Be in the Know: IELTS Rating System

An important thing that test takers should know when taking any exam is how they are graded. The International English Language Test System is quite straight-forward – you get a mark per subtest, and then you average the four scores.

Here is a detailed description of how you are scored in the IELTS. All conversion tables are from http://www.examenglish.com.

1.       Listening Subtest

The Listening exam for both Academic and General Training are the same. Essentially, you answer a 40-item test and whatever your raw score is will be transmuted to your band score.

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	32-34	30-31	26-29	23-25	18-22	16-17	13-15	10-12	8-10	6-7	4-5

2.       Reading Subtest

The Reading subtest can be in the academic or the general training module. Although content-wise GT Reading is easier, the band score conversion is different. Essentially, you need a higher raw score in GT reading than in academic reading.

GT Reading Band Score Conversion

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	40	39	37-38	36	34-35	32-33	30-31	27-29	23-26	19-22	15-18	12-14	9-11	6-8

Academic Reading Band Score Conversion

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

3.       Writing Subtest

Examiners consider four components to grade your Writing band score. Each component contributes a fourth (1/4) of your score.

·         Task Achievement or Task Response: This is all about how you answer the question given. The content of what you have written is examined.

·         Coherence and Cohesion: This is about the organization of your article. Also, the flow of one idea to another and the relationship of those ideas count. That is why transition words are important.

·         Lexical Resource: This is all about the use of words – whether it is varying and appropriate.

·         Grammatical Range and Accuracy: This component looks into the variations of Grammatical structures used and the precision of use.  

4.       Speaking Subtest

Just like the Writing subtest, the Speaking exam considers four components for your score.

·         Fluency and Coherence: This component looks into the flow of ideas as well as the speaker’s ability to speak continuously in English.

·         Lexical Resource.

·         Grammatical Range and Accuracy.

·         Pronunciation. This is all about the clarity of the speech as well as the way words are produced.

Knowing the way the IELTS is graded is important for any test-taker prepping for the exam.

Good luck!