Free tool
IELTS Reading Band Score Converter
Set your number of correct answers out of 40, choose Academic or General Training, and see the band it converts to, based on the average marks IELTS publishes for each band.
Drag to your number of correct answers out of 40. The band updates as you go.
Academic Reading band
7.0
30 out of 40 is the average IELTS publishes for band 7 in Academic Reading. 5 more marks reach the band 8 average.
- Correct answers
- 30 / 40
- Next published average
- Band 8 at 35
- Marks to reach it
- 5
How a Reading raw score becomes a band
Both Reading papers have 40 questions worth one mark each, with no penalty for a wrong answer. Your total is converted to a band on the 0 to 9 scale, and Academic and General Training use different conversions. IELTS publishes the average marks for several whole bands rather than a full table:
| Band score | Marks out of 40 |
|---|---|
| 8 | 35 |
| 7 | 30 |
| 6 | 23 |
| 5 | 15 |
| Band score | Marks out of 40 |
|---|---|
| 7 | 35 |
| 6 | 30 |
| 5 | 23 |
| 4 | 15 |
At every published average, the same raw score sits one band lower on General Training. IELTS says this is because Academic texts may carry more difficult vocabulary and greater complexity of style, so more questions must usually be answered correctly on General Training to secure the same band.
These figures come from the scoring guidance IELTS publishes on ielts.org, last checked September 2026. If that guidance changes, this tool changes with it. For the full explanation, read IELTS Reading raw score to band score.
Why the result is a range, not a half band
The averages above are not fixed cut-offs. IELTS sets the boundaries for each test version so that the band, not the raw score, stays constant across papers of slightly different difficulty, and it says directly that the precise marks needed vary from version to version. A raw score of 27 on Academic sits between the band 6 and band 7 averages, so it converts to band 6 or 6.5 depending on where that boundary fell on that version. Full half-band tables you see elsewhere usually come from individual practice test books and apply to that one test. This tool shows what IELTS publishes and no more.
Once you have a Reading band, it joins Listening, Writing and Speaking in a straight average. Try any combination in the band score calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Is 30 out of 40 a band 7 in Reading?
On Academic Reading, 30 marks is the average IELTS publishes for band 7. On General Training Reading the same 30 marks is the band 6 average, and band 7 needs around 35. Always convert with the table for the test you sat.
Why does General Training need more correct answers?
The two papers use different texts. Academic passages tend to carry harder vocabulary and more complex style, so IELTS sets the General Training boundaries higher to keep a band 7 meaning the same reading ability on either paper.
Why does the tool say "possibly 6.5" instead of giving a half band?
IELTS publishes only whole-band averages, and says the exact marks needed vary slightly from one test version to the next. A raw score between two averages can land on either the lower band or the half band above it, so the tool shows both rather than inventing a boundary.
Can I get band 8 on General Training Reading?
The band scale runs to 9 on both papers. IELTS simply publishes no General Training average for band 8, so this tool stops at "band 7 or higher" once you pass the band 7 average of 35 marks.
See your Reading band before test day
A converter tells you what a raw score is worth. A practice test tells you what your raw score is. Sit a timed Reading test and convert the result while it is fresh.