IELTS Band Score, Chart, Table, and Section wise Score
IELTS Band Score including the full band score chart, IELTS score table, and section-wise scores for Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. Understand how your overall band score is calculated and what each band means for your English proficiency level.
Souvik Podder12 Aug, 2025
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IELTS Band Score 2025 plays an important role for Indian students aiming to study or migrate abroad. The IELTS score evaluates your English proficiency across four key sections i.e., Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking, on a scale of 1 to 9 bands. Your IELTS band score is a gateway to top global universities and immigration opportunities in countries like the USA, UK, Canada, and Australia.
Here, we cover everything you need to know about IELTS Band Scores, including the IELTS Band Score Table, IELTS Academic Band Score, Reading Band Score Academic, and how raw scores convert into final IELTS points. Whether you're appearing for the Academic or General Training test, you'll find updated information relevant to the IELTS 2025 exam cycle, with score criteria for different countries and institutions.
IELTS Band Score Overview
The IELTS Band Score is the overall mark that you secured after taking the International English Language Testing System. It represents your overall English language proficiency based on your performance in Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. The IELTS band score ranges from 1 (non-user) to 9 (expert user) The IELTS score is used as a tool to check if you are eligible for admission to foreign universities or immigration purposes.
IELTS Band Score Chart is the major factor that helps to understand your English proficiency on the IELTS exam. You can cross-check the IELTS band score to see if you have achieved the score target set for your academic or general goals.
The IELTS Band Score table acts as a decoder ring for your performance on the English language proficiency test. It is considered your raw marks in Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking into a single band score ranging from 1 to 9.
The IELTS Academic Training Band Score is a single score showcasing your performance across Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. It serves as a gateway to international university opportunities.
Band Score
IELTS Band Score for Academics
9
Expert user with complete fluency and flexibility
8
Very good user with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriateness
7
Good user with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and misunderstandings in some situations
6
Competent user with some inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and misunderstandings
5
Modest user who copes with overall meaning in most situations, although they are likely to make many mistakes
4
Limited user with frequent problems in understanding and expression
3
Extremely limited user who conveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar situations
2
Very limited user with extreme difficulty communicating
1
Non-user
IELTS General Band Score
The IELTS General Training test score is considered a single overall Band Score. This score shows your proficiency in English across all four sections, Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking
IELTS Band Score
Description
9
Expert user with complete fluency and flexibility
8
Very good user with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriateness
7
Good user with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and misunderstandings in some situations
6
Competent user with some inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and misunderstandings
5
Modest user who copes with overall meaning in most situations, although they are likely to make many mistakes
4
Limited user with frequent problems in understanding and expression
3
Extremely limited user who conveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar situations
2
Very limited user with extreme difficulty communicating
1
Non-user
IELTS Band Score for Reading
The IELTS Reading test assesses your ability to understand different types of written English texts. Your IELTS Band score for Reading ranges from 1 (non-user) to 9 (expert user).
Raw Score out of 40
IELTS Band Score for Reading
39-40
9
37-38
8.5
35-36
8
33-34
7.5
30-32
7
27-29
6.5
23-26
6
19-22
5.5
15-18
5
13-14
4.5
10-12
4
8-9
3.5
6-7
3
IELTS Band Score for Writing
IELTS Band Score for writing checks the overall English proficiency level of the candidate in terms of his writing prowess. Go through the table to understand what each IELTS band score means.
The appearing candidates need to understand the process of calculating the IELTS Band Score. The IELTS band score is calculated based on a test taker's performance across all four sections: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. The same band score chart applies to both the Academic and General Training versions of the exam, with scores ranging from 0 to 9, each representing a specific level of English proficiency. Candidates can also secure scores in decimal i.e., 5.5, 8.5, etc. IELTS band score is prepared based on the overall score a candidate gets in each section. Candidates get a rounded-up score.
Band 9 (Expert): Full command of the language with accurate, fluent, and appropriate use, showcasing a complete understanding.
Band 8 (Very Good): Almost fully operational command with rare, minor inaccuracies. The test taker can handle complex arguments but may occasionally misunderstand in unfamiliar contexts.
Band 7 (Good): Operational command with occasional errors and misunderstandings but generally effective in managing complex language and detailed reasoning.
Band 6 (Competent): Effective command with some mistakes but can handle moderately complex language, especially in familiar situations.
Band 5 (Modest): Partial command of the language. The test taker can understand and communicate in most situations, though frequent errors are expected.
Band 4 (Limited): Limited competence, mainly in familiar settings, with noticeable issues in communication.
