IELTS
IELTS overall band calculator
The overall band is the mean of the four section scores, rounded to the nearest half band — .25 rounds up to .5, .75 rounds up to the next whole. Compute it forward, or back-solve the fourth section from a target.
Result
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Fill in the scores and calculate.
Raw average
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Overall band
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How the official rounding works
Add the four section scores and divide by four. The average always lands on a multiple of 0.125: a remainder of .25 rounds up to the next half band, .75 rounds up to the next whole band, and .125/.375/.625/.875 fall to the nearer half. So 6.125 → 6, 6.25 → 6.5, 6.375 → 6.5, 6.625 → 6.5, 6.75 → 7.
Back-solving. For a target band T the four sections must average at least T − 0.125 (e.g. 6.75 for T = 7). The tool finds the smallest fourth section that clears the threshold — if even a 9.0 can't reach it, the combination is shown as unreachable with the highest attainable overall.
Questions people ask
How is the IELTS overall band calculated?
The overall band is the mean of the four section scores, rounded to the nearest half band: averages ending in .25 round up to .5, .75 round up to the next whole band. This tool applies exactly that rule.
Does a 6.25 average become 6 or 6.5?
6.5. The rule is round to the nearest half band, ties upward: 6.25→6.5 and 6.75→7, while 6.125 stays 6.
What if only one section is holding me back?
Use the second mode on this page: enter the target overall and your three known sections — the tool returns the minimum fourth score needed, and flags combinations where even a 9 can't reach the target.
What about schools that require every section ≥ 6?
Meeting the overall band doesn't clear per-section minimums. Many graduate programmes set separate Writing/Speaking floors (often ≥6 or ≥6.5) — check the programme page; this tool only computes the overall.
Can section scores only be whole or half bands?
Yes. Each section is reported in 0.5 steps, so the four-section average always lands on a multiple of 0.125 — the rounding rule covers every case.