IELTS Reading Raw Score to Band Conversion: Full Table (Academic & General) 2026
Quick Answer
27 out of 40 = Band 6.5 (Academic) or Band 5.5 (General Training). IELTS Reading has 40 questions and a 0-9 band scale. Academic and General Training use different raw-score thresholds: Academic is more generous because the texts are harder, so you need fewer correct answers to hit the same band.
What is an IELTS Reading raw score?
Your IELTS Reading raw score is simply the number of questions you answer correctly out of 40. That raw score is then converted to a band score from 0 to 9 using a fixed conversion scale published by IELTS. There is no negative marking, wrong answers are treated the same as blanks, so you should answer every question.
The key thing most candidates get wrong: Academic and General Training use different conversion scales. The same raw score produces a lower band on General Training than on Academic. This is deliberate, because the two tests use different source texts.
IELTS Academic Reading: raw score to band (0-40)
The table below shows how each raw score out of 40 converts to an IELTS Academic Reading band. These thresholds are based on IELTS official guidance and are stable across test versions (occasional ±1 question variation is possible when a specific paper is unusually easy or hard).
| Raw score (out of 40) | Academic band |
|---|---|
| 39-40 | 9.0 |
| 37-38 | 8.5 |
| 35-36 | 8.0 |
| 33-34 | 7.5 |
| 30-32 | 7.0 |
| 27-29 | 6.5 |
| 23-26 | 6.0 |
| 19-22 | 5.5 |
| 15-18 | 5.0 |
| 13-14 | 4.5 |
| 10-12 | 4.0 |
| 8-9 | 3.5 |
| 6-7 | 3.0 |
| 4-5 | 2.5 |
| 3 | 2.0 |
| 2 | 1.5 |
| 1 | 1.0 |
IELTS General Training Reading: raw score to band (0-40)
General Training Reading uses a stricter conversion because the texts (notices, workplace documents, short articles) are easier than Academic passages. You need roughly 3-4 more correct answers than an Academic candidate to reach the same band at the Band 6-7 range.
| Raw score (out of 40) | General Training band |
|---|---|
| 40 | 9.0 |
| 39 | 8.5 |
| 37-38 | 8.0 |
| 36 | 7.5 |
| 34-35 | 7.0 |
| 32-33 | 6.5 |
| 30-31 | 6.0 |
| 27-29 | 5.5 |
| 23-26 | 5.0 |
| 19-22 | 4.5 |
| 15-18 | 4.0 |
| 12-14 | 3.5 |
| 9-11 | 3.0 |
| 6-8 | 2.5 |
Why Academic and General Training scores differ
IELTS Academic Reading uses long passages from journals, textbooks and magazines. Vocabulary is dense, arguments are abstract, and question types like matching headings and Yes/No/Not Given demand careful inference. General Training Reading, by contrast, starts with short workplace and everyday texts that are linguistically simpler.
IELTS balances these differences on the conversion scale, not on the test itself. That way a Band 7 in Academic Reading and a Band 7 in General Training Reading represent the same underlying proficiency, even though the raw-score thresholds are different.
Common IELTS Reading scores explained
25 out of 40
25/40 is Band 6.0 (Academic) and Band 5.0 (General Training). A common "stuck zone" score, usually caused by losing marks on Matching Headings and True/False/Not Given.
27 out of 40
27/40 is Band 6.5 (Academic) and Band 5.5 (General Training). This is the most-searched score on Google because it sits right at the 6.5 threshold many universities require.
30 out of 40
30/40 is Band 7.0 (Academic) and Band 6.0 (General Training). On Academic, this is the typical requirement for Russell Group universities and most master's programmes.
33 out of 40
33/40 is Band 7.5 (Academic) and Band 6.5 (General Training). This sits just below the Band 7.0 threshold required for Canadian Express Entry (CLB 9) on General Training, you need 34+.
35 out of 40
35/40 is Band 8.0 (Academic) and Band 7.0 (General Training). Strong enough for every medical council registration in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
How IELTS Reading scoring actually works
- 40 questions, 60 minutes. You have no extra time to transfer answers to the answer sheet.
- Each question = 1 raw mark. No question is weighted more than any other.
- No negative marking. Always write an answer, even a guess.
- Spelling and grammar count. "Childern" instead of "children" is wrong even if you understood the passage.
- Your overall IELTS band is the average of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, rounded to the nearest 0.5.
Want to try the calculation yourself? Use our IELTS band score calculator to convert your four raw scores into an overall band.
How to add 3-5 raw marks (one band up) fast
Most candidates plateau 3-5 marks short of their target. Here is the highest-leverage checklist, drawn from our Band 7+ IELTS guides:
- Master True/False/Not Given logic. Not Given = the text neither confirms nor contradicts. Most band-6.5 candidates confuse "Not Given" with "False".
- Skim, then scan. Read each passage's first sentence of each paragraph in 90 seconds. Then scan for answers. Do not read linearly.
- Do Matching Headings last. It rewards a full reading of the passage and is worth the same as every other question.
- Budget 20/20/20 minutes per passage. Passage 3 is hardest; never leave yourself under 18 minutes for it.
- Transfer as you go. There is no extra transfer time in Reading (unlike Listening). Write directly on the answer sheet.
- For deeper drills, see our Why Stuck at 6.5 guide and Band 7 vocabulary page.
Frequently asked questions
Is the IELTS Reading conversion table the same every year?
The table above is stable across test versions. IELTS occasionally adjusts a single band boundary by one question if a specific paper is unusually easy or hard, but the scale has not fundamentally changed in more than a decade.
Is Computer-Delivered IELTS Reading scored differently?
No. Paper-based and computer-delivered IELTS use the same 0-40 raw score and the same conversion scale. Only the delivery method differs.
Can I get half a raw mark?
No. Every answer is marked strictly right or wrong. Half-marks only appear in the final band (e.g. 6.5, 7.5), not in raw scoring.
What is a "safe" IELTS Reading score for most universities?
30 out of 40 (Band 7.0 Academic) is accepted by the majority of English-speaking universities for undergraduate and taught master's programmes. For medicine, law or PhD programmes, aim for 33+ (Band 7.5).