18 out of 40 in IELTS Academic Reading: what band is it?
18 out of 40 in IELTS Academic Reading is band 5.0. 1 more correct answer would make it 5.5. 3 fewer correct answers would still be band 5.0.
Band 5.0 covers 15 to 18 correct answers. IELTS publishes this cut-off itself: band 5.0 starts at 15 correct answers.
Correct answers
Your Academic Reading band: 5.0
Your Academic Reading band
18 of 40 correct
1 more correct answer would make it 5.5.
18/40 in IELTS Academic Reading is about band 5.0.
18 out of 40 in the other papers
- IELTS Academic Reading5.01 more correct answer would make it 5.5.
- IELTS Listening5.55 more correct answers would make it 6.0.
- IELTS General Training Reading4.01 more correct answer would make it 4.5.
What 5.0 in Reading meets
Universities ask for an overall band and a minimum for every skill. 5.0 in Reading meets the per-skill minimum at, for example:
- Binghamton UniversityUnited States · postgraduate · at least 5.0 in each skill
- Cleveland State UniversityUnited States · undergraduate · at least 5.0 in each skill
- Canadore CollegeCanada · undergraduate · at least 5.0 in each skill
- Northern Alberta Institute of TechnologyCanada · undergraduate · at least 5.0 in each skill
- Atlantic Technological UniversityIreland · undergraduate · at least 5.0 in each skill
- Griffith CollegeIreland · undergraduate · at least 5.0 in each skill
You also need their overall band. Search university requirements
Frequently asked questions
What band is 18 out of 40 in IELTS Academic Reading?
Band 5.0. In the table, 15 to 18 correct answers are band 5.0.
How many more correct answers do I need for band 5.5?
1 more. Band 5.5 starts at 19 correct answers out of 40.
What is 18 out of 40 in the other IELTS papers?
IELTS Listening: band 5.5. IELTS General Training Reading: band 4.0.
Sources
- IELTS: IELTS scoring in detail
- British Council: IELTS scoring in detail (Taiwan)
- IDP IELTS: IELTS Reading band scores (Bangladesh)
- IELTS: IELTS and the CEFR
- British Council: Understanding and explaining IELTS scores
All accessed on 10 October 2026. GoPrep is not affiliated with IELTS.
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