IELTS Reading Band Score Calculator
Same 40 questions, different conversion: GT candidates need more correct answers than Academic candidates for the same band. Pick your module and check where you stand.
Academic Reading texts are harder, so the conversion is more generous per raw mark than General Training.
Band score
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What this tool does
The IELTS Reading Band Score Calculator converts raw Reading scores (out of 40) to bands using separate tables for each module: Academic Reading needs about 30 correct for Band 7 and 23 for Band 6, while General Training Reading — with its easier texts — needs about 34 for Band 7 and 30 for Band 6.
How to use the Reading Calculator
- 1Choose your module — Academic or General Training; the tables differ.
- 2Select your raw score out of 40 from a practice test.
- 3Read your band and note the next threshold.
- 4If you're switching modules, re-run your score — the same raw total can drop half a band moving to GT.
Why the two modules convert differently
Academic Reading uses denser, more abstract texts (journal-style passages), while General Training draws on everyday materials — notices, advertisements, workplace documents — before one longer passage. To keep bands comparable across modules, GT's easier questions demand more correct answers per band: Band 6 costs 23 raw marks in Academic but 30 in GT. Candidates switching from GT practice to Academic tests (or vice versa) routinely misread their readiness by ignoring this.
Where Reading marks actually go missing
Three culprits dominate: time (Passage 3 deserves a full 20 minutes; bank it by capping Passage 1), the True/False/Not Given trap (Not Given means the text doesn't say — candidates infer answers the text never states), and transfer errors, since answers must be on the answer sheet within the hour with correct spelling; there is no extra transfer time in Reading, unlike Listening on paper.
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Create a free accountFrequently asked questions
How many correct answers for Band 7 in Reading?
About 30 of 40 in Academic, but about 34 in General Training. The GT table is stricter throughout because its texts are easier — same band, more raw marks required.
Are Academic and GT Reading the same test?
No — different texts and different conversion tables, though the same 40-question, 60-minute format and largely the same question types. Listening, Speaking, and Writing Task 2 are shared; Reading and Writing Task 1 differ by module.
Is there extra time to transfer answers in Reading?
No — the 60 minutes includes transferring answers to the sheet (on paper) or entering them (on computer). Budget the final minutes for it; unmarked answers score zero regardless of what's written in the question booklet.
Which question types should I practise most?
Matching headings and True/False/Not Given cause the most dropped marks for most candidates — both punish reading for words instead of meaning. Time yourself by passage, not by test, to find whether your losses are skill or clock.
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