The AI examiner
BandCheck grew out of a Telegram bot that graded over 1,200 IELTS Writing essays. That history matters: the model was tuned and checked against real, human-graded work, so its bands track how examiners actually mark rather than a generic "grammar score".
For Writing, your essay is assessed against the four official IELTS criteria, and each one receives its own band with specific, actionable feedback:
- Task Response / Task Achievement — did you answer the whole question and support it?
- Coherence & Cohesion — is it logically organised and well linked?
- Lexical Resource — range and precision of vocabulary.
- Grammatical Range & Accuracy — variety and correctness of structures.
The four criterion bands are averaged and rounded to the nearest half band to give your Writing band — the same way a real examiner arrives at a section score.
For Speaking, a live AI examiner runs the interview and scores Fluency & Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range & Accuracy, and Pronunciation. Crucially, pronunciation is judged from your actual audio — stress, rhythm and intonation — not just a transcript, which is where transcript-only tools fall short.
Where our band tables come from
Listening and Reading are marked out of 40 and converted to a band. IELTS does not publish a single official raw-score-to-band table, so BandCheck uses the standard approximations published across IDP and British Council preparation materials — the same tables reputable teachers rely on. Academic and General Training Reading use different tables because GT texts are easier, so you need more correct answers for the same band.
You can see these tables in full, and try the conversion yourself, in the free IELTS Band Score Calculator.
How the overall band is calculated
Your overall band is the average of your four section bands, rounded to the nearest half band, with halves rounding up: an average ending in .25 rises to the next half band, and .75 rises to the next whole band. For example, 7.0 / 6.5 / 6.0 / 7.0 averages 6.625 and rounds to 6.5. This is an official IELTS rule, not a BandCheck choice, and our calculator applies it exactly.
What BandCheck can — and can't — do
We think being straight about this builds more trust than over-claiming:
- It can give you a fast, criterion-by-criterion band estimate, show you which criterion is holding you back, and let you practise as often as you like.
- It can't issue an official result. The real exam is marked by certified human examiners; results can differ from any estimate, most often by up to half a band and especially near band boundaries.
- It isn't affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by IDP, British Council or Cambridge. IELTS is a trademark of its owners. Use BandCheck to prepare and track progress, not as a substitute for the official test.
Languages & access
BandCheck's interface is available in English, Russian and Uzbek, and the free tools run entirely in your browser with no signup and no card. The full product scores all four skills — Writing, Speaking, Reading and Listening — with band feedback.
FAQ
Is AI IELTS grading accurate?
BandCheck applies the same four official criteria a human examiner uses and was calibrated on 1,200+ human-graded essays, so estimates are usually within about half a band. It's a close guide, not an official result — the real exam is examiner-marked and can differ, especially at band boundaries.
Does BandCheck really check pronunciation?
Yes. Speaking is scored from your real audio, so pronunciation features — word stress, rhythm, intonation — count toward the band, unlike transcript-only graders that can't hear how you actually sound.
Are the Listening and Reading tables official?
No single official table exists. We use the standard published approximations from IDP and British Council materials; real boundaries vary by a mark or two per test version, so treat the band as an estimate.