HOW WORDS ARE COUNTED IN IELTS

1. Numbers, dates, and time are counted as words in writing

Ex: 30,000 = one word 55 = one word
9.30am = one word 12.06.2016 = one word
“Six million” is counted as 2 words
In Ielts listening, “30,000” is counted as one number and 9.30AM is counted as
one number.

2. Dates written as both words and numbers are counted:

12th July = one number and one word in Ielts listening
= 2 words in Ielts writing

3. Symbols with numbers are not counted. 55% = one number

However, “55 percent” = one word + one number

4. Very short words always count as one word.  Prepositions are also counted. For
example, ‘the’, ‘a’, ‘an’, and ‘at’ all count as one word each. 

5. Hyphenated words, such as ‘two-thirds’, ‘ex-president’, and ‘fifty-five’ all count

as one word each.  
Numbers between 21-99 (except 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90) are always hyphenated
when written.  For example, 21=twenty-one, 55= fifty-five, and 72 = seventy-
two.  Therefore, these numbers count as one word each in IELTS writing, reading, and
listening.

6. Compound nouns which are written as one word  counted as one word.
Ex: blackboard/ sailboat = one word
Compound nouns which are written as two separate words are counted as 2 words.
Ex: university bookshop = 2 words.

7. All words are counted, including words in brackets.

Ex: “The majority of energy was generated by electricity (55%)”  9 words
Brackets can be used in Ielts writing task 1, but not in Ielts listening or Ielts reading

8. Contractions are counted: it’s = one word/ it is = 2 words

9. Repeated words are counted as normal

“The man walked into the shop for news