Band 3 (Extremely Limited): Understands only basic general meaning in highly familiar situations, with frequent breakdowns in communication.
Band 2 (Intermittent): Great difficulty in understanding spoken and written English.
Band 1 (Non-User: Can only use isolated words and phrases.
Band 0: The test taker did not attempt the test.
Reading The reading section of IELTS exam includes 40 questions. Each correct answer holds 1 mark in this section, therefore, the maximum raw score that a candidate can achieve is 40. Candidates get a band score ranging from 1 to 9 based on the secured raw score.Writing An examiner assesses the writing skills of a candidate based on two writing tasks. Candidates can check IELTS writing band descriptors to get an overview of the process. Speaking Candidates can check the speaking band descriptors to understand the process of assessing the speaking test by an examiner.Listening The listening section of IELTS exam includes 40 questions. Each correct answer holds 1 mark in this section, therefore, the maximum raw score that a candidate can achieve is 40. Candidates get a band score ranging from 1 to 9 based on the secured raw score. Candidates can check an example for band score below
Section
Score
Listening
6.5
Reading
6.5
Writing
5.0
Speaking
7.0
Overall Band Score
6.5
IELTS Band Score for Australia
The required IELTS band score for Australia , especially for the universities, is 6.5, with no band score of less than 6.0 for your postgraduate degree. The following table can be checked to know about the university-wise IELTS band score for Australia.
University
IELTS Band Score for Australia
Victoria University
6.5
Torrens University
6.5
International College of Management, Sydney
6.0-6.5
CQ University Australia
6.0
International College of Management, Sydney
6.0
Charles Darwin University
6.0
Charles Sturt University
6.0
University of Canberra
6.0
Swinburne University of Technology
6.0
IELTS Band Score for USA
The IELTS Band Score for USA for universities depends on the programme and institutions. The overall band score for USA lies between 6 to 7 are considered good and acceptable to many universities.
University
Minimum IELTS Band Score for USA
Johns Hopkins University
7.0
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
7.0
Duke University
7.0
Brown University
7.0
University of Texas at Austin
6.5
Texas A&M University
6.0
American University Washington D.C
6.0
Dakota State University
6.0 (with no sub-score less than 5.5)
University of Southern California
6.5
IELTS Band Score for UK
The IELTS Band Score for UK varies between 5.5 to 6.5 for different courses. The minimum score for the band score in the UK is 5.5 while the maximum score is 6 for different courses and immigration.
Degree
Minimum IELTS Band Score for UK
Minimum IELTS Band Score for UK
Bachelor’s
6.0
5.5 each section
Master’s
6.5
6.0 each section
IELTS Band Score for Canada
An IELTS Band Score for Canada is considered to offer admission to UG, PG and the immigration process. The IELTS score ranges between 5.5 to 6 marks for different categories.
Undergraduate Courses
Postgraduate Courses
Overall IELTS Score
6 Bands with no less than 5.5 in each module
6.5 Bands with no less than 5.5-6.0
6 Bands with no less than 6 in each module
IELTS Band Score for Germany
The IELTS Band Score for Germany lies between 4.5 to 6.5 while others may require a minimum score of 6.0 or 6.5. The IELTS score varies for both UG and PG courses and the same can be checked in the table below.
University
IELTS Score Range UG
IELTS Score Range For PG
University Of Marburg
5.0
5.5 – 6.5
University Of Duesseldorf
6.0
5.5
Bielefeld University
6.5
6.0
University of Bonn
6.0
6.0
University of Regensburg
6.0
6.0
University of Geissen
6.0
6.0
Technical University of Munich
6.5
6.5
RWTH Aachen University
6.5
5.5 – 6.5
Humboldt University of Belin
6.0
6.0
University of Heidelberg
6.5
6.5
Criteria for IELTS Writing Assessment
In the writing section, candidates need to attempt two tasks, and the writing assessment of the candidates is done based on the below criteria
Coherence and Cohesion
Task Achievement for Task 1 and Task Response for Task 2
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Lexical Resource
Criteria for IELTS Speaking Assessment
In this section, candidates need to speak with an interviewer about any topic for 11 to 14 minutes. The interviewers assess the speaking test based on below criteria
Lexical Resources
Pronunciation
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Fluency and Coherence
If you are preparing to appear for the upcoming IELTS 2025 Exam then you should enroll in the upcoming IELTS course . This course equips you with basics related to quality for the IELTS Speaking section helping you to ace high marks in the section.
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