What is 39 out of 40 in IELTS Reading?
Quick answer
IELTS.org publishes no Reading point above 35 marks, so 39 and 40 out of 40 lie past its list in both versions. The indicative table the site's band calculator uses reads them as an estimated 9.0 in Academic. In General Training it reads 39 as 8.5 and a perfect 40 as 9.0.
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Part of The IELTS test, answered
The top row of the Reading table is the one where the published information is thinnest. IELTS.org stops listing points at 35 marks, and 39 and 40 are both beyond it.
Past the published list
IELTS.org lists Academic band 8 at 35 marks and General Training band 7 at 35 marks, and no points above those. A 39 is four marks beyond that last average, and a 40 is five. So the published answer to either is only that they are above everything listed. IELTS.org also describes each listed point as an average across test versions.
What the estimate says
The table behind the site’s band score calculator reads both scores as 9.0 for Academic. General Training differs: 39 is 8.5 and 40 is 9.0. Note the asymmetry, which reflects that General Training is generally read as needing more correct answers for a band. It remains an estimate, and IELTS.org states: “The precise number of marks needed to achieve these band scores will vary slightly from test version to test version.” One lost mark may or may not mean a lower band on your test. The band’s meaning is explained in what level IELTS 9.0 is.
A 9.0 and the overall
Reading is a single section. The overall band is the average of four, rounded to the nearest half band, so a 9.0 in Reading does not make a 9.0 overall: the other three sections are averaged in. The calculator shows what each combination gives.
Nowhere further up
This is the last row. The one below is 37 to 38, estimated at 8.5 in Academic. If that is where your practice scores sit, the answer on getting 8.5 in Reading is more useful than another table.
Practising
The site’s Reading practice test is marked in the browser, with an indicative band from this same table.
What this means for your score
A candidate finishes a timed Reading test with 39 of 40, one mark lost. In Academic the indicative row gives 9.0. A General Training candidate on the same 39 is read as 8.5 and would need all 40 for 9.0, because the General Training table places its 9.0 on a single score.
Frequently asked questions
Is 39 out of 40 a good Reading score?
It is an estimated 9.0 in Academic, the top of the scale. Check what band your requirement actually states.
Which table is the official one?
IELTS.org's list of four average points per version, which ends at 35 marks. It says the marks needed vary slightly between test versions. Everything in the 39 to 40 row is an estimate.
How many marks for the next band?
There is no band above 9.0, so none. Below this row, the previous one is 37 to 38, estimated at 8.5 in Academic, so a 38 is one mark from this row.
What is 39 to 40 out of 40 in General Training?
The indicative table reads 39 as 8.5 and 40 as 9.0. Here the General Training row is stricter than the Academic one, which reads both scores as 9.0.
Sources
- IELTS scoring in detail: band scores explained — IELTS.org
- IELTS Academic: Reading test format — IELTS.org
- IELTS General Training: Reading test format — IELTS.org
Last verified 11 Nov 2026
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