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IELTS Scoring Criteria (Reading & Listening)

noman_pe

Full Member
Apr 11, 2017
21
6
Hello Pals!!!

I'm starting this thread to discuss about way IELTS bands are scored in Listening & Reading. Various websites state Rules for Number correct answers vs Bands like this:

Listening:
Band Score: 9.0 = 40-39
Band Score: 8.5 = 38-37
Band Score: 8.0 = 35-36
Band Score: 7.5 = 32-34
Band Score: 7.0 = 30-31
Band Score: 6.5 = 26-29
Band Score: 6.0 = 23-25
Band Score: 5.5 = 18-22

Academic Reading:
Band Score: 9.0 = 39-40
Band Score: 8.5 = 37-38
Band Score: 8.0 = 35-36
Band Score: 7.5 = 33-34
Band Score: 7.0 = 30-32
Band Score: 6.5 = 27-29
Band Score: 6.0 = 23-26
Band Score: 5.5 = 19-22

General Reading:
Band Score: 9.0 = 40
Band Score: 8.5 = 39
Band Score: 8.0 = 37-38
Band Score: 7.5 = 36
Band Score: 7.0 = 34-35
Band Score: 6.5 = 32-33
Band Score: 6.0 = 30-31
Band Score: 5.5 = 27-29
Band Score: 5.0 = 23-26
Band Score: 4.5 = 19-22

Personally, I have taken IELTS twice and in the recent one I found that Listening was way more difficult while, Reading was much easier (many test takers finished it in 45-50 min).

So the question arises: How IELTS takes into account change in difficulty level?

Like, if a test taker listens to easier audio than others on same day. Or for example, in a given test, 90% Candidates correctly answer 80% question whereas, in another test on same day only 50% correctly answer 80% questions due to more difficulty. Then how a particular number of correct answers is convertible to fixed Bands.

In GRE and other US testing systems, there's a system of percentile. If a question is so difficult that fewest answer it correctly then it's discarded or considered less significant than another question solved correctly by most. Is there a system like that in IELTS?

Need guidance from seniors members.

Thanks.
 

iamhammad

Hero Member
Oct 14, 2017
256
68
Thanks for raising this. Unfortunately there is no percentile system in IELTS listening and reading sections. Your bandscore clearly depends on the number of correct answers without any comparative element with the rest of the candidate pool.