Score IELTS Reading Academic – Hi there! When you take the IELTS academic reading test, you’ll get a score based on how many questions you answer correctly. There are 40 questions in total, and you won’t lose points for getting a question wrong. The scores range from 0 to 9, and the harder questions are in the academic reading section. After you finish the test, your score out of 40 will be converted into a band score. Just keep in mind that the band score charts are different for the academic reading and general reading sections. Good luck!
How to Calculate Overall IELTS Band Score?
When you take the IELTS test, your overall score is calculated by looking at your scores in four categories: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Let’s say you got a 6.5 in reading, a 5 in writing, a 7 in speaking, and a 6.5 in listening. You add those scores up to get 25. Then you divide that number by 4 to get 6.25. Since it ends in .25, you round up to the next half band, which is 6.5. That’s your overall band score. Hope that helps!
- 25 = Reading 6.5 + Writing 5 + Speaking 7 + Listening 6.5
- 6.25= Divide 25 by 4
- 6.5= Ends in .25 so round up to the next half band
Overall band score
Score IELTS Reading Academic
IELTS Academic Reading Score Calculator
In the IELTS academic reading and listening sections, you won’t lose points for getting a question wrong. Your overall band score is the average of your individual scores in each section. For the reading section, you get 1 point for each question you answer correctly out of a total of 40 questions. That score is then converted into your IELTS academic reading band score, which can include a .5 score like 5.5 or 6.5.
If your score ends in .25, it gets rounded up to the next half band. For example, a 6.25 score will be rounded to 6.5. If it ends in .75, it gets rounded to the nearest whole number. So a 6.75 score will be rounded to 7. If your score ends in .1, it gets rounded down to the nearest whole number. So a 6.1 score will become 6. Hope that clears things up!
- The candidate can receive a .5 score like 5.5 or 6.5;
- A ‘.25’ score will be raised to ‘.5’. for instance, a 6.25 score will be rounded to 6.5;
- A ‘.75’ score will be rounded to the nearest whole number like – 6.75 will be rounded to 7;
- A ‘.1’ IELTS academic reading score will be rounded to a score lesser like – 6.1 will become 6.
What is a Good Score in IELTS Reading?
| IELTS Reading Score | Proficiency Level |
|---|---|
| 8 | Very good |
| 7 | Good |
| 6 | Competent |
Here’s a table summarizing the IELTS band score descriptors for the reading section. A score of 8 means the candidate has a very good proficiency level, a score of 7 means they are a good user, and a score of 6 means they are a competent user. It’s important to note that what constitutes a “good” score depends on the admission cutoff for the university or program you’re interested in.
How is the IELTS Reading test marked?
| Reading Band Score | Academic Reading Marks | General Training Reading Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 15 out of 40 | 15 out of 40 |
| 6 | 23 out of 40 | 30 out of 40 |
| 7 | 30 out of 40 | 34 out of 40 |
| 8 | 35 out of 40 | 38 out of 40 |
Academic Reading:
- Band score 5 = 15 out of a raw score of 40
- Band score 6 = 23 out of a raw score of 40
- Band score 7 = 30 out of a raw score of 40
- Band score 8 = 35 out of a raw score of 40
General Training Reading:
- Band score 4 = 15 out of a raw score of 40
- Band score 5 = 23 out of a raw score of 40
- Band score 6 = 30 out of a raw score of 40
- Band score 7 = 34 out of a raw score of 40
- Band score 8 = 38 out of a raw score of 40
In the Reading test, you will be given 40 questions to answer. These questions can be in different formats, such as multiple choice, True/False/Not Given, matching, and sentence completion. For each question you answer correctly, you will receive one mark. The total number of marks you receive will determine your band score for the test.
The table shows the average number of marks you need to achieve a particular band score for Academic Reading and General Training Reading. For example, to get a band score of 6 in Academic Reading, you need to get an average of 23 marks out of 40. In General Training Reading, to get a band score of 8, you need to get an average of 38 marks out of 40.
Is IELTS General Reading easier than Academic?
| IELTS Reading Section | Difficulty Level | Evaluation Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| Academic | Challenging | Ideas, opinions, and comprehension |
| General Training | Easier | Various scoring methods |
Here’s a table summarizing the differences between the IELTS academic and general training reading sections. Test-takers have reported that the general training reading section is easier than the academic section, which is more challenging and evaluates the candidate’s ability to express ideas, opinions, and comprehension. The general reading score in IELTS can be calculated using various scoring methods, so it’s important to be familiar with the specific method used by the test you’ll be taking.
Is 6.25 considered as 6.5 in IELTS?
| Scoring Categories | Possible Scores |
|---|---|
| Whole numbers | 5.0, 6.0, 7.0 |
| Half numbers | 5.5, 6.5, 7.5 |
Here’s a table summarizing the two possible scoring categories for the IELTS test. Candidates can score in whole numbers, such as 5.0, 6.0, or 7.0, or they can score in half numbers, such as 5.5, 6.5, or 7.5. The overall band score is determined by averaging the scores achieved in each section of the test.
IELTS Academic Reading Score Conversion
| IELTS Academic Reading Score | Raw Score |
|---|---|
| 5 | 15 |
| 6 | 23 |
| 7 | 30 |
| 8 | 35 |
The above table shows the raw score required to achieve a specific IELTS academic reading score. Typically, a score of IELTS 6.5 or above is considered good for the academic category, while top universities prefer a score of 7 or above. To achieve this score, candidates must answer between 23 to 30 questions correctly.
IELTS Academic Reading Band Score Descriptors
| IELTS Academic Reading Band Score | Score Descriptors |
|---|---|
| Band Score 9 | Expert |
| Band Score 8 | Very Good |
| Band Score 7 | Good |
| Band Score 6 | Competent |
| Band Score 5 | Modest |
| Band Score 4 | Limited |
| Band Score 3 | Extremely Limited |
| Band Score 2 | Intermittent |
| Band Score 1 | Non-user |
| Band Score 0 | Did not attempt |
The table shows the IELTS Academic Reading Band Score descriptors, which describe the specific performance level for each score. A candidate scoring a Band Score 8 is considered to have a very good knowledge of English, while a Band Score 5 indicates modest English knowledge. A score of 6.5 falls between competent and good user. Top-ranking universities generally prefer a score of 7 and above, while an average IELTS reading band score in academic is 6.5 and above.
IELTS Academic Reading Band Score
| No. of Correct Answers | IELTS Academic Reading Band Score |
|---|---|
| 40 – 39 | 9 |
| 38 – 37 | 8.5 |
| 36 – 35 | 8 |
| 34 – 33 | 7.5 |
| 32 – 30 | 7 |
| 29 – 27 | 6.5 |
| 26 – 23 | 6 |
| 22 – 19 | 5.5 |
| 18 – 15 | 5 |
| 14 – 13 | 4.5 |
| 12 – 10 | 4 |
| 9 – 8 | 3.5 |
| 7 – 6 | 3 |
| 5 – 4 | 2.5 |
You can also Read:
The IELTS reading score is measured on a scale of 0 to 9 and is determined based on the number of correct answers given by the candidate. Scoring a band score of 9 requires answering all 40 questions correctly. The IELTS academic reading test is more challenging compared to the IELTS GT reading test, and each question carries one mark. A low reading score suggests that the candidate has low proficiency in English. The above table shows how the conversion from the number of correct answers to the IELTS academic reading band score is done.
