IELTS Listening band scores – IDP IELTS Mongolia

How it is marked

The Listening test has 40 questions based on four recordings. You get one mark for each correct answer.

There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so answer every question. A blank answer scores nothing.
Your raw score out of 40 is converted to a band score from 0 to 9. For example, 35 out of 40 ≈ band 8.
The recordings range from everyday conversations and monologues to an academic lecture, getting progressively harder.
The Listening section is the same for Academic and General Training.

What each band means

Band	Description	Skill level
9	Fully operational command of the language: accurate, fluent, complete understanding.	Expert user
8	Fully operational command with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies.	Very good user
7	Operational command, though with occasional inaccuracies and misunderstandings.	Good user
6	Generally effective command despite some inaccuracies and misunderstandings.	Competent user
5	Partial command, coping with overall meaning in most situations.	Modest user
4	Basic competence is limited to familiar situations.	Limited user
3	Conveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar situations.	Extremely limited user
2	No real communication is possible except the most basic information.	Intermittent user
1	Essentially has no ability to use the language.	Non-user
0	No assessable information provided.	Did not attempt test

The official raw-score-to-band conversion is set by IELTS for each test version, so it is not published here.

Preparation tips: IELTS Listening preparation.

How the overall band score is calculated

Your overall band score is the average of the four skill scores, rounded to the nearest whole or half band.

Listening	Reading	Writing	Speaking	Average	Overall
6.5	6.5	5.0	7.0	6.25	6.5
4.0	3.5	4.0	4.0	3.875	4.0
6.5	6.5	5.5	6.0	6.125	6.0

Rounding: an average ending in .25 is rounded up to the next half band; ending in .75, up to the next whole band. Anything lower is rounded down.

Just one skill holding you back? With One Skill Retake you can retake a single skill instead of the whole test and raise your overall score.

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