The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a widely accepted English test that evaluates aspirants’ language skills. It comprises four sections: Speaking, Reading, Writing, and Listening. IELTS Academic is for students aspiring to study abroad. So, let’s learn about the IELTS Academic Listening section, IELTS Listening score, and other interesting details.

Key Highlights

• IELTS Listening section: Overview and format
• What is an IELTS band score?
• Calculation of the Academic Listening band score
• IELTS Listening score chart
• IELTS Listening band score description
• Tips to get a good IELTS band score in the Listening section
• IELTS Listening score calculator

IELTS Listening section: Overview and format

The IELTS Listening section is designed to evaluate a student’s ability to understand detailed factual information, ideas, viewpoints and opinions of the speaker. This section includes 4 recordings:

• Recording 1: A conversation between two people on a general topic.
• Recording 2: A monologue (long speech) on a common theme.
• Recording 3: A conversation during a training session or related to education.
• Recording 4: A monologue on any academic subject.

Also Read: What students must know about IELTS Speaking topics

Other important details for IELTS Listening Section are as follows:

Number of questions	40 (10 questions each in 4 recordings)
Duration	30 minutes (Extra 10 minutes to transfer answers to the answer sheet)
Types of questions	Multiple choice, Match the following, Plan/map/diagram labelling, Form/note/table/flow-chart/summary completion, Sentence completion, Short answer questions

Before learning about the score band for IELTS Listening, let’s quickly understand what exactly a band score is.

What is an IELTS band score?

In IELTS 2024, English proficiency level is measured against the band score from 0 to 9, with 0 being the lowest and 9 being the highest. Students will get two band scores: individual (a band score obtained in each of the four sections) and an overall band score (average band scores of the four sections). Here’s an example:

Listening	Reading	Writing	Speaking	Overall
7	6	5	6	6

Here, the individual band score of Listening is 7, and the overall band score is 6 (7 + 6 + 5 + 6 = 24/4 = 6).

Also Read: What you must know about the band 7 IELTS score

Calculation of the Academic Listening band score

In the Listening section, scores out of 40 are awarded and converted into a 0-9 band score. These scores are calculated by taking an average score obtained from 4 audio recordings. You will get 1 mark for each correct answer, which will determine the raw score. Kindly remember that the IELTS band score chart for the Academic Reading and Listening sections follow a similar marking pattern.

IELTS Listening score chart

Number of correct answers (Raw score out of 40)	Listening band score
11-12	4
13-15	4.5
16-17	5
18-22	5.5
23-25	6
26-29	6.5
30-31	7
32-34	7.5
35-36	8
37-38	8.5
39-40	9

As per the table, your IELTS Listening band score will be 6 if you have obtained a raw score of 25.

Also Read: Everything you need to know before pursuing higher education at UK university without IELTS

IELTS Listening band score description

Every band score represents the corresponding level of English competence. Here are the details:

Listening Band scores	Skill level and description
9	Expert user: Accurate and full understanding of the language
8	Very good user: Complete command of the language with a few errors. Can comprehend complex language, too.
7	Good user: Good command of the language with occasional errors. Can understand complex language well in most situations.
6	Competent user: Effective language command with some errors. Can understand complex language quite well.
5	Modest user: Average command over language with numerous mistakes.
4	Limited user: Limited language competence with frequent problems in understanding.
3	Extremely limited user: Able to convey and understand general meaning only.
2	Intermittent user: Great difficulty in understanding written and spoken English.
1	Non-user: No ability to understand the language beyond a few words.

Tips to get a good IELTS band score in the Listening section

• You will get only one chance to listen to the audio. Therefore, note down the important information.
• Listening to educational English videos will help build vocabulary.
• Practice IELTS mock tests to get an idea of the format and check your readiness.

Also Read: IELTS band score: A comprehensive guide

IELTS Listening score calculator

The IELTS Listening score calculator is a free online tool that converts the IELTS Listening scores to the band score. You need to fill out the raw score of the Listening section, and the calculator will calculate the band score.

Hopefully, this information will help you understand the IELTS Listening band scores better. If you aspire to study overseas but are facing financial troubles, you can opt for an education loan for studying abroad. At Avanse Financial Services, we offer hyper-personalised education loans with several benefits. So, contact us today to know about student loans, how to use an EMI education loan calculator, and more.