What is 37 out of 40 in IELTS Reading?
Quick answer
IELTS.org's highest listed Reading point is 35 marks, for Academic band 8 and General Training band 7, so 37 and 38 out of 40 are past anything it publishes. The indicative table the site's band calculator uses reads the row as an estimated 8.5 in Academic and 8.0 in General Training.
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Part of The IELTS test, answered
Two wrong answers or three is a narrow margin, and above 35 marks IELTS.org’s published list has run out. This row is read only from an indicative table.
Beyond the last published point
The highest points IELTS.org lists for Reading are 35 marks, which it gives as the average for Academic band 8 and General Training band 7. A 37 is two marks past that and a 38 is three. IELTS.org lists no point for band 8.5 or band 9 in Academic, and none for band 8 or above in General Training. So the official answer to “what is 38 out of 40” is only that it is above the highest listed average.
The estimated bands
The table the site’s band score calculator uses supplies the rest. It reads 37 and 38 as 8.5 in Academic and as 8.0 in General Training, half a band lower because General Training generally needs more correct answers for the same band. These are estimates. IELTS.org states: “The precise number of marks needed to achieve these band scores will vary slightly from test version to test version.” On a given test version, 37 could read as 8.0 or as 8.5, and the table cannot tell which. The shape of an 8.5 is set out in what level IELTS 8.5 is.
In the overall band
Reading counts as one section in four. The overall is their average rounded to the nearest half band, with .25 up and .75 up, so an 8.5 can carry an overall of 8.0 or 8.5 only if the other sections follow. The calculator does the sum.
What is left to gain
Only one row remains, 39 to 40, which is 1 or 2 marks away. Moving down, the previous row is 35 to 36. If your aim is this band in Reading, the answer on how to get 8.5 in IELTS Reading is the next read.
Practising
Use the site’s Reading practice test, marked in the browser with an indicative band from the same table.
What this means for your score
A candidate answers 38 of 40 questions correctly, missing two. In Academic that is three marks past the 35 listed for band 8. In General Training it is three past the 35 listed for band 7. IELTS.org lists nothing higher for either version, so the indicative table's 8.5 and 8.0 are the only reading available.
Frequently asked questions
Is 37 out of 40 a good Reading score?
It is an estimated 8.5 in Academic, near the top of the scale. Whether that is more than you need depends on the requirement of the institution or authority.
Which table is the official one?
Only the four points IELTS.org lists per version, and this row lies above the last of them. IELTS.org also says the marks needed vary slightly between versions, so the 8.5 and 8.0 here are estimates.
How many marks for the next band?
The next indicative row is 39 to 40, estimated at 9.0 in Academic, which is 2 more than 37 or 1 more than 38. IELTS.org lists no mark for band 9.
What is 37 to 38 out of 40 in General Training?
The indicative table reads both as 8.0. IELTS.org's General Training list ends at band 7 with 35 marks, so 37 and 38 are past its last point.
Sources
- IELTS scoring in detail: band scores explained — IELTS.org
- IELTS Academic: Reading test format — IELTS.org
- IELTS General Training: Reading test format — IELTS.org
Last verified 11 Nov 2026
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