How We Score: Our Methodology

The official criteria, not our own

We do not invent a scoring system. Your performance is assessed against the four criteria from the public Cambridge band descriptors — Fluency and Coherence, Lexical Resource, Grammatical Range and Accuracy, and Pronunciation — with a whole band per criterion and the average reported to the nearest half band, the same arithmetic the real test uses.

If you want the criteria themselves explained in plain English, that lives on our how scoring works page.

How the AI examiner is calibrated

The examiner in every mock is an AI, and each of the four criterion scores it produces is grounded in the wording of the public descriptors. To keep the output aligned with them, we maintain a set of reference sessions with known target bands and regularly evaluate the scoring against those anchors. When it drifts — most commonly toward optimism — we recalibrate.

We deliberately tune against the score inflation that is common in AI practice tools. A flattering band feels good in the app and costs you on your real test day; we would rather you hear the stricter reading now, while there is still time to act on it. For the same reason we make no accuracy percentage claims — an estimate is an estimate, and we say so.

What an AI mock can and can't tell you

A mock with IELTS Examiner AI reproduces the real exam format: all three parts, the 1-minute Part 2 preparation, the timing, and a two-way interview in Parts 1 and 3. It is good at showing which criterion is holding you back and whether you are trending up between sessions.

It is not an official result. Only a real IELTS test taken at an authorised centre produces a band you can submit to a university or a visa programme. Our job is to make sure the number you walk in with is not a surprise.

Who is behind this

IELTS Examiner AI is built and maintained by the IELTS Examiner AI team — the same team writes the content on this site. We publish under the team name rather than invented personas. Questions about scoring or anything on this page: hello@sevenlynx.com.