Decoding IELTS Average Scores
Updated on 27 January, 2022
Mrinal Mandal
Study Abroad Expert
The International English Language Testing System popularly known as IELTS was introduced in the year 1989, it is an English language proficiency test among non-native speakers who want to study, work or migrate to countries where English is mostly spoken. The IELTS average score varies between 6.5-8 approximately. The average IELTS band score is calculated on the basis of evaluating all four sections, namely Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. The score in each section gets equal weightage. The average score is what determines knowledge and proficiency of the English language in candidates. Aspirants should be clear about the calculation framework behind their IELTS average test scores. This will help them carefully evaluate their preparation levels.
IELTS Average Scores- A Handy Guide
This table will help you understand IELTS average scores-
| Particular Modules | The Average Score Threshold |
| Listening | 8 |
| Speaking | 7.5 |
| Reading | 7.5 |
| Writing | 7 |
| Total | 7.5 |
IELTS Band Score
The overall band score is calculated between 0-9. The average IELTS score is rounded upwards or downwards to the upcoming half/whole band. Here’s taking a closer look at the band scores and what they mean:
| Band Score Figure | The Level of Skills | What It Basically Means |
| Band 9 | Expert user | You possess complete operational control over the English language. Usage of the language is suitable, fluent and accurate and there is total understanding. |
| Band 8 | Very good user | There is total operational control over the English language with only unsystematic inaccuracies happening occasionally and usage which is sometimes inappropriate. You may misunderstand a few things in situations that are not familiar although you can take care of detailed argumentation nicely. |
| Band 7 | Good user | In this case, the aspirant has good operational command over English although there are occasional usage, accuracy and understanding deficiencies in some situations.
He/she can generally tackle complex language nicely and suitably understand the reasoning of a detailed nature. |
| Band 6 | Competent user | Candidates in this band have effective English command in spite of usage that is inappropriate, inaccuracies and some misunderstandings. They can fairly understand and use complex language in situations of a more familiar nature. |
| Band 5 | Modest user | Candidates in this band have partial English language command and are likely to cope nicely with overall meanings in most scenarios. However, they are likely to make mistakes too and should be capable of tackling basic communication in their fields. |
| Band 4 | Limited user | The overall competence of candidates will be limited only to situations of a familiar nature. They will display problems frequently in expression, understanding and usage of complex language. |
| Band 3 | Extremely limited user | Candidates can only understand and communicate general meanings in scenarios that are very familiar. There are frequent communication breakdowns too. |
| Band 2 | Intermittent user | Aspirants have difficulties in understanding written and spoken English. |
| Band 1 | Non-user | Candidates have zero ability to use the English language with the exception being some isolated words. |
| Band 0 | Did not attempt the test | Candidates did not answer the questions at all. |
Important Resources to Read About IELTS:
Country-Wise IELTS Average Score
IELTS average scores are given below in this table-
| Country Name | Score for Reading | Score for Listening | Score for Writing | Score for Speaking | Total Score |
| Germany | 7.7 | 7.9 | 6.3 | 7.4 | 7.4 |
| Canada | 6.9 | 7.2 | 6.1 | 7.2 | 6.9 |
| France | 7.1 | 7.0 | 5.9 | 6.6 | 6.7 |
| China | 6.2 | 5.9 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 5.8 |
| Cambodia | 5.6 | 5.9 | 5.5 | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| Brazil | 7.0 | 6.8 | 5.9 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| Greece | 7.3 | 7.5 | 6.1 | 6.8 | 7.0 |
| Colombia | 6.8 | 6.5 | 5.8 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Egypt | 6.4 | 6.8 | 5.8 | 6.5 | 6.4 |
| Korea | 6.3 | 6.3 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 6.0 |
| Indonesia | 6.7 | 6.8 | 5.8 | 6.3 | 6.5 |
| Japan | 6.1 | 5.9 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| Jordan | 6.1 | 6.4 | 5.6 | 6.5 | 6.2 |
| Hong Kong | 6.9 | 7.1 | 6.0 | 6.3 | 6.6 |
| Italy | 7.3 | 7.0 | 5.9 | 6.6 | 6.8 |
| Kuwait | 5.2 | 5.6 | 5.1 | 5.9 | 5.5 |
| Oman | 5.0 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.5 | 5.2 |
| Mexico | 6.7 | 6.6 | 5.8 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Malaysia | 7.1 | 7.4 | 6.1 | 6.8 | 6.9 |
| Nigeria | 6.5 | 7.0 | 6.2 | 7.2 | 6.8 |
