Took your English test before 7 August 2025? Your result may still count, but check these dates first

If you took IELTS, PTE Academic or OET before 7 August 2025, you may be wondering whether that result still counts for an Australian visa, or whether you need to book and pay for another test. Getting it wrong can cost you a test fee you did not need, or worse, an application lodged with a result that no longer fits the visa. This article explains what the Department of Home Affairs says about older results, how long they may be used, why the score you need depends on your test date, and how to check your own case before you apply.

The short answer: older results may be used until 6 August 2028

On its English language page, Home Affairs says that results from an English test taken on or before 6 August 2025 may be used as evidence of English proficiency for Australian visas until 6 August 2028 inclusive, depending on the visa.

Two words in that sentence matter a lot:

• "may": it is a permission, not a promise. The rules of your visa still apply.
• "depending on the visa": each visa has its own English requirement and time rules, so the same result can work for one visa and not for another.

So the date of 6 August 2028 is best read as an outer limit for older results, not a guarantee that your result is fine until then.

Why your test date changes the score you need

Home Affairs now lists different PTE Academic minimums for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025 and for tests taken on or before 6 August 2025. If you mix them up, you could think your score is enough when it is not, or book a new test you did not need.

Competent English with PTE Academic

The Competent English page gives these minimums for PTE Academic:

Notice the pattern. For an older test, you need 50 in each component. For a newer test, the listening and reading minimums are a little lower, but the writing and speaking minimums are higher. A newer test is not automatically easier or harder: it depends on where your strengths are.

Proficient English with PTE Academic

The same split applies on the Proficient English page. For a PTE Academic test taken on or before 6 August 2025, the minimum is 65 in each component. For a test taken on or after 7 August 2025, it is at least 58 for listening, 59 for reading, 69 for writing and 76 for speaking.

IELTS

For IELTS Academic or IELTS General Training, the Competent English page lists at least 6 in each of listening, reading, writing and speaking, and the Proficient English page lists at least 7 in each. Older IELTS results fall under the same rule about use until 6 August 2028, depending on the visa.

The time limit of your visa still applies

This is the part many applicants miss. The Competent English page says the IELTS result must be achieved in the 3 years before the visa application, depending on the visa subclass. The transition date does not remove that kind of rule.

In practice, this means an older result could stop working for your visa before 6 August 2028. For example, a fictional applicant, Ana, took her test in early 2024. If her visa needs a result from the 3 years before her application, she would need to apply before that three-year window closes, even though the transition date is later.

So you need two dates for your own case:

1. Your test date. It is printed on your score report. It tells you which score table applies and whether the 6 August 2028 limit is relevant.
2. Your planned application date. Count back from it using the time rule for your visa, as stated on the official visa page.

Whichever limit comes first is the one that matters.

How to check your own result: 5 steps

1. Find the visa you plan to apply for and the English level it asks for (for example Competent or Proficient English). The visa page on the Home Affairs website states this.
2. Check your test date on your score report: on or before 6 August 2025, or on or after 7 August 2025.
3. Open the right English level page and compare each component of your result with the minimum for your test date, not with the overall score.
4. Check the time rule for your visa and count back from the date you expect to apply.
5. Check how you sat the test. Home Affairs does not accept English tests delivered completely online (at home), for example IELTS Online or OET@Home, so a result from an at-home test will not help, whatever its date.

If your visa also involves points, a higher English level may matter to you. Our article on Proficient English scores for Australia walks through those minimums, and Competent English for Australia covers the base level in more detail.

Should you keep your old result or take a new test?

There is no single right answer. These questions help you decide.

Keep your older result if

• every component meets the minimum for your test date and English level;
• you plan to apply well inside both the visa's time rule and 6 August 2028;
• you sat the test at a test centre, not completely online.

Think about a new test if

• one component is below the minimum, or only just meets it;
• your application may be delayed past your visa's time limit or past 6 August 2028;
• you need a higher English level than your old result shows.

If you do book a new test, remember that the newer PTE Academic minimums put more weight on writing and speaking. Someone who scored 50 in each component on an older test, for example, would need to lift writing and speaking to meet the newer Competent English minimums. Our article on PTE score requirements for Australia shows the newer numbers side by side.

Preparing for a new test

If you decide to sit again, practise the format of the test you will book. PractiseNow has practice for IELTS Academic, IELTS General Training, PTE Academic, PTE Core and OET, and you choose your test and see only its task types and timings. Every spoken or written answer gets an estimated score, the key ideas you covered and missed, and line-by-line corrections. These are practice estimates, not official results: only the official test provider issues a score that Home Affairs accepts.

The free plan gives you the first 3 Starter sets and the first Builder set of every task type in your test, plus 3 AI credits. You can pick your test or start free.

While you sort out your English, other parts of a skilled visa application take time too. If you need a skills assessment for an Australian occupation, RPLDirect explains qualifications and skills assessment options in Australia. And when you apply for jobs, Build AI CV lets you show your test scores and dates clearly on your resume.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a PTE result from 2024 for an Australian visa?

It may be used until 6 August 2028, depending on the visa. It must meet the older minimums for your English level, and the time rule of your visa still applies.

Which PTE minimums apply to a test taken in July 2025?

A test taken on or before 6 August 2025 uses the older minimums, for example 50 in each component for Competent English.

Does the 2028 date apply to IELTS and OET too?

The Home Affairs statement covers results from an English test taken on or before 6 August 2025, depending on the visa. Check the English level page for your test and visa.

Can I use an at-home online test result?

No. Home Affairs does not accept English tests delivered completely online, such as IELTS Online or OET@Home.

Last checked: 30 October 2026 against the official pages linked above. Test rules and score requirements change: confirm on the official pages before you book or apply.