IELTS overall band calculator
Your overall IELTS band is the average of your four section bands, rounded to the nearest half band. An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band, and one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band.
Overall band: –
Examples from the official rule
| Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking | Average | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5 | 6.5 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 6.25 | 6.5 |
| 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.875 | 4.0 |
| 6.5 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 6.125 | 6.0 |
Source: IELTS scoring in detail (ielts.org). This calculator only does the arithmetic; it cannot predict your section bands.
Which section moves your overall band most?
Every section counts equally. One extra half band in any section adds 0.125 to your average, so if your average sits just below a rounding point (for example 6.125), half a band more in your weakest skill can lift the overall band by half a band. For many learners Writing is the lowest section, which is why it is often the quickest way up.