How Examiners Score IELTS Reading

Answer keys · Question types · May 2026

Updated 2026-10-12

Direct answer

IELTS Reading is scored like Listening: each of the 40 questions is marked right or wrong against an official answer key, then the raw total converts to a band on a fixed scale. Examiners do not award partial credit for “good understanding” of a passage. Matching headings, True/False/Not Given, and gap-fill each follow strict rules, one misread keyword or a NOT GIVEN treated as FALSE costs a full mark.

Part of the IELTS Reading Guide: every reading trap, band descriptor and practice drill in one place.

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Keyed marking: one rule per question type

Every item type has a binary outcome. For completion tasks, spelling and word limits match Listening rules. For T/F/NG, only three labels are valid; “mostly true” is still wrong if the key says NOT GIVEN.

Gap-fill Exact words from text unless instructions allow a synonym list

Matching One letter or number per box, no half marks

Transfer Wrong row on answer sheet = wrong even if response was correct

Reading traps that erase bands

Trap	What happens
NG vs FALSE confusion	Passage silent on claim → NOT GIVEN, not FALSE
Over-reading	Inferring beyond stated text
Time collapse	Passage 3 rushed; easy marks left on table

See cognitive overload in Reading.

Raw score to Reading band

Forty correct answers map to bands via published conversion tables (thresholds shift slightly by test form). Gains are stepwise: moving from Band 6 to 7 often means five to eight more keyed items, not “better vibes” about the texts.

Key takeaways: How Examiners Score IELTS Reading

Reading = 40 keyed items; no holistic passage grade.
Question-type rules (especially T/F/NG) decide marks, not your summary skill.
Transfer and spelling errors count like content errors.
Track misses by type after each mock to train deliberately.

How Examiners Score IELTS Reading: common questions

No, your answers are checked against official keys; the band comes from how many of the 40 items are correct.

No. FALSE means the passage contradicts the statement; NOT GIVEN means the passage does not contain enough information to decide.

Only if the answer cannot be read or is transferred to the wrong question number on the answer sheet.

Official IELTS references

The criteria and score bands on this page follow the public IELTS documents below. Band9AI is independent and not affiliated with the British Council, IDP or Cambridge.

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Practice drill: How Examiners Score IELTS Reading

Reading helps you understand the problem. A timed mock shows how it affects your band, one IELTS criterion at a time.

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Tool	Timed four-skill mock	Score for each criterion	Action
ChatGPT / Copilot / Gemini	No	Chat only	N/A
Free IELTS practice sites	Partial / untimed	Limited or none	N/A
Band9AI	Yes: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking	Yes, based on the public IELTS band descriptors	$15 Reality Check →

What you get from a Band9AI mock

A band for each criterion, such as Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource and Grammar in Writing
The one mistake pattern holding your score back, not generic advice to keep practising
Timed practice for one skill at a time, from your dashboard after checkout

Find your Reading weak spot with a $15 timed mock Free diagnostic first

Find which Reading question type costs you the most keyed marks.

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