IELTSGeniusFind your start

What IELTS band do I need?

How is the IELTS overall band rounded? It is the average of your four bands rounded to the nearest half band.

Which skill is still to come?
Your other three bands

IELTS target 7.0 overall

Enter your three bands

Your result

Exact for the overall. Many rules also set a minimum for every skill: check yours in the requirements checker. Writing and Speaking guesses are not examiner scores.

Questions people ask

How is the IELTS overall band rounded?

It is the average of your four bands rounded to the nearest half band. An average of 6.25 rounds up to 6.5, 6.75 rounds up to 7.0, and 6.125 rounds down to 6.0.

I have 7, 7 and 6.5. What do I need in Writing for 7 overall?

6.5. The four bands would average 6.75, which rounds up to 7.0. A 6.0 would average 6.625 and round to 6.5.

Can a high overall make up for one low skill?

Not if your university or regulator also sets a minimum for each skill. Check every skill against its minimum, not just the overall.

What overall do I get with 6, 6, 6 and 6.5?

6.0. The average is 6.125, which rounds down to the nearest half band.

Keep going

How we work this out

What it does

Enter three skill bands and your overall target to see the lowest band your last skill needs, under the official rounding.

Any three IELTS skill bands from 0 to 9, an overall target and an optional minimum for every skill.

Method

  1. Your overall band is the average of the four skill bands, rounded to the nearest half band. An average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band and one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band.
  2. We try every possible band for the missing skill, from 0 to 9 in half bands, and keep the lowest that reaches your target and your per-skill minimum.
  3. For example, 7.0, 7.0 and 6.5 need 6.5 in the fourth skill for 7.0 overall: the average 6.75 rounds up to 7.0.

Published figures

How the overall band is rounded

Add the four bands and divide by four. Round to the nearest half band; an average ending in .25 rounds up to the next half band and one ending in .75 rounds up to the next whole band.

Worked examples (the first three are IELTS's own)
Listening, Reading, Writing, SpeakingAverageOverall
6.5, 6.5, 5.0, 7.06.256.5
4.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.03.8754.0
6.5, 6.5, 5.5, 6.06.1256.0
7.0, 7.0, 7.0, 6.56.8757.0
7.0, 6.5, 6.5, 6.56.6256.5

Sources

Checked .