After receiving your IELTS results, understanding your band scores and knowing your next steps can help you achieve your study, work, or migration goals.
You can also check if you have met the score requirement for study, work or visa purposes; or know your exact score gap to reach the goal.
In this article, learn how to check your results, what your scores mean, and the most effective IELTS score improvement tips for Reading, Writing, and more.
How to check and understand your IELTS band scores
First, log into the IDP IELTS Test Taker Portal to check your results. You will be able to view your scores online at any time, which are generally valid for two years.
When you receive your IELTS results, you will see:
An overall band score and four individual test skill scores, reported in whole or half bands from 0 to 9.
Your overall band score is the average of the four individual band scores, rounded to the nearest half band.
No additional feedback is provided with your online scores or the official IELTS Test Report Form (eTRF).
What your IELTS band scores mean
Your IELTS band scores prove to universities, immigration authorities and institutions how well you can use English across four key test skills. Their English test requirements vary by choice of study, visa or occupation. Some study programmes or professional licensing bodies also set minimum scores in specific IELTS test skills.
Knowing how to read these scores will help you decide what to do next.
Table of various overall IELTS band score descriptions:
Band score | What it means |
6.0 | Competent user: you can handle fairly complex English in familiar situations but may make some mistakes. |
6.5 | Competent user: you have good overall grasp of English with occasional inaccuracies. |
7.0 | Good user: you can handle complex language and ideas quite well, with occasional errors. |
7.5 | Good user: you have a good command of English and can understand detailed reasoning very well, with only minor errors. |
8.0 | Very good user: you are fluent in English, can handle complex and detailed argument, with only rare errors. |
9.0 | Expert user: you have complete control of English, showing accurate, natural, and highly flexible usage. |
Step-by-step guide to reviewing your IELTS scores:
Compare with the minimum score you need for your destination. Have you reached your target overall and individual band scores?
Check how big the gap is between your current band score and your desired score.
Identify which test section scored poorer. If you were to retake that test section, what band score would you need to achieve your target overall band score?
To evaluate where you did well or did not, read on to see how into how each skill is marked.
How your IELTS test is scored
In IELTS Listening, you are marked on the number of correct answers out of 40 questions. Your marks are converted to the IELTS 9-band scale (for example, getting 30 or 31 marks equates to an IELTS 7.0 score).
Similarly, for the Reading test, you receive 1 mark for each correct answer, out of a total of 40 marks.
IELTS Writing and Speaking tests are marked by qualified human examiners using official band descriptors for consistency, fairness, and accuracy in marking.
IELTS Writing Task 1 and Task 2 have their own band descriptors and are marked by a minimum of two examiners.
In the face-to-face Speaking test, your examiner assigns a band score for each of the four criteria. The overall average makes up your official Speaking score.
Compare your actual score to the Writing or Speaking band descriptors, and ask yourself:
Which of the four criteria do you think has affected your score?
What would you need to do differently to get a higher band in this criterion?
Did you develop your answers sufficiently with reasons and examples? (criterion: Coherence)
Can you retake only one IELTS test section?
Yes. After receiving the Test Report Form on your first test, IELTS One Skill Retake allows you to retake any one test section without taking a full test again.
IELTS is the only major English test that allows you a second attempt to raise your individual band score and possibly your overall score, while paying a lower retake fee.
When to consider IELTS One Skill Retake
You want a second opportunity to improve your score in one of the following test skills: IELTS Listening, Reading, Writing or Speaking
You are close to reaching your target score and need to pull up your overall results
You have to meet an individual score requirement in one test section for university, work or professional registration
You have sufficient time to sit the new retake test, prepare and receive results before your application deadline
After checking that your receiving organisation or visa-applying country will accept IELTS One Skill Retake
To be eligible:
You must have taken a full IELTS on computer test at an IDP test centre that offers One Skill Retake.
Complete your One Skill Retake test within 60 days of your original test date.
You can use your One Skill Retake option only once per full IELTS test.
