Competent English for Australian visas: the IELTS, PTE and OET numbers in one place
Published 5 min read
You've put in the hours, but Competent English for an Australian visa needs a specific number in listening, reading, writing and speaking — fall short on just one skill and the whole application can stall, no matter how strong your other scores are. Here's where Home Affairs sets the bar for IELTS, PTE Academic and OET, plus what changed in August 2025 and what to do if your result is older.
What Competent English actually means for your visa
Competent English is one of several English levels the Department of Home Affairs uses across different Australian visas, alongside levels such as Functional and Proficient English. Which level applies, and whether it earns points or is simply a requirement to meet, depends on the visa subclass, so the same test result can matter in quite different ways depending on what you're applying for.
Why it matters even beyond points-tested visas
Some visas need Competent English just to qualify, with no extra points on offer; others award points on top of a base requirement. Either way, missing the number in even one skill can mean the test doesn't count for that condition at all, no matter how high your other three scores are.
How long a result counts
Competent English generally needs to be shown with a result achieved in the three years before your visa application, though the exact window depends on the visa you're applying for, so check your own visa's page before you rely on an older score.
Competent English scores for IELTS, PTE Academic and OET
These are the minimum scores Home Affairs lists for Competent English in each of the four skills, for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025.
| Test | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic or General Training) | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| PTE Academic | 47 | 48 | 51 | 54 |
| OET | 290 | 310 | 290 | 330 |
Notice that IELTS uses the same band for every skill, while PTE Academic and OET ask for a different number in each one. That difference matters for how you plan: an IELTS candidate can treat 6 as a single target, while a PTE or OET candidate often finds one skill is further from its own number than the others.
Which tests Home Affairs accepts
For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, Home Affairs accepts C1 Advanced, CELPIP General, IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training (including One Skill Retake), LANGUAGECERT Academic, the Michigan English Test, OET, PTE Academic and TOEFL iBT, taken at a secure test centre. Not every test on that list suits every visa or every budget, so it's worth checking which ones you can practise for before you commit to one.
If you tested before 7 August 2025
Results from an English test taken on or before 6 August 2025 may still be used as evidence of English proficiency for Australian visas until 6 August 2028 inclusive, depending on the visa. If your test falls in that window, check your specific visa's page rather than assuming either the old or the new rule applies by default.
The scores themselves also moved for PTE Academic: for tests taken on or before 6 August 2025, Competent English needed 50 in each of listening, reading, writing and speaking, rather than the 47, 48, 51 and 54 that apply from 7 August 2025 onwards. IELTS and OET candidates should still confirm their own test's requirement on the official page, since not every test's numbers moved the same way, and relying on an old number for the wrong test date can cost you a booking fee if your result turns out not to meet the current rule.
A practice plan to close the gap before you book
- Take one full practice set in each skill at Exam level to find out which skill sits furthest below the score you need.
- Spend most of your remaining time on that weakest skill, rather than splitting it evenly across all four.
- Work through Starter and Builder levels first if a skill is well below target, then move to Exam level once you're consistently close.
- Use feedback on every spoken or written answer to fix the same mistake before it repeats in your next attempt.
- Leave a buffer week before you book, so a flat practice score has time to recover rather than forcing a rushed booking.
- Book your test only once your weakest skill is consistently at or above the number you need, not just your average across all four.
PractiseNow lets you pick IELTS Academic, IELTS General Training, PTE Academic, PTE Core or OET and practises only that test's task types, so you're not wading through formats you'll never sit. Each task type moves through Starter, Builder and Exam levels, from slower audio and a hint on every question to real exam timing with no help, so you can build up to full speed one step at a time. Speaking and writing answers get an estimated score and line-by-line corrections from AI feedback, which you can use to target the skill sitting furthest below the number you need, and listening and reading answers are checked instantly so you can see straight away where a practice set went wrong.
It also helps to remember that Competent English is not an average: a strong speaking score cannot make up for a reading score that falls one point short, because Home Affairs looks at each of the four numbers on its own. That is the main reason a study plan built around your weakest skill tends to work better than one that simply repeats whichever practice set feels most comfortable from one week to the next.
Frequently asked questions
What is Competent English for an Australian visa?
It's one of the English levels Home Affairs sets for visa purposes, met by reaching a minimum score in each of listening, reading, writing and speaking in an accepted test.
Do all Australian visas need the same English level?
No. Different visa subclasses ask for different levels, such as Functional, Competent, Proficient or Superior English, and some award extra points for a higher level than the minimum.
Does an older English test result still count?
Results from a test taken on or before 6 August 2025 may still count as evidence until 6 August 2028 inclusive, depending on the visa, so check your specific visa's page.
Can I use IELTS One Skill Retake for this?
IELTS General Training, including One Skill Retake, is on the list of tests Home Affairs accepts for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, but always confirm against your own visa's requirements.
Which tests count toward Competent English?
For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, Home Affairs lists C1 Advanced, CELPIP General, IELTS Academic and General Training, LANGUAGECERT Academic, the Michigan English Test, OET, PTE Academic and TOEFL iBT.
Last checked: 11 October 2026. Test rules and score requirements change: confirm on the official pages linked in this article before you book or apply.
Compare your weakest skill against the five tests on offer, check the current numbers on the Home Affairs Competent English page and the English language requirements page, then start free or compare passes once you know which skill needs the most work.
