IELTS Band Scores — Scoring System Explained

Understand the IELTS 0-9 band score system used by universities and immigration authorities worldwide. Learn what each band level means, how overall scores are calculated, and what bands are required for your goals.

Band Score Scale

IELTS scores range from 0 (non-user) to 9 (expert user) in 0.5 increments. Band 9 indicates complete command of English, while Band 7 represents a good user who handles complex language well with occasional inaccuracies.

How Overall Scores Are Calculated

Your overall band score is the average of your four individual skill scores (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking), rounded to the nearest whole or half band. For example, scores of 7.0, 6.5, 6.0, and 7.0 average to 6.625, which rounds to 6.5.

University Requirements

Most universities require an overall band of 6.0-7.0 for undergraduate admission and 6.5-7.5 for postgraduate programs. Top universities like Oxford and Cambridge typically require 7.0+ with no band below 6.5.

Immigration Band Requirements

Immigration programs have specific band requirements. For example, Canadian Express Entry requires a minimum of CLB 7 (IELTS 6.0 in each skill), while Australian skilled migration requires at least 6.0 overall.

Universities and Countries by Band

Jump to the tier list and the top destination countries for each IELTS band score.

Try our IELTS score calculators