IELTS · Articles · October 19, 2026 · 1 min read
How the IELTS overall band score is calculated
Your IELTS result has five numbers: a band from 0 to 9 for Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, and an overall band. The overall band is simply the average of the four, rounded to the nearest half band.
The rounding rule
Add the four bands and divide by four. Then round:
| Average ends in | Rounds to | Example |
|---|---|---|
| .00 or .125 | the whole band below | 6.125 → 6.0 |
| .25 or .375 | .5 | 6.25 → 6.5 |
| .5 or .625 | .5 | 6.625 → 6.5 |
| .75 or .875 | the next whole band | 6.75 → 7.0 |
So an average that ends in .25 goes up to .5, and one that ends in .75 goes up to the next whole band.
Two examples
- Listening 6.5, Reading 6.5, Writing 5.5, Speaking 6.0 → total 24.5, average 6.125 → overall 6.0.
- Listening 7.0, Reading 6.5, Writing 6.0, Speaking 6.5 → total 26.0, average 6.5 → overall 6.5.
What this means for your preparation
Half a band in one section can move your overall result. If three sections are steady, the cheapest gain is usually the weakest one, and for many learners that is Writing or Speaking, where the score depends on how you use the language rather than on right answers.