Australian visa English score checker

What PTE score is competent English? For PTE Academic tests from 7 August 2025: at least 47 Listening, 48 Reading, 51 Writing and 54 Speaking.

Each of the four skills must reach its own minimum. Your visa's page says which level it needs.

When you take (or took) the test
Your scores optional

Competent English with IELTS Academic

6.0 in each skill

For tests from 7 August 2025, Home Affairs asks for 6.0 in each skill.

Your result

Competent English with IELTS Academic: 6.0 in each skill. For tests from 7 August 2025, Home Affairs asks for 6.0 in each skill. Add your scores to check them.

IELTS Academic: your scores against competent English
  • Listening–needs 6.0
  • Reading–needs 6.0
  • Writing–needs 6.0
  • Speaking–needs 6.0
  • Your score
  • Minimum
  • Taken at a test centre Home Affairs does not accept tests taken fully online: CELPIP Online, IELTS Online, LANGUAGECERT Academic Online, MET Digital (taken at home), OET@Home, TOEFL iBT Home Edition.
  • One Skill Retake IELTS results that include a One Skill Retake are accepted for eligible visas; check the visa page.
  • Passport holders Citizens with a valid passport from Canada, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom, United States of America can show that instead of a test.

Read the Home Affairs table

Work on the skill that holds you back

Questions people ask

What PTE score is competent English?

For PTE Academic tests from 7 August 2025: at least 47 Listening, 48 Reading, 51 Writing and 54 Speaking. Before that date it was 50 in each.

What IELTS score is proficient English?

At least 7 in each of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking, for IELTS Academic or General Training, before and after 7 August 2025.

Does my old PTE score still count?

Home Affairs says tests on or before 6 August 2025 may be used until 6 August 2028, depending on the visa, and still within that visa's own time limit.

Can I use IELTS Online or OET@Home for an Australian visa?

No. Home Affairs does not accept tests taken fully online, including IELTS Online, OET@Home and TOEFL iBT Home Edition.

Keep going

How we work this out

What it does

See the IELTS, PTE, TOEFL, OET or other score Home Affairs asks for at each English level, for your test date, and check your own scores.

Home Affairs' functional, vocational, competent, proficient and superior English, for every approved test: IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, OET, Cambridge C1 Advanced, CELPIP General, LANGUAGECERT Academic and MET, for tests from 7 August 2025 and on or before 6 August 2025.

Method

  1. We transcribed every minimum from the five Home Affairs level pages (last updated 21 September 2026) by script, not by hand.
  2. Your test date picks the table: tests from 7 August 2025 use the new scores, older tests the old ones.
  3. Each of your four scores is compared with its own minimum; functional English uses one overall score.
  4. With a test date, the last day to apply is 3 years later (12 months for functional), and older tests stop counting on 6 August 2028 (6 August 2026 for functional).

Published figures

Every Home Affairs minimum

Listening / Reading / Writing / Speaking for tests from 7 August 2025. Functional English uses one overall score.

Home Affairs level pages, checked 27 September 2026
TestFunctionalVocationalCompetentProficientSuperior
Cambridge C1 Advanced––163 / 163 / 170 / 179175 / 179 / 193 / 194186 / 190 / 210 / 208
CELPIP Generaloverall 55 / 5 / 5 / 57 / 7 / 7 / 79 / 8 / 10 / 810 / 10 / 12 / 10
IELTS Academicoverall 4.55.0 / 5.0 / 5.0 / 5.06.0 / 6.0 / 6.0 / 6.07.0 / 7.0 / 7.0 / 7.08.0 / 8.0 / 8.0 / 8.0
IELTS General Trainingoverall 4.55.0 / 5.0 / 5.0 / 5.06.0 / 6.0 / 6.0 / 6.07.0 / 7.0 / 7.0 / 7.08.0 / 8.0 / 8.0 / 8.0
Michigan English Test (MET)overall 3849 / 47 / 45 / 3856 / 55 / 57 / 4861 / 63 / 74 / 59–
OEToverall 1020220 / 240 / 200 / 270290 / 310 / 290 / 330350 / 360 / 380 / 360390 / 400 / 420 / 400
LANGUAGECERT Academicoverall 3841 / 44 / 45 / 5457 / 60 / 64 / 7067 / 71 / 78 / 8280 / 83 / 89 / 89
PTE Academicoverall 2433 / 36 / 29 / 2447 / 48 / 51 / 5458 / 59 / 69 / 7669 / 70 / 85 / 88
TOEFL iBToverall 268 / 8 / 9 / 1416 / 16 / 19 / 1922 / 22 / 26 / 2426 / 27 / 30 / 28
Tests taken on or before 6 August 2025
TestFunctionalVocationalCompetentProficientSuperior
IELTS (Academic or General Training)overall 4.55.0 / 5.0 / 5.0 / 5.06.0 / 6.0 / 6.0 / 6.07.0 / 7.0 / 7.0 / 7.08.0 / 8.0 / 8.0 / 8.0
PTE Academicoverall 3036 / 36 / 36 / 3650 / 50 / 50 / 5065 / 65 / 65 / 6579 / 79 / 79 / 79
TOEFL iBToverall 324 / 4 / 14 / 1412 / 13 / 21 / 2124 / 24 / 27 / 2328 / 29 / 30 / 26
OET–B / B / B / BB / B / B / BB / B / B / BA / A / A / A
Cambridge C1 Advancedoverall 147154 / 154 / 154 / 154169 / 169 / 169 / 169185 / 185 / 185 / 185200 / 200 / 200 / 200

Sources

Checked .