IELTS Compass
Preparing your study plan
IELTS Compass
Preparing your study plan
IELTS Guide
Your IELTS result is a band from 0 to 9 for each skill plus an overall band. Here's what every band means, how the overall score is calculated, and how to plan your target.
IELTS reports each of the four skills — Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking — on a nine-band scale from 0 (did not attempt) to 9 (expert user), in half-band increments. Your overall band score is the average of the four, rounded to the nearest whole or half band.
Quick example
Listening 7.5 + Reading 6.5 + Writing 7.0 + Speaking 6.5 = 27.5 ÷ 4 = 6.875, which rounds up to overall 7.0. Try the free IELTS band score calculator with your own scores.
There is no single “good” score — the right target depends on what the result is for. These are the benchmarks that actually matter, with what each one unlocks:
| Band | Label | What it unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | Competent user | Minimum for many undergraduate programs and some skilled-migration routes (Australia's “competent English”). Workable, but limited for academic writing. |
| 6.5 | The most common university requirement | Accepted by the majority of undergraduate and many postgraduate programs worldwide. Also the New Zealand skilled-residence benchmark. |
| 7.0 | Good user | The standard for competitive postgraduate programs and many professional registrations (nursing, teaching, law). In Canada, 7.0 in R/W/S plus 8.0 in Listening is the CLB 9 “8777” target. |
| 7.5 | Strong, competitive score | Required by medicine, dentistry, journalism and top-tier universities. Also earns near-maximum language points in Canada and Australia. |
| 8.0 | Very good user | Near-native command. Needed for medical registration in several countries and the most selective programs. Rarely required beyond that. |
The pattern to notice: 6.5 is the floor for most study routes, 7.0 is the floor for competitive study and many professions, and anything above 7.5 is usually a bonus rather than a requirement. Set your target from your destination, not from a round number.
These are the official skill-level descriptions. Most universities require an overall 6.5 or 7.0, with no skill below 6.0.
| Band | Label | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Expert user | Full operational command of the language. Appropriate, accurate and fluent. |
| 8 | Very good user | Fully operational with occasional unsystematic inaccuracies. Handles complex argumentation well. |
| 7 | Good user | Operational command with occasional inaccuracies. Generally handles complex language well. |
| 6 | Competent user | Generally effective command despite some inaccuracies. Can use fairly complex language. |
| 5 | Modest user | Partial command. Copes with overall meaning in most situations, though likely to make mistakes. |
| 4 | Limited user | Basic competence limited to familiar situations. Frequent problems in understanding. |
| 3 | Extremely limited user | Conveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar situations. |
| 2 | Intermittent user | No real communication possible except for the most basic information. |
| 1 | Non-user | Essentially has no ability to use the language beyond a few isolated words. |
| 0 | Did not attempt | No assessable information provided. |
| Skill | Format | Scoring method |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | 40 questions | Raw score → band via a conversion table that varies per test |
| Reading | 40 questions | Raw score → band; Academic and General Training use different tables |
| Writing | 2 tasks | Marked by examiners on Task Response, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource, Grammar |
| Speaking | 3 parts | Marked by examiners on Fluency, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range, Pronunciation |
Overall = (Listening + Reading + Writing + Speaking) ÷ 4, rounded to the nearest 0.5. A mean ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band; a mean ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band.
On paper the gap is one half-band. In practice it is the difference between “competent user” and “good user” — and it is the most common target jump in IELTS preparation.
6.5 gets you into the majority of undergraduate programs and many master's courses. 7.0 is required by competitive postgraduate programs, business schools and most courses in medicine, law and journalism. Some universities accept 6.5 overall but demand 7.0 in Writing or Speaking specifically.
In Canada, the conversion is per-skill, not overall: CLB 9 (the target most Express Entry applicants aim for) needs 8.0 in Listening and 7.0 in Reading, Writing and Speaking — the “8777”. In Australia, the points thresholds are 6.0, 7.0 and 8.0 in all four skills, so a 6.5 overall earns no extra points over 6.0. New Zealand's skilled-residence route asks for 6.5 overall.
For most learners the jump comes from one skill. Writing is the hardest half-band to gain because examiners reward structure and task response, not just grammar — you need feedback, not more essays. Speaking usually improves fastest with recorded practice and a fluency routine. Listening and Reading respond to volume: roughly 4–6 more correct answers in Listening, or 3–5 in Academic Reading, moves you up half a band.
