Should I give partly score of my English certification in my CV? I am writing a CV to get admission of a scholarship to study a PhD program in the US. My IELTS score is quite low, only 6.5/9, just enough to pass the door. However, my reading score is quite high, 8/9 (listening, writing and speaking are both 6). I have time to take the test again, but I'm suspect that my score can't be improved in a short time. I have some options here:


Show overall score. This is ordinary. The 6 band indicates that I "has generally effective command of the language".
Show only the reading score. The 8 band indicates that I "has fully operational command of the language". This is my preferred option, since after all reading is the most important skill to do research (I think).
Don't show anything. Overall score is low, and only show the reading score will raise the suspect in the recruiters that I'm hiding something.


Which one should I choose?
For US grad school applications, one  normally doesn't put test scores on a CV.  They will be requested on a different part of the application form, and you will also have to send a score report directly from the testing organization to the school where you are applying.

If the school requires these test scores, they will almost certainly require your scores for all parts.  If they don't require them, then you should omit them completely; there is no point in reporting some parts and not others (the omission may even look suspicious).

My understanding is that language exam scores are only really used as a "gatekeeper".  A score lower than the minimum requirement will be a serious problem for your application, but a score higher than the minimum will not significantly help.  So there's no reason to try to highlight your reading score.