How to improve your IELTS band score after the test
If you're working towards a One Skill Retake in either the IELTS Listening, Reading, Writing or Speaking test, you will have to build your preparation upon what you have already done before for the original test. Gain expert tips for preparing to help close your IELTS band score gap.
How to approach improving your band scores:
Review your Test Report Form and identify the test section with the largest difference between your actual score and target score.
Set a clear goal for your new target score and a realistic test date to work towards. For example, aiming for an IELTS 7.0 band score in Writing from IELTS 6.5 within three weeks of preparation.
Understand that improvement will take time, especially if your goal is to achieve a one-point or more band score increase from your original test result. Use this time to identify improvement strategies and practice consistently until you are confident to face the test section once again.
Use official IELTS practice materials to understand what examiners look for in each test skill.
Track your progress with timed computer practice tests or by seeking feedback on your written essays or Speaking performance from a qualified teacher or trusted friend.
IELTS score improvement tips for Reading and Writing
IELTS Reading and Writing are two of the test skills which many test takers may consider retaking. Targeted practice in these areas can help you improve faster.
To improve your IELTS Reading score:
Practice sample questions under timed conditions. Time allocation and keeping pace are important, as the three Reading passages will get progressively challenging.
Use your mouse cursor or consciously guide your reading line by line.
Prioritise understanding by keywords. Glance at the questions before reading the passage, look out for paraphrases, and watch out for questions that may trap you into answering incorrectly.
Answer questions by finding meaning. Locate answers quickly by using context clues and identifying Reading question types.
Broaden your vocabulary by reading more in English, either finding publicly accessible reading material in your local area, or from global sources such as the BBC News (newspaper), The Conversation (academic articles) and Reader’s Digest (magazine).
More skilled guides to improve your IELTS Reading retake:
To improve your IELTS Writing score:
Narrow down the areas where you should improve (such as grammar, idea development, coherence and cohesion). Check how closely your actual test responses match the Writing band score descriptors at your achieved band score level.
Take a few minutes to plan a convincing argument around your main and supporting ideas before you write.
If you struggled with time during your test, focus on writing close to or within the recommended word count for Task 2, to avoid making more mistakes. You should also allocate enough time to proofread and review your finished responses.
Write practice essays regularly and review them against the official band descriptors.
If you need more work on connecting ideas, practice complex sentence structures alongside simple sentences to show your versatility and grammatical range.
More skilled guides to improve your IELTS Writing retake:
Common mistakes that affect IELTS scores
It is worth looking back at where you might have lost marks in your original IELTS test, especially if you intend to sit your One Skill Retake test.
Check if any of these common mistakes came up during your test, and how to avoid them on your second try:
Test section | Common Mistake | Retake strategy |
Ran out of time before completing all questions, or answering all parts of a Writing task | If you cannot answer in time, jump to the next question and go back to it later. | |
Misread or misunderstood question types | (E.g. Listening asks in capital letters:"Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.") | |
Underestimating the need for time management |
How IDP supports your IELTS improvement journey
At IDP, we offer official, reliable tools and resources to help you improve after your test and achieve your target score, whether you are preparing for IELTS One Skill Retake or a full test resit.
As a co-owner of the IELTS test, you can trust our preparation materials to guide you on the real test experience.
If you are retaking only the test section you need to improve, you can start preparing with our top resources:
IELTS Prepare Hub for Reading and Writing practice tests (with sample answers and examiner commentary), articles, videos and podcasts
Download the IELTS by IDP app, which includes revision quizzes and preparation courses
How your IELTS Writing test is marked – A video series to break down the scoring criteria with target band score pointers
IELTS Prepare by IDP vodcasts - 10-part deep-dive video podcast series by IELTS experts for targeted preparation
Whether you need to improve your IELTS Writing score, aim higher in Reading, or strengthen another IELTS skill, reviewing your current scores and building a focused preparation plan will help you take the next step with confidence.