IELTS Listening score calculator

Type how many questions you answered correctly out of 40 and the calculator shows your IELTS Listening band straight away, plus how many more correct answers the next band usually needs. It uses the raw score to band table published by IELTS Australia (IDP). That table is an average, not an official fixed table: the exact cut-offs move slightly from one test version to another. It is free, works in your browser and needs no account.

IELTS Listening band score table (out of 40)

This is the full table the calculator uses. Find your number of correct answers on the left to see the band you would usually get.

The table is an average, not an official fixed table. IELTS explains that the number of marks needed for each band can vary slightly between test versions, because every version has different questions. A slightly harder version may need a mark less for the same band, an easier one a mark more. Use the result to judge your practice tests, not as a promise of your exam band. The published table stops at band 4, so the calculator shows scores under 11 as below band 4.

How IELTS Listening grading works

• 40 questions, 1 mark each. Your raw score is simply the number of correct answers, from 0 to 40.
• No penalty for wrong answers. A wrong answer and a blank both score zero, so always write your best guess.
• Spelling and grammar count. A misspelled word or a missing plural -s is a wrong answer, even if you understood it.
• Word limits count. If the question says NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS and you write three, the answer is wrong.
• Half bands exist. The raw score becomes a band from 1 to 9 in steps of 0.5, which is the number on your results.

IELTS Academic Listening score vs General Training

There is no separate IELTS Academic Listening score. Academic and General Training candidates take the same Listening test, so the same table and this calculator work for both. Only Reading is different: the two modules have different Reading papers and different conversion tables.

25 out of 40 and other common scores

• 25 out of 40

  Usually band 6. One more correct answer (26) usually gives 6.5.

• 29 out of 40

  Usually band 6.5, the top of that range. One more (30) usually gives band 7.

• 30 out of 40

  Usually band 7, the score many universities ask for.

• 32 out of 40

  Usually band 7.5. You can lose 8 marks and still reach it.

• 35 out of 40

  Usually band 8. Only 5 mistakes in the whole test.

Notice how close the bands are at the top. From 6 to 7 you need about 7 more correct answers, but from 7 to 8 only about 5. At high bands, a missing s or a misspelled street name can cost you half a band.

From your Listening band to your overall band

Your overall IELTS band is the average of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, 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. Our post on IELTS Listening band scores shows worked examples and how many mistakes you can afford for each target band.

How to raise your Listening score

1. Take a full practice test under real conditions (listen once only), then put your score into the calculator above.
2. Write down why you lost each mark: not heard, misheard, spelling, word limit or grammar.
3. Fix the spelling losses first. Our guide to spelling in IELTS Listening lists the words and patterns that cost the most marks.
4. Learn how each task works with our post on IELTS Listening question types, and follow a weekly IELTS study plan.
5. On the other days, do 10 minutes of dictation. The B2 level of our free English dictation practice has IELTS-style sentences with names, numbers and details.

Want a full course instead of single drills? Typeflu's IELTS course trains exactly this: you hear exam-style sentences, type them word by word and fix each mistake letter by letter. You can try it free, no card needed.

IELTS is a registered trademark of the British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Typeflu is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.

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