IELTS Band Descriptors Explained: What Each Score Really Means
What's the real difference between a Band 6 and a Band 7? Here's a plain-English breakdown of the band scale and the four criteria examiners use for Writing and Speaking.
The 0–9 band scale
IELTS reports scores on a nine-band scale, in half-band steps. Each band describes a level of English ability rather than a percentage. As a rough guide:
- Band 9 — expert: a fully operational command of English.
- Band 7 — good: handles complex language well, with occasional slips.
- Band 6 — competent: generally effective English despite some inaccuracies.
- Band 5 — modest: a partial command, coping with overall meaning in most situations.
Listening and Reading bands come from a raw score out of 40 converted to the band scale. Writing and Speaking are judged by a certified examiner against four criteria.
The four Writing and Speaking criteria
Each criterion is worth a quarter of the score for that skill:
- Task Response (Writing) / Task Achievement (Task 1): how fully and relevantly you answer.
- Coherence and Cohesion (Writing) / Fluency and Coherence (Speaking): organisation and flow.
- Lexical Resource: the range, precision and naturalness of your vocabulary.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: the variety of structures you use and how few errors you make.
This is the jump most candidates care about. Across the criteria, the difference usually comes down to:
- Development: a Band 7 explains and supports ideas; a Band 6 states them but leaves them thin.
- Vocabulary: a Band 7 uses less common words appropriately; a Band 6 leans on common, sometimes repetitive language.
- Grammar: a Band 7 produces frequent error-free complex sentences; a Band 6 attempts them but with noticeable mistakes.
- Control: a Band 7 reads or sounds smooth; a Band 6 asks more effort of the listener or reader.
Accuracy is the quiet differentiator
Two candidates can use the same ambitious vocabulary and grammar. The one who uses it accurately scores higher. Reaching Band 7 is often less about harder language and more about cleaner language.
How to use the descriptors
- After each Writing or Speaking task, score yourself against all four criteria, not just an overall feel.
- Find the one criterion dragging you down and target it in your next session.
- Look for the specific behaviours each band rewards, and build them into your practice deliberately.
Knowing the descriptors turns vague feedback (be more advanced) into specific actions (explain each idea with an example, add one accurate complex sentence per paragraph).
Now find out where you actually stand
Reading about the band descriptors only gets you so far. Submit one real task and see your band, criterion by criterion, with the specific things costing you marks.
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Frequently asked questions
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