When you do a practice test, it’s important to keep track of your score and monitor your progress.
Remember that every test is different – if you find your score is different every time you try, this is quite normal.
Just use the Band Score Calculator as a guide to see if you are getting near your desired result.
Scores at a glance
Writing Band Descriptors
IELTS Writing Task 1 Band Descriptors
IELTS Writing Task 2 Band Descriptors
Speaking Band Descriptors
Click here for the official IELTS Speaking Band Descriptors
For more information, please visit these websites:
- British Council Understanding the IELTS Score
- The Cambridge English Scale explained
- Cambridge English: Comparing scores to IELTS
- Comparing IELTS and the CEFR (Common European Framework)
Quick guides to improving your score
In my experience, you need to work on all aspects of your language skills in order to improve just one.
If you want to improve your Writing skills, for example, you need to read more (for vocab and grammar) and listen more (for ideas and opinions).
Similarly, doing more Listening practice will help you with Speaking (vocab, ideas and pronunciation) and Writing (ditto) and probably Reading (understanding of complex topics).
So it’s difficult to separate them out. Nevertheless, if you know you’ve got a weak point, these key guides will help you take action.
- How to use more complex language
- 14 ways to improve your Writing score
- How to choose between formal and informal language
- How to write a Band 9 essay
- How to get Band 7 overall
- How to answer the question in Task 2
- How to improve your pronunciation
- How to improve your Speaking without a teacher
- How to maximise your points in the Listening Test
- How to improve your Reading
- How to improve your IELTS vocabulary
- How to plan your IELTS preparation
