IELTS Reading Band Score

Ann Smith

2 min read

Updated On Dec 14, 2021

Recent IELTS Reading Test with Answers - Free PDF

IELTS Reading test will comprise 40 questions and will be conducted for a duration of 60 minutes.

In IELTS Academic, there will be three long passages with increasing difficulty.

In IELTS General, you will have several short passages and one long passage. The passage 1 will contain a text on everyday lives in an English Speaking environment and passage 2 will be related to work. Passage 3 will be a tad complex than the other two.

IELTS Reading Band score

The IELTS Reading test contains 40 questions where each correct answer will be awarded one mark and there is no negative marking for incorrect answers. During the marking process, your total Reading test score out of 40, will be converted to the IELTS 9-band scale.

The Academic and General Training Reading tests are graded differently. You can practice the Reading sample tests to get an idea of the marks you could get in your exam.

The number of correct answers will determine your score out of 40, then the percentage value can show how much it’ll finally be on a 9-band scale.

Chart for IELTS Academic Reading Band Score (or) IELTS Academic Reading Band Descriptors

Correct Answers	Band scores
40-39	9
38-37	8.5
36-35	8
34-33	7.5
32-30	7
29-27	6.5
26-23	6
22-19	5.5
18-15	5
14-13	4.5
12-10	4
9-8	3.5
7-6	3
5-4	2.5

Chart for IELTS General Reading Band Score (or) IELTS General Reading Band Descriptors

Correct Answers	Band scores
40	9
39	8.5
38-37	8
36	7.5
34-35	7
32-33	6.5
30-31	6
27-29	5.5
23-26	5
19-22	4.5
15-18	4
12-14	3.5
9-11	3
6-8	2.5

Why is the IELTS Academic Reading graded differently from IELTS General Reading?

Reading band score for Academic is graded differently owing to the complexity of Academic Reading passages.

Why are Academic Reading passages more complex than General Reading?

IELTS Academic is mainly for students who want to pursue graduate or postgraduate studies in a foreign country. So the content chosen for Reading passages are heavy academic topics. These may not be related to day-to-day life in an English-speaking country.

In contrast, IELTS General is for working professionals who want to migrate to a foreign country for various reasons. So the intent is to test their ability to deal with day-to-day problems in an English-speaking country. The passages are also chosen accordingly. They are mainly extracted from newspapers and magazines and are quite easy to read and understand.

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