| Nepal | 5.8 | 6.3 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 5.9 |
| Philippines | 6.8 | 7.3 | 6.1 | 6.8 | 6.8 |
| Russia | 6.9 | 7.0 | 6.0 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| Saudi Arabia | 5.2 | 5.4 | 5.0 | 5.8 | 5.4 |
| Qatar | 5.1 | 5.6 | 5.0 | 5.8 | 5.4 |
| Spain | 7.3 | 7.2 | 6.0 | 6.8 | 6.9 |
| Sri Lanka | 6.2 | 6.6 | 5.8 | 6.5 | 6.3 |
| Taiwan | 6.3 | 6.3 | 5.6 | 6.0 | 6.1 |
| Turkey | 6.5 | 6.6 | 5.7 | 6.2 | 6.3 |
| Thailand | 6.1 | 6.4 | 5.5 | 5.9 | 6.0 |
| United Arab Emirates | 4.8 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 5.4 | 5.1 |
| Ukraine | 6.6 | 6.7 | 5.8 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Vietnam | 6.3 | 6.2 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 6.1 |
More Resources to Read About IELTS:
General Training mean performance
Here is a mean performance table for General Training:
| Nationality | Reading band score | Listening band score | Writing band score | Speaking band score | Overall |
| France | 6.9 | 7.1 | 6.1 | 6.9 | 6.8 |
| Canada | 6.6 | 7.1 | 6.2 | 7.0 | 6.8 |
| United States of America | 7.3 | 7.6 | 7.0 | 7.9 | 7.5 |
| Cameroon | 5.4 | 5.8 | 5.9 | 6.5 | 5.9 |
| Brazil | 6.8 | 6.9 | 6.1 | 6.8 | 6.7 |
| Argentina | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 6.3 | 6.5 |
| Colombia | 6.2 | 6.3 | 5.8 | 6.4 | 6.2 |
| Italy | 6.3 | 6.4 | 5.8 | 6.4 | 6.3 |
| China | 6.3 | 6.3 | 5.8 | 5.9 | 6.2 |
| Indonesia | 5.8 | 6.1 | 5.7 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Jamaica | 6.7 | 7.2 | 6.7 | 8.0 | 7.2 |
| Hong Kong | 6.8 | 6.9 | 6.1 | 6.4 | 6.6 |
| Korea | 5.7 | 6.0 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.8 |
| Japan | 5.6 | 6.0 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| Nigeria | 6.4 | 7.0 | 6.5 | 7.3 | 6.9 |
| Malaysia | 6.9 | 7.2 | 6.3 | 6.9 | 6.9 |
| Spain | 6.7 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 |
| Mexico | 6.5 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 6.6 | 6.5 |
| Nepal | 5.9 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 6.3 | 6.3 |
| Philippines | 5.7 | 6.3 | 5.8 | 6.3 | 6.1 |
| Thailand | 4.8 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 5.4 | 5.3 |
| Saudi Arabia | 4.4 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 5.5 | 5.0 |
| Russia | 7.0 | 7.0 | 6.2 | 6.7 | 6.8 |
| Turkey | 6.1 | 6.3 | 5.8 | 6.2 | 6.2 |
| Sri Lanka | 6.4 | 6.9 | 6.0 | 6.8 | 6.6 |
| Taiwan | 5.9 | 6.2 | 5.7 | 6.1 | 6.0 |
| Ukraine | 6.2 | 6.4 | 5.8 | 6.3 | 6.2 |
Average IELTS Score for India
The average score band in India ranges between 5.5-6. Here is a table that shows the average scores.
| Nationality | India |
| Reading | 5.82 |
| Listening | 6.3 |
| Speaking | 6.01 |
| Writing | 5.77 |
| Total | 6.04 |
More Resources to Read About IELTS:
Listening Scores for IELTS
This is the very first module with 40 minutes’ duration and 30 minutes are given for appearing in it. There are four recorded dialogues, monologues and conversations. Multiple choice and short answer type questions have to be answered on the basis of the recordings. Here is a table that shows the marking of Listening scores:
| Basic Score | Band Score Threshold |
| 11- 12 range | 4 |
| 13- 15 range | 4.5 |
| 16- 17 range | 5 |
| 18- 22 range | 5.5 |
| 23- 25 range | 6 |
| 26- 29 range | 6.5 |
| 30- 31 range | 7 |
| 32- 34 range | 7.5 |
| 35- 36 range | 8 |
| 37- 38 range | 8.5 |
| 39- 40 range | 9 |
Reading Scores for IELTS
This module contains three lengthy passages that require approximately 60 minutes for completion. This table will demonstrate marking for both the IELTS General Training and Academic Training sections.
IELTS Academic Reading-
These tests are marked out of 40 and the raw score will be converted into a suitable band score.
| Basic Score | Band Score Threshold |
| 4- 5 range | 2.5 |
| 6- 7 range | 3 |
| 8- 9 range | 3.5 |
| 10- 12 range | 4 |
| 13- 14 range | 4.5 |
| 15- 18 range | 5 |
| 19- 22 range | 5.5 |
| 23- 26 range | 6 |
| 27- 29 range | 6.5 |
| 30- 32 range | 7 |
| 33- 34 range | 7.5 |
| 35- 36 range | 8 |
| 37- 38 range | 8.5 |
| 39- 40 range | 9 |
IELTS General Reading-
This section also has 40 questions with every question containing a single mark each. The band scores are usually reported in increments of half and one point each.
| Basic Score | Band Score Threshold |
| 6- 8 range | 2.5 |
| 9- 11 range | 3 |
| 12- 14 range | 3.5 |
| 15- 18 range | 4 |
| 19- 22 range | 4.5 |
| 23- 26 range | 5 |
| 27- 29 range | 5.5 |
| 30- 31 range | 6 |
| 32- 33 range | 6.5 |
| 34- 35 range | 7 |
| 36 range | 7.5 |
| 37- 38 range | 8 |
| 39 range | 8.5 |
| 40 range | 9 |
Writing Scores for IELTS
The average writing score is 6.0 for IELTS. Task 1 will ask candidates for summarizing or explain any graph, table or chart within 150 words. Task 2 will need you to write a short essay within 250 words.
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