Difference Between Band 7 and 8 IELTS Reading
Raw scores · Passage 3 · May 2026
Direct answer
Band 7 Reading is about 30–32 correct out of 40; Band 8 is about 35–36. Band 7 readers understand most passages but lose marks on judgment items (True/False/Not Given), heading mismatches, and slow recovery on Passage 3. Band 8 readers verify claims against exact wording, manage time in 20-minute blocks, and treat inference as proof-based—not “sounds right.”
Band 7 vs Band 8 at a glance
| Band | Typical raw | Typical leak |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | ~30–32/40 | TFNG over-inference; P3 time |
| 8 | ~35–36/40 | Rare scope slips only |
What changes between 7 and 8
Proof Underline sentence that justifies TFNG—not topic match
Time 20 min per passage; skip-and-return on one hard item
P3 Track author stance, not only vocabulary
What to drill next
See why Writing band lags behind Reading, advanced Reading traps at Band 7+, and Band 7 vs 8 Listening.
Key takeaways
- Band 8 Reading ≈ five fewer errors than Band 7 on the same paper.
- Judgment questions—not vocabulary—cause most 7 caps.
- Passage 3 time management separates stable 8s from 7.5 swings.
- Log TFNG vs matching vs detail errors per mock.
FAQ
About 35–36 of 40 on most papers; Band 7 is roughly 30–32—cutoffs shift slightly by test form.
Partly—but judgment accuracy on TFNG and matching headings matters more than raw WPM.
Passage 3: dense argument, inference, and vocabulary-in-context under time pressure.
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