IELTS Scoring System

Herman Felani, M.A.

The 9 band of IELTS

9. Expert User - native speaker level of the language.

8. Very Good User - excellent command of the language, a few mistakes only

7. Good User - handles language well, some inaccuracies, communicates adequately

6. Competent User - reasonable control of the language, difficulties with unfamiliar

5. Modest User - adequate in own area, difficulties with complex structures

4. Limited User - adequate only in familiar areas, difficulty understanding expression

3. Very Limited User - problems communicating, limited communication abilities

2. Intermittent User - many difficulties, basic information only

1. Non User - understands a few isolated words only

Overall Band Score

• Overall Band Scores are reported to the nearest whole or half band.

• For the avoidance of doubt, the following rounding convention applies;

• if the average across the four skills ends in .25, it is rounded up to the next half band (.5),

• and if it ends in .75, it is rounded up to the next whole band. e.g. 6.75 7

• Thus, a candidate achieving 6.5 for Listening, 6.5 for Reading, 5.0 for Writing and 7.0 for Speaking would be awarded an Overall Band Score of 6.5 (25 ÷ 4 = 6.25 = Band 6.5).

• Likewise, a candidate achieving 4.0 for Listening, 3.5 for Reading, 4.0 for Writing and 4.0 for Speaking would be awarded an Overall Band Score of 4.0 (15.5 ÷ 4 = 3.875 = Band 4.0).

• On the other hand, a candidate achieving 6.5 for Listening, 6.5 for Reading, 5.5 for Writing and 6.0 for Speaking would be awarded band 6 (24.5 ÷ 4 = 6.125 = Band 6).

• Click here to see a comparison of IELTS scores with other exams.

• Or here

TOEIC TOEFLPaper

TOEFLIBT

IELTS

0 - 2500 - 310 0 - 8 0 - 1310 - 343 9 - 18 1 - 1.5

255 - 400347 - 393 19 - 29 2 - 2.5

397 - 433 30 - 40 3 - 3.5

405 - 600437 - 473 41 - 52 4

477 - 510 53 - 64 4.5 - 5

605 - 780513 - 547 65 - 78 5.5 - 6

550 - 587 79 - 95 6.5 - 7

785 - 990 590 - 677 96 - 120 7.5 - 9

Top Score Top Score Top Score Top Score

990 677 120 9

-

Band Score

98.5

8 7.5 7 6.5 6 5.5 5 4.5 4 3.5 3 2.5

Score / 40

39-40

37-38

35-36

32-34

30-31

26-29

23-25

18-22

16-17

13-15

10-12

8-10

6-7 4-5

IELTS Listening marking schemesFor the listening test, which contains 40 questions, the approximate band scores can be calculated using this table.

-

Band Score

9 8.5 8 7.5 7 6.5 6 5.5 5 4.5 4 3.5 3 2.5

Score / 40

39-40

37-38

35-36

33-34

30-32

27-29

23-26

19-22

15-18

13-14

10-12

8-9 6-7 4-5

IELTS Academic Reading marking schemesFor the academic reading test, which also contains 40 questions, but is more difficult, the approximate band scores can be calculated using this table.

The table

Number of Correct Answers Score

20 5.525 628 6.530 733 7.535 838 8.540 9

IELTS Writing marking schemes

The two writing questions are marked out of 9 according to the following criteria: • Task Achievement• Coherence and Cohesion • Lexical Resource • Grammatical Range and

Accuracy

Click here to see the full writing band descriptors for IELTS.

IELTS Speaking marking schemes

The speaking test is also marked out of 9 according to the following criteria: • Fluency and coherence• Lexical resource• Grammatical range and accuracy• Pronunciation

• In writing Module total score for Report writing is 3.6 and for Essay writing is 5.4. This score depends on your ability to write a report and an essay.

• Similarly, speaking module covers total of 9 score. You will never get the score of speaking in decimal.

