What is 18 out of 40 in IELTS Listening?
Quick answer
From 18 to 22 out of 40 lies between the two points IELTS.org publishes for Listening: 16 marks for band 5 and 23 marks for band 6. IELTS.org lists nothing for the half band between them. The indicative table the site's band calculator uses reads this row as band 5.5, an estimate.
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Part of The IELTS test, answered
Five marks wide, this is the broadest row on the lower half of the Listening table, and nothing in it is an official point.
Between two published points
IELTS.org’s scoring page lists average Listening marks at four bands: 16 for band 5, 23 for band 6, 30 for band 7 and 35 for band 8. The row of 18 to 22 marks starts just after the band 5 point and ends one short of the band 6 point, so the honest official description is “above band 5, below band 6”. IELTS.org does not print a mark for 5.5.
What the indicative table adds
The table behind the site’s band score calculator fills in every mark and reads 18 to 22 as 5.5. Treat that as an estimate. IELTS.org states that “The precise number of marks needed to achieve these band scores will vary slightly from test version to test version”, so a candidate on 18 or on 22 might receive a neighbouring band on a given paper. The general picture of this band is in what level is IELTS 5.5.
Counting it into the overall
A 5.5 in Listening is averaged with the other three sections, and the overall band is rounded to the nearest half band, as IELTS.org states. Moving up a row needs 23 marks: that is 1 more from the top of this row and 5 more from the bottom. Because the wide row hides how close a score is to its edge, note the mark itself and not only the band.
Using it for practice
Listening is a single test for both Academic and General Training; how the IELTS Listening score is calculated covers this. The site’s Listening practice test is marked in the browser, with an indicative band from the same table. Do two or three papers and look at where the marks went, since one paper is a small sample.
What this means for your score
A candidate scores 20 of 40 in a timed Listening test. That is 4 marks above the 16 listed for band 5 and 3 below the 23 listed for band 6. The official answer is "between band 5 and band 6", and the indicative row, 18 to 22, reads 5.5. A score of 22 is the top of the row and one mark from the band 6 point.
Frequently asked questions
Is 18 out of 40 a good Listening score?
It reads as band 5.5 on the indicative table and falls above the band 5 point on IELTS.org's list. Whether that is enough depends on the band you need, and the requirement of your university, employer or visa route is the one to check.
Which table is the official one?
IELTS.org's scoring page is the only official source, and it lists average marks for four Listening bands: 16, 23, 30 and 35. It gives no mark for half bands and says the number varies slightly between test versions. The row of 18 to 22 marks and its 5.5 come from an estimate.
How many marks for the next band?
On the indicative table the next row starts at 23 and reads 6.0, so 1 more mark from 22 or 5 more from 18. That also happens to be the band 6 point on IELTS.org's list. The next official point after it is 30 for band 7.
Is Listening the same for Academic and General Training?
Yes, both versions share one Listening test and one conversion. The site's Listening score answer sets this out, and only the Reading conversion differs between the two versions.
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