IELTS Listening Band Score Calculator (with Conversion Table)

Did a practice test and want to know what band you would get? Enter your raw score below, out of 40, to see your estimated IELTS Listening band.

How IELTS Listening is scored

The IELTS Listening test has 40 questions, split across four parts. Each correct answer gets one mark, and there is no penalty for wrong answers. Your total out of 40 is called your raw score, and it is converted into a band score from 0 to 9.

The Listening test is the same for Academic and General Training, so this conversion applies to both.

IELTS Listening band score conversion table

Correct answers (out of 40)	Band score
39–40	9
37–38	8.5
35–36	8
32–34	7.5
30–31	7
26–29	6.5
23–25	6
18–22	5.5
16–17	5
13–15	4.5
10–12	4

This is the commonly published conversion. IELTS adjusts it slightly between test versions to keep the difficulty fair, so treat any result as an estimate rather than a guarantee.

How many answers do you need?

• Band 6: about 23 correct answers
• Band 6.5: about 26 correct answers
• Band 7: about 30 correct answers
• Band 7.5: about 32 correct answers
• Band 8: about 35 correct answers

Look at the gap between band 6.5 and band 7: you need only four more correct answers. For most candidates, those four marks are not lost on difficult academic vocabulary. They are lost on small mistakes: a misspelled word, a missing plural, a number written wrongly, or an answer that breaks the word limit.

Where most marks are lost

1. Spelling

A correctly heard word that is misspelled is marked wrong. Both British and American spelling are accepted, but the word must be spelled correctly. See our guide to common spelling mistakes in IELTS Listening.

2. Numbers, dates and times

Part 1 is full of prices, dates, times and reference numbers. Writing numbers as digits is faster and safer. Read how to write numbers, dates and times in IELTS Listening, then practise with our numbers, dates and times drill.

3. Distractors

Speakers often give one answer, then correct themselves. If you write the first thing you hear, you lose the mark. Learn the patterns in our guide to IELTS Listening distractors.

4. Word limits

If the instructions say ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER, an answer with two words is wrong, even if it contains the right word. Always check the instructions before each set of questions.

How to raise your score quickly

The fastest way to gain those last few marks is to train your ear to catch every word, not just the general meaning. Dictation is ideal for this: you listen to a sentence, write it down exactly, and compare it with the correct version. Every mistake shows you a pattern you can fix.

You can practise this for free with our IELTS Listening practice exercises, which cover all four parts of the test and show you exactly which words you missed.