Calculate your IELTS overall band score

Pick the band you got in each of the four sections — the overall score is rounded exactly the way IELTS rounds it.
Formula: (L + R + W + S) ÷ 4 → nearest half band
Enter your band scores
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How is the IELTS overall band score calculated?

Overall band = (Listening + Reading + Writing + Speaking) ÷ 4, rounded to the nearest half band

The official rounding rules:

  • Each section is reported from 0 to 9 in half bands, and all four count equally.
  • An average ending in .25 is rounded up to the next half band: 6.25 → 6.5.
  • An average ending in .75 is rounded up to the next whole band: 3.75 → 4.0.
  • Any other average goes to the nearest half band: 6.125 → 6.0, and 6.375 → 6.5.

Worked examples:

  • L 6.5 · R 6.5 · W 5.0 · S 7.0 → average 6.25 → overall 6.5
  • L 4.0 · R 3.5 · W 4.0 · S 4.0 → average 3.875 → overall 4.0
  • L 6.5 · R 6.5 · W 5.5 · S 6.0 → average 6.125 → overall 6.0

What each band means

The IELTS band descriptors. A half band sits between two of these.

9 Expert user Has fully operational command of the language: appropriate, accurate and fluent with complete understanding.
8 Very good user Has fully operational command with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriate usage.
7 Good user Has operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies and misunderstandings in some situations.
6 Competent user Has generally effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and misunderstandings.
5 Modest user Has partial command of the language and copes with overall meaning in most situations, though is likely to make many mistakes.
4 Limited user Basic competence is limited to familiar situations, with frequent problems in understanding and expression.
3 Extremely limited user Conveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar situations.
2 Intermittent user Has great difficulty understanding spoken and written English.
1 Non-user Has no ability to use the language beyond possibly a few isolated words.
0 Did not attempt the test No assessable information was provided.

The calculator applies the official rounding rules to the four band scores you enter. Your own bands come from your Test Report Form — this tool does not convert raw marks into bands or predict a result.

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