IELTS and PTE Scores for Australian PR: Complete 2026 Guide

Unified English Test Score Comparison Table for Australia PR

The Department of Home Affairs currently accepts several English language tests for skilled migration points. You can use our updated comparison table below to see the exact scores required to hit your target points bracket.

* Note: The scores above apply to tests taken on or after 7 August 2025. The Department also accepts Cambridge C1 Advanced, Michigan English Test (MET), LANGUAGECERT Academic, and TOEFL iBT (if taken specifically for Australia). Please check the official Home Affairs website for the exact thresholds for these alternative tests.

Competent, Proficient, and Superior English Explained

When it comes to the Australian points test, your English proficiency is grouped into three main tiers. Keep in mind that you generally need to achieve the minimum score across all four components (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) to qualify for a specific tier.

Competent English (0 Bonus Points)

Think of Competent English as the bare minimum entry ticket to lodge a valid Expression of Interest (EOI) for General Skilled Migration (GSM) visas. It won't give you any extra points towards your total score, but it makes you eligible to apply. If you hold a valid passport from the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand, or the Republic of Ireland, you automatically meet this level. Otherwise, you'll need an IELTS 6.0, PTE 50, or equivalent across all bands.

Proficient English (10 Points)

Achieving Proficient English gives your profile a really solid 10-point boost. This means scoring an IELTS 7.0 in each band. For many applicants, securing 10 points here is achievable with a bit of dedicated study and makes a noticeable difference when assessing how your English level impacts your overall PR score.

Superior English (20 Points)

Superior English is the gold standard, rewarding you with the maximum 20 points. Nailing an IELTS score of 8.0 across all bands is tough, but it's one of the most powerful levers you can pull to dramatically increase your score. If you're figuring out how to increase your PR points for a highly competitive occupation, Superior English is practically a must-have.

Which English Test Should You Choose?

While the Department now accepts up to eight different tests, most applicants still find themselves weighing up IELTS, PTE Academic, and CELPIP. The "best" test honestly comes down to your personal strengths, typing speed, and professional background.

• PTE Academic: Historically the favourite for applicants chasing Superior English because it's fully computerised. However, since the August 2025 reforms, PTE is no longer the "easy 20 points" it used to be. To hit Superior, you now need an 85 in Writing and an 88 in Speaking, which demands a very high level of fluency and structural accuracy. It's still a great test, but you can't rely purely on test hacks anymore.
• IELTS (Academic or General): The tried-and-true classic. A massive benefit for PR applicants is that the Department of Home Affairs accepts both Academic and General Training formats. Just double-check your skills assessment-some bodies, like AITSL for teachers, strictly require IELTS Academic.
• CELPIP General: A newer addition to the list but rapidly gaining popularity. Known for having a highly practical, everyday-English focus, many find its speaking component (speaking into a microphone rather than to an examiner) less intimidating than IELTS.
• OET (Occupational English Test): Tailored specifically for healthcare professionals (like nurses, doctors, and allied health workers). It uses real medical scenarios, so if you're already working in healthcare, this is often the most natural choice.

IELTS One Skill Retake (OSR)

One of the biggest recent game-changers for migration applicants is that the Department of Home Affairs formally accepts the IELTS One Skill Retake (OSR). Before this, if you crushed Reading, Listening, and Speaking with an 8.0, but slipped up with a 7.5 in Writing, you had to sit through the entire gruelling test all over again.

Now, if you miss your target score in just one of the four skills, you can retake that single skill within 60 days of your original test date.

Is it Actually Worth Upgrading to Superior English?

We get asked this constantly, and the short answer is: Yes, almost always.

Jumping from Proficient (10 points) to Superior English (20 points) hands you a massive +10 point advantage. In today's hyper-competitive migration landscape, those 10 points are frequently the deciding factor between languishing in the SkillSelect pool for years or receiving an invitation within a few months. To put it in perspective, finding 10 points elsewhere usually means accumulating three to five extra years of relevant overseas work experience, or finishing a Ph.D.

Spending 3 to 6 months grinding through intensive English practice (or even switching from IELTS to CELPIP if you're consistently struggling with the writing format) is statistically the fastest and most controllable way to maximise your points. We highly recommend playing around with our points calculator to see exactly how a Superior English score impacts your ranking.

Frequently Asked Questions