The free 30-day study plan is designed around this exact jump: it schedules four full mock exams so you can measure your band every week, and it targets your weakest skill with daily drills.
Listening and Reading have no examiner descriptors — they are marked objectively out of 40, and the raw score is converted to a band. What changes between bands is simply how many questions you answer correctly. Use the raw-score tables to see exactly how many marks each band needs.
Writing is marked by examiners against four criteria. These are the official public descriptors for Task 2, condensed:
| Band | Task Response | Coherence & Cohesion | Lexical Resource | Grammatical Range & Accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 6 | Addresses all parts, though some may be more fully covered; position is clear | Logically organised with some progression; cohesive devices not always used appropriately | Adequate range for the task; some errors in word choice | Mix of simple and complex sentences; errors occur but meaning is generally clear |
| Band 7 | Addresses all parts; clear position throughout; main ideas extended and supported | Logically organised with clear progression; cohesive devices used appropriately | Sufficient range; some less common vocabulary with awareness of style; occasional errors | Variety of complex structures; frequent error-free sentences |
| Band 8 | Well-developed response with a clear position; main ideas extended and supported | Skilfully manages paragraphing; cohesion attracts no attention | Wide range of vocabulary used fluently and flexibly; skilful use of uncommon words | Wide range of structures; majority of sentences are error-free |
Notice what moves you from 6 to 7: clear position throughout, main ideas extended and supported, and cohesive devices used appropriately. It is structure and development, not fancy vocabulary. Our Writing Task 2 templates build exactly these patterns.
Speaking is marked live by an examiner on four criteria. The condensed public descriptors:
| Band | Fluency & Coherence | Lexical Resource | Grammatical Range & Accuracy | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 6 | Willing to speak at length, though may lose coherence at times; some repetition | Adequate range for familiar and unfamiliar topics; some paraphrase | Mix of simple and complex structures; errors with complex forms | Generally understood; some mispronunciation |
| Band 7 | Speaks at length without noticeable effort; occasional hesitation and self-correction | Some less common and idiomatic vocabulary with awareness of style | Range of complex structures with some flexibility; frequent error-free sentences | Easy to understand throughout; first-language accent has minimal effect |
| Band 8 | Speaks fluently with only occasional repetition or self-correction; hesitation is content-related | Wide vocabulary resource used readily and flexibly | Wide range of structures used flexibly; mostly error-free sentences | Easy to understand; uses a range of pronunciation features with mixed control |
The 6-to-7 jump in Speaking is mostly fluency: speaking at length without noticeable effort, with only occasional hesitation. That is a trainable habit — record yourself daily, and aim for answers that flow without long pauses.
Work backwards from your target. If you need an overall 7.0, aim for 7.0 in at least two skills and 6.5 in the others — that averages to 6.75, which rounds up to 7.0. Your weakest skill is usually the cheapest to improve: Writing and Speaking respond fast to structured practice, while Listening and Reading improve with volume.
The free 30-day study plan is built exactly for this: it schedules four full mock exams so you can measure your band every week, and targets your weakest skill with daily drills.
It depends on what the score is for. For most university programs, 6.5 overall is the entry point and 7.0 is the safe target. For skilled migration, the benchmark varies by country — Canada converts to CLB levels, Australia rewards 7.0 and 8.0 all-bands scores with extra points, and New Zealand asks for 6.5 overall. A 'good' score is one that clears your specific requirement with a little margin.
Yes, for most purposes. 6.5 is the most common university requirement worldwide and meets New Zealand's skilled-residence standard. It is not enough for competitive postgraduate programs, medicine or law, which typically ask for 7.0–7.5, and it sits below the CLB 9 target most successful Canada Express Entry applicants aim for.
With focused daily practice, most learners close a half-band gap in 4–8 weeks. The jump usually comes from fixing one skill — Writing is the hardest half-band to gain because it needs examiner-style feedback, not just more practice. Our free 30-day plan is built for exactly this: 141 tasks with four full mock exams to measure progress weekly.
No. Universities require the Academic module — General Training is for immigration, work and secondary education. The Listening and Speaking papers are identical in both, but Reading and Writing Task 1 differ, so a GT score cannot be substituted for an Academic one.
Band 9 (expert user) is the maximum. It is rare — most test-takers score between 5.5 and 7.5. Band 8.0 is already considered a very strong, near-native result, and very few institutions or immigration programs ask for more.
141 pre-planned tasks across all five IELTS skills — your first study session is ready the moment you sign up.
Free 30-day plan · No credit card required