2.3. How Reading Is Marked
Learn how 40 questions become a band score, and why you should never leave a blank.
The short version
40 questions, 40 marks.
An answer is either right or wrong. There is no part mark.
Nothing is taken off for a wrong answer.
An empty box always scores zero.
One mark for each question
There are forty questions and forty marks. Every question counts the same. Nobody judges the quality of your English here, as an examiner does in Writing and Speaking. An answer is right or it is wrong.
Nothing is taken off for a wrong answer
A wrong answer and an empty box both score zero. Nothing extra is taken away for guessing. So a guess can only ever help you.
Marks become a band
Your number of correct answers is turned into a band score using a conversion table. The more you get right, the higher the band. Academic and General Training use different tables, because General Training texts are easier.
| Band | Academic | General Training |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | about 35 to 36 | about 38 |
| 7 | about 30 to 32 | about 34 to 35 |
| 6 | about 23 to 26 | about 30 to 31 |
| 5 | about 15 to 18 | about 23 to 26 |
A rough guide only. The exact table shifts a mark or two between papers. General Training needs more correct answers for the same band.
Quiz time3 questions
Three quick questions on marking.
Each question
Choose the value of one question.
How many marks is each question worth?
A wrong answer
Choose what happens.
What happens if you give a wrong answer?
An empty box
Choose the best habit.
What should you do with an empty box?
Recap
Forty questions, forty marks, one mark each.
Nothing is taken off for a wrong answer, so never leave a blank.
General Training needs more correct answers for the same band, so aim a little above your target.
Next: how to spend the sixty minutes so no text is left unread.