Free tool
IELTS Target Band Gap Calculator
Set your four current section bands and the overall band you are aiming for. The calculator shows the total your four scores need to reach and how far you are from it. It also shows one way to close the gap, starting with your weakest section.
Set your four current scores and the overall you need. The gap updates as you go.
Gap to 7.0
3.0
Your four scores add up to 24.0 and give an overall 6.0. An overall 7.0 needs a total of at least 27.0, an average of 6.75 or more, which rounds up. That leaves 3.0 to gain across the four sections, in any combination.
One way to close it, raising your weakest section first:
- +1.0 in Listening, 6.0 to 7.0Listening guides
- +1.0 in Reading, 6.0 to 7.0Reading guides
- +0.5 in Writing, 6.0 to 6.5Writing guides
- +0.5 in Speaking, 6.0 to 6.5Speaking guides
- Current overall
- 6.0
- Sum of four now
- 24.0
- Sum needed for 7.0
- 27.0
How the gap is worked out
Your overall band is the average of the four section bands, rounded to the nearest half band. An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band. One ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band.
Because .25 rounds up, an overall of 7.0 does not need an average of 7.0. An average of 6.75 is enough, and four scores that add up to 27.0 give exactly that. The rule is the same at every target: the four scores must total at least four times the target, minus one.
| Target overall | Lowest average that rounds to it | Sum of four needed |
|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | 5.75 | 23.0 |
| 6.5 | 6.25 | 25.0 |
| 7.0 | 6.75 | 27.0 |
| 7.5 | 7.25 | 29.0 |
| 8.0 | 7.75 | 31.0 |
The gap is simply the difference between that total and what your four scores add up to now. You can close it in any combination, which is why the tool shows the total first and one worked plan second. To see how any particular set of four scores rounds, use the band score calculator.
Where to spend the effort
The plan raises your weakest section first, half a band at a time. That is because a low score usually has the most room to improve and the easiest causes to fix. If one section lags the other three, the whole plan lands on it, as a single full band in Writing, say.
If all four sit at the same level, the plan spreads the gap evenly. Half a band in each of two sections is a smaller ask than a full band in one.
Which section is really the easiest to raise depends on you, not on the arithmetic. Listening and Reading are marked against a fixed answer key. So mechanical errors (spelling, word limits, transfer slips) can be worth a half band on their own.
Writing and Speaking are marked by examiners against four criteria each. The Writing criteria and Speaking criteria guides explain what moves a score between bands there. A practice test scored by section tells you which of the four is actually holding you back.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need every section at 7.0 for an overall 7.0?
No. The overall is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band. A 6.5 in one section is therefore covered by a 7.5 in another. Four scores of 7.0, 7.0, 7.5 and 6.5 add up to 28.0 and give an overall 7.0.
Can one weak section stop me reaching my target?
It can. A 5.5 needs to be balanced by higher scores elsewhere, and if the other three are already near their ceiling the arithmetic runs out. This is also why the plan raises your weakest section first: half a band there is usually the cheapest half band to find.
Why is an average of 6.75 enough for an overall 7.0?
Because of the rounding rule. An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band. One ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band. So an average of 6.75 is reported as an overall 7.0. That is why the required total is one band point short of four times the target.
Does my university only look at the overall?
Often not. Many institutions and visa routes set a minimum for each section as well as an overall, for example 7.0 overall with no section below 6.5. Check the exact requirement, and treat this tool as the arithmetic for the overall part of it. The visa score requirements tool lists what government routes ask for.
Find out which section is the gap
This calculator works from the scores you give it. A practice test gives you real ones, section by section, so the plan starts from where you actually are.