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IELTS Reading Band Score Calculator

Short answer: Your IELTS Reading band comes from how many of the 40 questions you answer correctly — there is no deduction for wrong answers. 30 correct is band 7.0, 27 correct is band 6.5, and 35 correct is band 8.0 on the Academic table below.

Reading band

30 of 40 correct

3 more correct answers would make it band 7.5

Correct answers

Out of 40. Wrong answers are not penalised, so count blanks as wrong.

040

IELTS Reading raw score to band score table

Every raw score out of 40 and the band it converts to. Generated from the same conversion used to mark a practice set on this site.

IELTS Reading raw score out of 40 converted to band score
Band score	Correct answers (of 40)	Marks in this band
9.0	39–40	2
8.5	37–38	2
8.0	35–36	2
7.5	33–34	2
7.0	30–32	3
6.5	27–29	3
6.0	23–26	4
5.5	19–22	4
5.0	15–18	4
4.5	11–14	4
4.0	7–10	4
3.5	0–6	7

General Training Reading raw score to band score

A separate, stricter conversion, because the General Training texts are easier. Band 7 needs 34 correct here against 30 on the Academic paper. Use the table for the module you actually booked.

IELTS General Training Reading raw score out of 40 converted to band score
Band score	Correct answers (of 40)	Academic equivalent
9.0	40	39–40
8.5	39	37–38
8.0	37–38	35–36
7.5	36	33–34
7.0	34–35	30–32
6.5	32–33	27–29
6.0	30–31	23–26
5.5	27–29	19–22
5.0	23–26	15–18
4.5	19–22	11–14
4.0	15–18	7–10
3.5	0–14	0–6

How the IELTS Reading band is worked out

IELTS Reading has 40 questions across three passages, and each correct answer is worth one mark. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so an unanswered question and a wrong guess score the same — always fill every gap.

The raw total is then converted to a band on a fixed table. The table below is generated directly from the same conversion the IELTSbiz grader uses to mark a real practice set, so what you see here is exactly what the app would award you.

The Academic and General Training papers use different conversions, because the GT texts are easier — so both tables are on this page rather than one table and a footnote. A GT candidate needs 34 correct for band 7 against 30 on the Academic paper. Use the table for the module you actually booked.

Worked examples

34 / 40 correct→Band 7.5

34 lands in the 33–34 band on the table. One more correct answer would not change it; two fewer would.

30 / 40 correct→Band 7.0

The most common band boundary candidates sit on. This is the score to know if 7.0 is your target — see the gap in the scenarios table.

23 / 40 correct→Band 6.0

Just over half correct. Reading is stricter than Listening in this range: the same 23 correct answers score higher on the Listening table.

The Reading raw score behind each target band

The Reading raw score behind each target band
Target Reading band	Raw score needed (of 40)	What this usually supports
Band 6.0	23 correct	Floor for many foundation and pathway courses, and some visa routes.
Band 6.5	27 correct	The most requested undergraduate cut-off worldwide.
Band 7.0	30 correct	Most postgraduate programmes; several professional registrations set 7.0 per skill.
Band 7.5	33 correct	Competitive postgraduate admission; some law and medicine programmes.
Band 8.0	35 correct	Immigration point-scoring, and the top of most university requirement tables.
Band 8.5	37 correct	Three or fewer wrong across 40 questions. Timing, not vocabulary, is what decides this one.

IELTS Reading scoring — common questions

How many correct answers do I need for band 7 in IELTS Reading?

30 out of 40 on the Academic Reading paper. 27 gives you band 6.5, so the 7.0 boundary costs about 3 extra correct answers — usually one question type, not a general improvement.

Is there a penalty for wrong answers in IELTS Reading?

No. Marks are only added, never deducted. A blank answer and a wrong answer score identically, so guessing costs you nothing and leaving a gap empty is a pure loss.

Is the General Training Reading conversion the same as Academic?

No, and the difference is large. General Training is stricter because the texts are easier: band 7 needs 34 correct out of 40 on GT against 30 on Academic, and band 8 needs 37 against 35. Both full tables are on this page — use the one for the module you booked.

Does spelling count in IELTS Reading?

Yes. A misspelled answer is marked wrong even when the meaning is clear, and the same applies to a wrong plural or a missing hyphen. This is the single most common source of lost Reading marks.

Can my Reading band be higher than my raw score suggests?

No. Reading is objectively marked — the raw total fully determines the band. Only the conversion table varies (Academic vs General Training), never the marking.