IELTS Listening band score chart
IELTS Listening has 40 questions and each correct answer earns one mark. Your mark out of 40 is converted to a band from 0 to 9. The table below shows which rows come from the official IELTS site and which are our approximation.
| Correct answers (of 40) | Band | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | 9.0 | Approximate |
| 38–39 | 8.5 | Approximate |
| 35–37 | 8.0 | Official point |
| 33–34 | 7.5 | Approximate |
| 30–32 | 7.0 | Official point |
| 27–29 | 6.5 | Approximate |
| 23–26 | 6.0 | Official point |
| 20–22 | 5.5 | Approximate |
| 16–19 | 5.0 | Official point |
| 13–15 | 4.5 | Approximate |
| 9–12 | 4.0 | Approximate |
| 6–8 | 3.5 | Approximate |
| 2–5 | 3.0 | Approximate |
| 0–1 | 2.5 | Approximate |
How Listening is scored
There are four parts with ten questions each, and you hear every recording once. Each correct answer is one mark; there is no penalty for a wrong answer, so never leave a gap.
Spelling counts. An answer over the word limit is marked wrong, even if it contains the right word.
Reading the table
The official IELTS site publishes four points for Listening. We fill the rows between them with a straight line and mark each of those rows "Approximate". Real conversion tables can shift slightly from test to test.
Frequently asked questions
How many correct answers do I need for band 7 in Listening?
The official IELTS site gives 30 correct answers out of 40 as a band 7 score.
Is the Listening score the same for Academic and General Training?
Yes. Both versions take the same Listening test and use the same conversion.
Do wrong answers lose marks?
No. A wrong answer scores zero, the same as a blank, so it is always worth writing an answer.
Why are some rows marked approximate?
Only four points are published officially. The rows between them are our straight-line estimate, so we label them clearly.
Does spelling matter in Listening?
Yes. A misspelt answer is marked wrong. British and American spellings are both accepted.
Related pages
Sources
- IELTS scoring in detail (IELTS official site) — checked 2026-10-11
English Test Practice is an independent practice site and is not affiliated with IELTS, the British Council, IDP or Cambridge. Results from our tools are estimates, not official scores.