40 out of 40 in IELTS Academic Reading: what band is it?
40 out of 40 in IELTS Academic Reading is band 9.0. That is the top of the scale. One fewer would still be band 9.0.
Band 9.0 covers 39 to 40 correct answers. This row comes from the table printed with Cambridge’s official practice tests. It fits the four cut-offs IELTS publishes (15, 23, 30 and 35 marks), but no official IELTS page prints it, so treat it as an estimate.
Correct answers
Your Academic Reading band: 9.0
Your Academic Reading band
40 of 40 correct
That is the top of the scale.
40/40 in IELTS Academic Reading is about band 9.0.
40 out of 40 in the other papers
- IELTS Academic Reading9.0That is the top of the scale.
- IELTS Listening9.0That is the top of the scale.
- IELTS General Training Reading9.0That is the top of the scale.
What 9.0 in Reading meets
Universities ask for an overall band and a minimum for every skill. 9.0 in Reading meets the per-skill minimum at, for example:
- University of OxfordUnited Kingdom · undergraduate · at least 7.0 in each skill
- University of TorontoCanada · postgraduate · at least 6.5 in each skill
- The University of MelbourneAustralia · undergraduate · at least 6.0 in each skill
- University of CambridgeUnited Kingdom · undergraduate · at least 7.0 in each skill
- The University of British ColumbiaCanada · undergraduate · at least 6.0 in each skill
- The University of SydneyAustralia · undergraduate · at least 6.0 in each skill
You also need their overall band. Search university requirements
Frequently asked questions
What band is 40 out of 40 in IELTS Academic Reading?
Band 9.0. In the table, 39 to 40 correct answers are band 9.0.
Is 40 out of 40 the top band?
Yes. 40 correct answers is band 9.0, the top of the scale.
What is 40 out of 40 in the other IELTS papers?
IELTS Listening: band 9.0. IELTS General Training Reading: band 9.0.
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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