SpeakMetry blog

IELTS, explained by how it is marked

Guides to all four papers, written from the official rules. Each one shows the marking with worked examples and gives you something to try.

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The test and scores

How IELTS Band Scores Are Calculated, Paper by Paper

The exact rounding rule for the overall band, the raw-score tables for Listening and Reading, and how Writing and Speaking criteria become a band.

Updated 23 October 20268 min read

Read the guide

The test and scores

How the test is laid out, how every band is worked out, and what changed when IELTS moved to computer.

All test and score guides

A quiet test centre booth: a computer monitor with a dark screen, a keyboard, a mouse and over-ear headphones on a white desk between two pale partitions

The test and scores

IELTS on Computer: What Changes and How to Practise for It

IELTS is now taken on computer almost everywhere. What the screen gives you, what changes in each paper, results in 1–2 days, and how to practise for it.

10 min read

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The test and scores

IELTS Test Format: Every Paper, Part and Minute

The four IELTS papers part by part: timings, question counts and types, Academic and General Training compared, computer delivery and results.

10 min read

Listening

Forty questions, one hearing. Where the marks go and how to hear the answers coming.

All Listening guides

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Listening

IELTS Listening: Seven Ways Marks Are Lost (Hear Each One)

The seven ways IELTS Listening answers are marked wrong, from corrected details to word limits, each with a short recording to try and how to hear it coming.

10 min read

Reading

Three passages in sixty minutes, and the question types that decide the band.

All Reading guides

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Reading

How to Finish IELTS Reading in 60 Minutes

A minute-by-minute plan for three passages and 40 questions: what to read first, skimming and scanning, matching headings, and what to do when stuck.

10 min read

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Reading

True, False or Not Given: An IELTS Reading Method That Works

What TRUE, FALSE and NOT GIVEN really mean, how to tell FALSE from NOT GIVEN, the traps that cost marks, and a passage to practise on.

10 min read

Writing

Both tasks, both modules, and how the four criteria are really applied.

All Writing guides

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Writing

IELTS General Training Letter: Formal, Semi-Formal and Informal

How to write the IELTS General Training Task 1 letter: choosing the tone, openings and closings, covering all three bullet points, and two sample letters.

10 min read

Writing

IELTS Writing Band Descriptors in Plain English

The four IELTS Writing criteria band by band in plain English, quoted from the official descriptors, with a Band 6 and a Band 7 paragraph side by side.

10 min read

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Writing

Writing Task 1 Academic: How to Describe Any Chart, Map or Process

How to write an IELTS Academic Task 1 report: the overview examiners look for, which features to select, a worked Band 8 example, and maps and processes.

10 min read

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Writing

The Six IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay Types, and How to Plan Each

The six IELTS Writing Task 2 question types, how to recognise each from its wording, a paragraph plan for every one, and a Band 8 essay with notes.

10 min read

Speaking

The three parts, what each band sounds like, and how to practise when no one is listening.

All Speaking guides

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Speaking

How to Practise IELTS Speaking on Your Own

A routine for practising IELTS Speaking with no partner: record and time each part, check it against the descriptors, and use AI feedback for what it measures.

9 min read

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Speaking

IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors in Plain English

What examiners listen for in fluency, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation at Bands 5 to 9, quoted from the official descriptors and put into plain English.

11 min read

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Speaking

IELTS Speaking Part 1: Common Questions and How to Answer Them

How IELTS Speaking Part 1 works, the six kinds of question the examiner asks, how long to answer, and real questions with Band 8 samples to hear and try.

9 min read

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Speaking

IELTS Speaking Part 2: The Cue Card, Minute by Minute

How the IELTS Speaking long turn works: one minute to prepare, up to two minutes to speak, a note-taking method, how to keep going, and samples at three bands.

9 min read

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Speaking

How to Get Band 7 in IELTS Speaking: What Changes From Band 6

What separates Band 6 from Band 7 in each IELTS Speaking criterion, a Band 6 and a Band 7 answer to the same question, and the Band 6 habits to fix first.

9 min read