Presents few ideas, which are largely undeveloped or irrelevant
Coherence and cohesion
Does not organise ideas logically
May use a very limited range of cohesive devices, and those used may not indicate a logical relationship between ideas
Lexical resource
Uses only a very limited range of words and expressions with very limited control of word formation and/or spelling
Errors may severely distort the message
Grammatical range and accuracy
Attempts sentence forms but errors in grammar and punctuation predominate and distort the meaning
Band 2
Task response
Barely responds to the task
Does not express a position
May attempt to present one or two ideas but there is no development
Coherence and cohesion
Has very little control of organisational features
Lexical resource
Uses an extremely limited range of vocabulary; essentially no control of word formation and/or spelling
Grammatical range and accuracy
Cannot use sentence forms except in memorised phrase
Band 1
Task response
Answer is completely unrelated to the task
Coherence and cohesion
Fails to communicate any message
Lexical resource
Can only use a few isolated words
Grammatical range and accuracy
Cannot use sentence forms at all
Band 0
Task response
Does not attend
Does not attempt the task in any way
Writes a totally memorised response
Coherence and cohesion
Does not attend
Does not attempt the task in any way
Writes a totally memorised response
Lexical resource
Does not attend
Does not attempt the task in any way
Writes a totally memorised response
Grammatical range and accuracy
Does not attend
Does not attempt the task in any way
Writes a totally memorised response
Band 9
Fluency and coherence
Speaks fluently with only rare repetition or self-correction;
Any hesitation is content-related rather than to find words or grammar
Speaks coherently with fully appropriate cohesive features
Develops topics fully and appropriately
Lexical resource
Uses vocabulary with full flexibility and precision in all topics
Uses idiomatic language naturally and accurately
Grammatical range and accuracy
Uses a full range of structures naturally and appropriately
Produces consistently accurate structures apart from ‘slips’ characteristic of native speaker speech
Pronunciation
Uses a full range of pronunciation features with precision and subtlety
Sustains flexible use of features throughout
Is effortless to understand
Band 8
Fluency and coherence
Speaks fluently with only occasional repetition or selfcorrection; hesitation is usually content-related and only rarely to search for language
Develops topics coherently and appropriately
Lexical resource
Uses a wide vocabulary resource readily and flexibly to convey precise meaning
Uses less common and idiomatic vocabulary skilfully, with occasional inaccuracies
Uses paraphrase effectively as required
Grammatical range and accuracy
Uses a wide range of structures flexibly
Produces a majority of error-free sentences with only very occasional inappropriacies or basic/non-systematic errors
Band 7
Fluency and coherence
Speaks at length without noticeable effort or loss of coherence
May demonstrate language-related hesitation at times, or some repetition and/or self-correction
Uses a range of connectives and discourse markers with some flexibility
Lexical resource
Uses vocabulary resource flexibly to discuss a variety of topics
Uses some less common and idiomatic vocabulary and shows some awareness of style and collocation, with some inappropriate choices
Uses paraphrase effectively
Grammatical range and accuracy
Uses a range of complex structures with some flexibility
Frequently produces error-free sentences, though some grammatical mistakes persist
Pronunciation
Shows all the positive features of band 6 and some, but not all, of the positive features of band 8
Band 6
Fluency and coherence
Is willing to speak at length, though may lose coherence at times due to occasional repetition, self-correction or hesitation
Uses a range of connectives and discourse markers but not always appropriately
Lexical resource
Has a wide enough vocabulary to discuss topics at length and make meaning clear in spite of inappropriacies
Generally paraphrases successfully
Grammatical range and accuracy
Uses a mix of simple and complex structures, but with limited flexibility
May make frequent mistakes with complex structures though these rarely cause comprehension problems
Pronunciation
Uses a range of pronunciation features with mixed control
Shows some effective use of features but this is not sustained
Band 5
Fluency and coherence
Usually maintains flow of speech but uses repetition, self correction and/or slow speech to keep going
May over-use certain connectives and discourse markers
Produces simple speech fluently, but more complex communication causes fluency problems
Lexical resource
Manages to talk about familiar and unfamiliar topics but uses vocabulary with limited flexibility
Attempts to use paraphrase but with mixed success
Grammatical range and accuracy
Produces basic sentence forms with reasonable accuracy
Uses a limited range of more complex structures, but these usually contain errors and may cause some comprehension problems
Pronunciation
Shows all features of band 4 and some, but not all the positive features of band 6
Band 4
Fluency and coherence
Cannot respond without noticeable pauses and may speak slowly, with frequent repetition and self-correction
Links basic sentences but with repetitious use of simple connectives and some breakdowns in coherence
Lexical resource
Is able to talk about familiar topics but can only convey basic meaning on unfamiliar topics and makes frequent errors in word choice
Rarely attempts paraphrase
Grammatical range and accuracy
Produces basic sentence forms and some correct simple sentences but subordinate structures are rare
Errors are frequent and may lead to misunderstanding
Pronunciation
Uses a limited range of pronunciation features
Attempts to control features but lapses are frequent
Mispronunciations are frequent and cause some difficulty for the listener
Band 3
Fluency and coherence
Speaks with long pauses
Has limited ability to link simple sentences
Gives only simple responses and is frequently unable to convey basic message
Lexical resource
Uses simple vocabulary to convey personal information
Has insufficient vocabulary for less familiar topics
Grammatical range and accuracy
Attempts basic sentence forms but with limited success, or relies on apparently memorised utterances
Makes numerous errors except in memorised expressions
Pronunciation
Shows some of the features of band 2 and some, but not all, of the positive features of band 4
Band 2
Fluency and coherence
Pauses lengthily before most words
Little communication possible
Lexical resource
Only produces isolated words or memorised utterances
Grammatical range and accuracy
Cannot produce basic sentence forms
Pronunciation
Speech is often unintelligible
Band 1
Fluency and coherence
No communication possible
No rateable language
Lexical resource
No communication possible
No rateable language
Grammatical range and accuracy
No communication possible
No rateable language
Pronunciation
No communication possible
No rateable language
Band 0
Fluency and coherence
Does not attend
Lexical resource
Does not attend
Grammatical range and accuracy
Does not attend
Pronunciation
Does not attend
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