Hello,

Is 7,5 a bad score for speaking? I am 29 years old and I took the Ielts for the first time last week. I spent five days preparing for the exam. My results were: 8 overall; 8.5 in listening; 8 in reading; 7,5 in speaking and 7 in writing. I am a bit disappointed in my speaking and writing scores. What do they really mean? Should I be considered an intermediate or advanced English speaker. Should I try to retake one of these sections?

Thank you very much

Question

Hello,

Is 7,5 a bad score for speaking? I am 29 years old and I took the Ielts for the first time last week. I spent five days preparing for the exam. My results were: 8 overall; 8.5 in listening; 8 in reading; 7,5 in speaking and 7 in writing. I am a bit disappointed in my speaking and writing scores. What do they really mean? Should I be considered an intermediate or advanced English speaker. Should I try to retake one of these sections?

Thank you very much

Answer

It is completely normal to get less in speaking and writing compared with reading and listening. Your speaking and writing scores are very, very good. You should be proud of them.

Answer

it's "advanced" but not "upper advanced"

Answer

As a reference, 7.5 (or 6.5, I'm not 100% sure) is the IELTS score I had to get to enter an MA in English Literature at a British university. So I would say it's pretty good.