What your Reading score measures
IELTS Reading has 40 questions. A correct answer earns one mark, and the total is converted to a band on the IELTS scale. Reading results use whole or half bands. Academic and General Training share that scale, but General Training usually requires more correct answers for a given band because the reading material differs. Official IELTS scoring explanation
Official reference examples, not fixed cut-offs
IELTS publishes the following average marks. The exact requirement can vary slightly between test versions. These are reference points, not a complete conversion table or a guarantee for an individual test. Source: IELTS scoring in detail
Academic Reading
| Band | Marks / 40 |
|---|---|
| 5 | 15 |
| 6 | 23 |
| 7 | 30 |
| 8 | 35 |
General Training Reading
| Band | Marks / 40 |
|---|---|
| 4 | 15 |
| 5 | 23 |
| 6 | 30 |
| 7 | 35 |
The source does not give every half-band boundary. We have not filled those gaps with invented ranges. Use any scoring guidance supplied with the particular official practice test you complete.
Read your result in three steps
- Name the material. Record whether you completed Academic or General Training, which full practice test it was, and whether you had seen it before.
- Count accurately. Mark against the supplied answer key. Follow that task’s instructions for word limits, spelling and permitted alternatives rather than giving yourself a mark because your intended meaning was close.
- Keep the conditions beside the score. Write down your elapsed time, any dictionary use and any pauses. Compare like with like over several fresh attempts.
A second attempt at the same paper can be a good learning activity. Label it as a repeat: remembering the answers makes it a different kind of evidence from a first attempt.
Try it: which record is more useful?
Record A: “Reading: 30.”
Record B: “General Training practice, fresh full test, 30/40, 60 minutes, no dictionary. Four errors came from missing an exception in a notice.”
Which record helps you choose your next study activity, and why?
Reveal the reasoning
Record B. It identifies the test type, denominator, conditions and a repeated difficulty. Record A could refer to marks, minutes or questions attempted. Record B still describes a practice performance; it is not an official result.
A marking habit you can practise now
Read this original fictional notice. Then check the learner’s answers against the instructions. This four-question activity is about answer accuracy; it is not a band test.
Harbour learning centre: workshop notice
Book your place by Thursday. The workshop begins at 10:30. Bring a notebook for your sketches; pencils will be provided. Collect your visitor badge from reception before entering the studio.
Complete the notes with ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER from the notice.
- Booking deadline: __________
Learner’s answer: Thursday - Starting time: __________
Learner’s answer: 10:30 - Item participants need to bring: __________
Learner’s answer: a notebook - Place to collect a visitor badge: __________
Learner’s answer: reseption
Which answers earn a mark in this exercise? Decide before opening the explanation.
Reveal the four marking decisions
- Thursday: correct. It is the stated deadline and fits the limit.
- 10:30: correct. It is the stated start time.
- a notebook: incorrect. The required answer is “notebook”. The extra article makes this two words, exceeding this task’s limit.
- reseption: incorrect. The word in the notice is “reception”. Finding the right place does not fix the spelling error.
The learner earns 2/4 on this activity. That is a count of correct responses here, not a band prediction. The next useful habit is checking the instruction and copying the selected word accurately.
IELTS’s General Training Reading guidance notes that spelling and grammar matter and that exceeding a completion task’s word limit loses the mark. Pay attention to the instructions for each new task; the limit is not always the same.
Turn a raw score into a study decision
After marking, assign each mistake its main cause. Use the cause that best explains what you need to do differently, rather than giving every wrong answer several labels.
- Evidence: I chose something plausible without finding support, or confused missing information with contradiction.
- Paraphrase: I missed the same idea expressed differently, or picked an option that repeated a word but changed the meaning.
- Answer form: I exceeded a word limit, misspelled a word, omitted a needed ending or recorded the wrong letter.
- Time or navigation: I did not reach the question or could not relocate the relevant part of the passage.
Worked review: a fictional 26/40 attempt
A learner records 14 errors: five evidence errors, four paraphrase errors, three answer-form errors and two unanswered questions. Their first plan is to read every passage faster.
What would you change about that plan?
Reveal a more targeted plan
Speed alone does not address most of these mistakes. Start by reviewing the five evidence errors: underline the sentence that supports or contradicts each answer, and explain any added assumption. Then practise checking answer form before submitting. Use a separate timed attempt to investigate the two unfinished questions.
This is a study choice based on this fictional error pattern, not a claim that one drill will produce a particular band increase.
For evidence work, try A library of things. For word limits, try Seeds for next season. For distracting options and paraphrases, try The quiet hour.
A practical record to keep
In a notebook, use one line per fresh full test: date; source and test type; correct answers out of 40; time and conditions; biggest error category; one next action. Keep individual short-exercise results separate so that unlike tasks do not become a misleading trend.
Common score questions
Can I turn a percentage into a band?
A percentage describes how many answers were correct on that activity. It does not describe whether the activity was a representative full IELTS test. Keep percentages as local practice feedback and use appropriate full-test guidance when interpreting a full-test result.
Should I combine scores from several short exercises?
You can total them to track questions completed or repeated mistake types. Do not treat the total as a mock IELTS test: selecting short texts creates a different mix of difficulty, stamina demands and question types.
What if my practice score changes from day to day?
First compare the material and conditions. A familiar topic, a repeat paper, extra time or a different question mix can make comparisons less useful. Review several fresh, comparable attempts and the error explanations rather than building your plan around one number.
Official marking and reference examples checked on 15 October 2026: IELTS scoring in detail and General Training Reading format. The review activities, fictional learner records and study suggestions are original. No calculator or automatic band estimate is provided.