4 criteria of writing

Task response How well you answer the question

Coherence and cohesion How well your writing links together

Lexical resource How good your vocabulary is

Grammatical range and accuracy

How good your grammar is

IELTS writing – coherence and cohesion explained

Paragraphs• Paragraphs need to have a clear,

central topic and be used logically. If your writing does not have paragraphs or the paragraphs are confusing, your coherence score will be no more than 5.

coherence and cohesion explained

• Common mistake: candidates do not develop their paragraphs and put together a series of unrelated points. One reason they do this is that they forget it is a language exam and not a knowledge exam. They select their best ideas and not the ideas that are easiest to write about.

coherence and cohesion explained

• Solution: Make sure that each paragraph is about one idea. In the planning stage make sure you have enough to say about an idea before you start writing about it. This means that you may choose the ideas that are easiest to write about and not the ones that are the most intelligent.

• Another solution is to think of reasons and examples for each of your main points. Many candidates forget to use examples. This is a mistake because examples are often easier to write about than reasons.

Logical organisation of essay

• There needs to be a clear progression of ideas throughout the essay. This means that your paragraphs need to link in to each other.

• Common mistake: There is no overall plan for the essay and the paragraphs do not link in to each other.

• Solution: One solution is to make sure you state your position clearly in the introduction paragraph and make sure that each following paragraph links to that. Another solution is to focus on the first sentence in each paragraph and state clearly what the purpose of that paragraph is.

Cohesive devices need to be used well

• This means that you need to link the parts of your sentences and your sentences together.

• Common mistake: to overuse linking words such as “so” “furthermore” “moreover”. It is not enough to use linking words, you need to use linking words correctly.

• Solution: Learn to use a range of linking words and phrases, not just a few. Also learn to do the simple things well; some of the best linking words are the simplest. “This” and other pronouns are excellent ways to link your writing together.

Punctuation

• This one might surprise you. However, if you do not learn to use punctuation, your writing will soon become incoherent as you will not be writing sentences. This can mean that your band score here will be no more than 5.

IELTS writing – grammatical range and accuracy explained

• Accuracy of grammar• Accuracy is not a simple idea and it can be though about in 2

ways.• How many mistakes• One key here is to understand that examiners look at how

many error free sentences you write. For example, to get band 7, you need to be able to write “frequent” error free sentences. This means that basic grammar such as articles which you need for every sentence is very important.

• What kind of mistakes• Not all mistakes are equal. The basic rule is that you need to

be more accurate with simple grammar than complex grammar. For example, to get band 5 in the writing, you need to attempt more complex structures, but these do not have to be as accurate as simple structures.

Range of grammar

• This is as important as accuracy. It is important to use not just a range of structures but also to use more complex structures too. It is important to understand that this grammar is not just about tenses, but also about how you organise your sentences.

• Two suggestions for more complex grammar:

• If clauses are very useful for explaining and giving examples

• Relative clauses (who/that/which/when etc.) will also impress the examiner and are a good example of more complex grammar.

Speaking GradingFluency and coherence How fluently you speak and how well

you link your ideas  together

Pronunciation How accurate your pronunciation is

Lexical resource How accurate and varied your vocabulary is

Grammatical range and accuracy

How accurate and varied your grammar is

Fluency and coherence

Fluency is a combination:• speed of speech• length of answer• pausing correctly

Coherence is the ability to:• expand your answers• answer the questions directly• add relevant detail to explain or illustrate your

answers• connect your sentences by using tenses and

connectors

Common mistakes

• You should note that very fast or very long answers are not necessarily good, as you may be penalised for poor pronunciation or lack of coherence. In the speaking the main point is that you are able to express yourself clearly.

• Another common mistake is to not answer the question. This is where you will be penalised.

Pronunciation

• The main point here is that your pronunciation is easy to understand and whether your are able to make your meaning clear.

Features of good pronunciation include:• basic word pronunciation• linked speech sounds• correct sentence stress• correct use of intonation (rising and falling)• You should note that there is no need to have

a “British” or “American” accent.

Lexical Resource (Vocabulary)

• Once again the key concept  here is clarity: do you have enough words to express yourself clearly? This is judged by your ability to:

• have enough vocabulary to discuss a range of topics

• to use vocabulary accurately• be able to explain yourself when

you do not have the right word

Common Mistake

• A common mistake here is to use long words without really knowing what they mean.