Many students want to get an idea of what their scores might be like before they actually sit for the ielts exam. Doing so can give you an idea of whether or not you are sufficiently prepared for the ielts exam.
What Is An Overall Band Score?
The IELTS exam results are graded from 1 – 9, with 1 being the lowest score you can get and 9 the highest(for an expert user). Each component of the test – Writing, Speaking, Reading and Listening – is given an individual score, so your overall exam result will be made up of a score for each component and an overall band score. The overall band score is the average of the four individual scores.
In cases where the test takers average of the four individual component scores ends in 0.25 Or 0.75 then the overall IELTS score will be rounded off to the nearest half band.
How Is The IELTS Reading and Listening Band Score Calculated?
Once your raw test scores out of 40 have been determined you will be graded according to the IELTS band scores ranging from 0 to 9. With each raw score corresponding to a particular IELTS band score. Your original score out of 40 will be converted using the following band score calculator conversion tables.
It is also important to note that the scoring format is different for the academic and general training tests as there is a difference of one band.
IELTS test takers have to score a greater number of correct answers in the General training reading test than in the academic reading test, to obtain a similar score someone scoring 30 in the general training reading test would be a band 6 level, but if a student got 30 in the more difficult Academic reading test they would be a band 7.
How Can I Estimate My IELTS Band Score?
It is really difficult for second language learners to correctly estimate their band scores for speaking and writing since they do not possess the training or skills to understand the band descriptor requirements or assessment criteria as clearly as an examiner would. While estimating your scores for the writing and speaking component of the IELTS exam might be a bit out of your league, it is a simple mathematical task to figure out what your band score would be for the reading and listening IELTS tests. The reading and listening score is based on the percentage of your correct answers out of 40 questions.
You can do so by taking an authentic practise or training tests that mimic the exact conditions of the IELTS reading and/or listening test. Make sure that you use a test that comprises of questions that are of a similar level of difficulty to what you would find in an actual IELTS exam. This would greatly aid in your IELTS preparation.
Remember that this might not be your exact score when you sit for the real exams. This is because the questions you get on test day will obviously be different. Additionally, things like test day jitters (test day anxiety) might also affect your performance.