How to Improve Your IELTS Reading Score

Check which Reading test you take before you count anything. On average, 30 correct answers out of 40 is band 7 on Academic Reading. On General Training, it is band 6 source: ielts.org.

The steps below are our own advice, worked out from those averages. No plan can promise you a band or a date.

Start here: your test and your raw score

Use the averages for your own test. The two tests share one band scale, but they turn marks into bands differently.

A General Training test usually needs more correct answers for the same band. Academic passages may use more difficult vocabulary or a more complex style. The exact marks vary slightly from one test version to the next source: ielts.org.

Hover, tap or use the arrow keys to read values

30 correct answers is band 7 on Academic and band 6 on General Training. The other averages shift the same way.

Source: ielts.org, IELTS scoring in detail

Show the data

Reading: the same marks on Academic and General Training

Marks out of 40	Academic band	General Training band
35	8	7
30	7	6
23	6	5
15	5	4

So the numbers on this page are averages, not fixed cut-offs. IELTS Academic vs General Training explains how the two tests differ.

These are averages. The exact number varies a little between test versions. Between the pins there is no official figure.

Source: ielts.org, IELTS scoring in detail

Show the data

Academic Reading: average marks out of 40 for each band

Band	Average marks out of 40
8	35
7	30
6	23
5	15

These are averages. The exact number varies a little between test versions. Between the pins there is no official figure.

Source: ielts.org, IELTS scoring in detail

Show the data

General Training Reading: average marks out of 40 for each band

Band	Average marks out of 40
7	35
6	30
5	23
4	15

Next, find your raw score. Mark a full practice test strictly against its key. Then sort your lost marks by question type. IELTS Reading question types shows how, and links a guide for each type. The Reading band score converter turns your score into a band.

Each step below names the types to check first. Your own lost marks decide which guide you open.

Band 5 to band 6: keep the marks you have found

On Academic Reading, band 5 is about 15 correct answers out of 40, and band 6 is about 23. On General Training, band 5 is about 23 and band 6 is about 30 source: ielts.org.

So band 6 takes about eight more correct answers on Academic, and about seven more on General Training.

First check the answers you copy from the passage. Finding the right place in the passage does not win the mark on its own.

• You lose the mark if you write more than the word limit. A hyphenated word such as "check-in" counts as one word source: ielts.org.
• Copy words from the passage exactly, because a spelling mistake loses the mark source: Cambridge English.
• A blank answer gets no marks source: IDP.

So write an answer for every question. Count its words, and check each spelling against the passage. The example further down shows these marks lost.

These types can ask you to write words from the passage, and each guide covers its own method:

• Sentence completion
• Summary, note, table and flow chart completion
• Short-answer questions
• Diagram label completion

If you cannot do a question, leave it and go on to the next source: Cambridge English. Come back to it at the end, and guess if you still cannot find it. The band 7 to 8 step covers time for each passage.

IELTS Reading raw score to band score covers the marking rules for both tests.

Band 6 to band 7: match the meaning, not the word

On Academic Reading, band 6 is about 23 correct answers, and band 7 is about 30. On General Training, band 6 is about 30 and band 7 is about 35 source: ielts.org.

So band 7 takes about seven more correct answers on Academic, and about five more on General Training. Band 6 vs 6.5 vs 7 sets these gaps beside the other three skills.

The passage may use synonyms or paraphrase, so focus on the meaning, not the exact words source: IDP.

Circle the keywords in each question. Then think of synonyms that may appear in the passage source: British Council.

A word that appears in both the question and the passage is not proof of an answer. Check that the two say the same thing. These types depend most on that check:

• True, False, Not Given, on both tests, and Yes, No, Not Given, on Academic only. You decide whether the passage gives the information at all.
• Matching headings, where a heading can fit one sentence but not the whole paragraph.
• Matching information, where you scan for one detail without reading every line closely.

One passage, three marks to check

Here is a short passage written for this page, with three questions on it. Each answer can be lost in a different way.

The town library has run a repair café since 2019. Once a month, volunteers^{note 1} fix broken lamps, radios and bicycles for free. At first, most visitors were retired^{note 2} people. Now, about half are college students^{note 3}, and most of them come to learn how the repairs are done.

Complete the sentences. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage.

1. Repairs are carried out by ______.
2. When the café opened, most visitors were people who had ______.
3. Today, about half of the visitors are ______.

1. A spelling mistake loses the mark source: Cambridge English. The question says "carried out by" where the passage says "fix". Find the meaning first, then copy "volunteers" letter by letter.
2. Copy words accurately from the text source: Cambridge English. So the answer must be a word from the passage. The question rewords "retired people" as "people who had retired", but the word to copy is still "retired".
3. You lose the mark if you write more than the word limit source: ielts.org. "College students" is two words, so write only "students".

The reader of this passage found all three places in it. Each mark still depends on the last step: the spelling, the meaning and the word count.

Band 7 to band 8: keep time for the last passage

On Academic Reading, band 7 is about 30 correct answers, and band 8 is about 35 source: ielts.org.

So band 8 takes about five more correct answers on Academic. At band 8, you can miss only about five of the 40 questions.

On General Training, band 7 is about 35 correct answers source: ielts.org.

IELTS publishes no band 8 mark for General Training. Band 8 there takes more than about 35, but this page cannot give a number.

Spend about 20 minutes on each passage source: Cambridge English. The passages get harder as you go, so keep enough time for the last one source: IDP.

Do not read the whole passage again for each set of questions. Write only one answer where one is needed. If you write two, you get no mark, even if one is right source: Cambridge English.

At this level, look at each answer you lose and name the reason. A slow first passage, or a second answer added to be safe, can cost one of those five questions.

Some types can ask about views, links between facts or main ideas, as well as details. If you lose marks on them, these guides cover the method:

• Multiple choice
• Matching features
• Matching sentence endings (Academic only)

Where Reading fits in your overall band

Your overall band is the average of your four section bands, rounded to the nearest half band source: ielts.org. The band score calculator shows what a higher Reading band does to it. If another section is lower, How to get band 7 when you are stuck at 6.5 helps you find it. The Reading hub gathers every Reading guide.

Listening is the other test marked by counting answers. The Listening plan works through it in the same band steps.

The average marks for each band, the note that they vary by test version, the overall band rule and the lines on why the two tests differ come from ielts.org's IELTS scoring in detail page. The word limit and hyphen rules come from its Academic Reading format page. The time per passage, the spelling and copying rules and the advice on one answer and on moving on come from Cambridge English's IELTS Academic FAQs (an undated PDF). The British Council point comes from its Academic Reading page. The IDP points come from its Reading scores page, its Reading time article dated 26 June 2020 and its band 6 guide dated 30 June 2026. All were last checked on 3 October 2026. The passage and its questions were written for this page and are not from any test.

Frequently asked questions

How many more correct answers do I need for the next band?

On Academic Reading, you need about eight for band 5 to 6. It is about seven for 6 to 7, and five for 7 to 8. On General Training, about seven for band 5 to 6 and five for 6 to 7. These come from average marks, so treat them as a guide.

Is General Training Reading easier to score well on?

Not in marks. A General Training test usually needs more correct answers for the same band source: ielts.org.

Should I guess if I cannot find an answer?

Yes. A blank answer gets no marks source: IDP.

How long will it take to move up a band?

This plan cannot tell you, because it depends on where you start and how you study. For the time figures the owners do publish, see how long to prepare for IELTS.