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IELTS Band Score Calculator

Enter your four section scores below to calculate your official IELTS overall band — using the correct rounding rules.

Your IELTS Overall Band Score

How IELTS Overall Band Score Is Calculated

Your IELTS overall band score is the average of your four section scores (Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking), rounded to the nearest whole or half band.

  • Add your four section scores together.
  • Divide the total by 4 to get the average.
  • Round to the nearest 0.5 using IELTS rounding rules (see below).

Example: Listening 6.5 + Reading 7.0 + Writing 6.0 + Speaking 7.0 = 26.5 ÷ 4 = 6.625 → rounds to 6.5.

IELTS Band Rounding Rules Explained

IELTS does not use standard mathematical rounding. The official rounding table is:

Average .000
→ Whole number
Average .125
→ Rounds down (e.g. 6.125 → 6.0)
Average .250
→ Rounds up (e.g. 6.25 → 6.5)
Average .375
→ Rounds up (e.g. 6.375 → 6.5)
Average .500
→ Half band (e.g. 6.5 → 6.5)
Average .625
→ Rounds down (e.g. 6.625 → 6.5)
Average .750
→ Rounds up (e.g. 6.75 → 7.0)
Average .875
→ Rounds up (e.g. 6.875 → 7.0)

What Your IELTS Band Score Means

Band Level Typical use case
9.0 Expert user Native-level fluency — perfect command
8.0–8.5 Very good user UK/Australian PhD programmes, senior immigration
7.0–7.5 Good user Most UK/Australian universities, skilled migration
6.0–6.5 Competent user Canadian immigration, many undergraduate programmes
5.0–5.5 Modest user Foundation year entry, some vocational courses
4.0–4.5 Limited user Below most university requirements

For the full breakdown of each band and what scores universities and immigration authorities require, see the IELTS Band Score Guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Individual section scores are also given in 0.5 increments (e.g. 6.0, 6.5, 7.0). The overall band is similarly rounded to the nearest whole or half band.
No. IELTS does not offer individual section retakes. You retake the full test. Some institutions accept IELTS One Skill Retake (OSR), which lets you retake one skill within 60 days — check with your institution before booking.
The calculation method is the same, but the two tests have different Reading and Writing tasks. Academic is required for university admission; General Training is used for migration and work. The results are not interchangeable — confirm which variant your institution requires.