IELTS asks for one number in every skill, PTE asks for four: which suits your Australian visa?

Choosing between IELTS and PTE Academic for your Australian visa? The scores you need do not have the same shape in the two tests. IELTS asks for one band in every skill, while PTE Academic asks for four different scores, with the highest in speaking. Book the test that works against your weakest skill and you could pay for a second test and lose weeks before you can apply.

This article shows the Home Affairs numbers for both tests side by side, explains how the two tests differ on test day and in how fast results arrive, and gives you a two-week way to decide with timed practice instead of guesswork.

Both tests count for Australian visas, with conditions

For English tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, the Department of Home Affairs accepts IELTS Academic, IELTS General Training (including One Skill Retake) and PTE Academic, among other tests, as long as you sit them at a secure test centre. Tests delivered completely online at home are not accepted, and IELTS Online is named as one of them. The full list of accepted tests is on the Home Affairs English language page.

Which IELTS to book

Home Affairs takes both IELTS versions. The test owner describes General Training as the version for people migrating to countries such as Australia, and Academic as the version for degree-level study and professional registration, for example for doctors and nurses. If you will also need professional registration, check which version your regulator wants first. The difference between the two versions is covered in IELTS Academic or General Training: which one your plan needs.

Which PTE to book

For Australia it has to be PTE Academic. Pearson says PTE Academic is accepted by Home Affairs for all immigration visa types that require an English test. PTE Core, the version made for Canadian immigration, is not on the Home Affairs list, so a PTE Core score cannot support an Australian application. Read why PTE Core does not count for Australian visas before you book.

One number against four: the scores side by side

Home Affairs describes English ability in levels, including Competent, Proficient and Superior English. Which level you need depends on your visa subclass, and the department sets it, not the test owner.

Here is what each level asks for, for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025. The IELTS figure applies to both Academic and General Training, and it is a minimum in each of the four skills.

Competent English also has a time limit: the result must be achieved in the 3 years before your visa application, depending on the visa subclass. See the Competent English page for the exact wording; Proficient and Superior English have their own pages on the same site.

Reading the PTE pattern

In IELTS the target is flat: the same band in listening, reading, writing and speaking. In PTE Academic the target climbs from listening up to speaking. At Competent level the climb is gentle, from 47 to 54. At Proficient level it is steep: 58 in listening but 76 in speaking. At Superior level, writing needs 85 and speaking 88, close to the top of the scale.

So the useful question is not "which test is easier?" but "which skill is my weakest, and which test asks the most of it?" If speaking is where you struggle, a PTE target that peaks in speaking works against you, and the flat IELTS target may suit you better. Listening works the other way round, because its PTE minimum is the lowest of the four.

Why the numbers cannot be compared directly

IELTS bands run from 0 to 9, while PTE Academic scores run from 10 to 90. A PTE target of 76 is not harder than an IELTS 7 because it is a bigger number: the scales differ. Both lists are also skill-by-skill minimums, so a strong overall result does not rescue one weak skill.

If your PTE result is from before August 2025

For PTE Academic taken on or before 6 August 2025, the old minimums were 50 in each component for Competent, 65 for Proficient and 79 for Superior. Results from tests taken by that date may be used for Australian visas until 6 August 2028 inclusive, depending on the visa. More on that change: the higher PTE speaking target for Proficient English.

How the two tests feel on test day

IELTS: four parts and an interview with an examiner

IELTS has four components: Listening (30 minutes), Reading (60 minutes), Writing (60 minutes) and Speaking (11-14 minutes), which takes 2 hours and 45 minutes in total. Speaking is a recorded face-to-face interview with an examiner in three parts, and it may take place on the same day as the other sections or within 7 days of them.

PTE Academic: one sitting at a computer

PTE Academic is a single test of about 2 hours, taken on a computer at a test centre. It has three parts: Speaking and Writing (76-84 minutes), Reading (23-30 minutes) and Listening (31-39 minutes). In Listening, each audio or video clip is heard once. Instead of an interview with an examiner, your answers are marked by an AI scoring system, and Pearson says some responses are also reviewed by a human expert before the automated score is finalised.

What the formats mean for you

• Speaking style. If talking to a person helps you think, an interview may feel natural. If an examiner makes you freeze, a computer format may suit you.
• Typing. PTE Academic is taken on a computer, while IELTS can be taken on computer or on paper. If you type slowly, time yourself typing an essay first.
• Stamina. PTE Academic is one sitting. IELTS is longer in total, but its Speaking interview may be on a different day.

Results, retakes and deadlines

If a visa deadline is close, results timing matters as much as the score. Pearson says on its PTE Academic page that most test takers get results within two business days, but some may take up to five business days. IELTS on Computer results are usually available within 1-5 days, and IELTS on Paper results within 13 days, as the IELTS results timing page explains.

Retaking a single skill

IELTS One Skill Retake lets you retake one skill within 60 days of an eligible full IELTS on computer test, and only once per full test, and Home Affairs includes it in its list of accepted tests. Before you rely on it, read when a One Skill Retake counts for an Australian visa.

A two-week way to decide

Spend two weeks testing yourself in both formats, then let the gaps decide.

1. Confirm your level. Find the English level your visa subclass needs on the Home Affairs pages, and write down the IELTS band and the four PTE scores for that level.
2. Week one: IELTS-style practice. Do one timed set of each skill: a listening part, a reading passage, a Task 2 essay and a full speaking interview. Note your estimate for each skill.
3. Week two: PTE-style practice. Do the same with PTE Academic tasks such as Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence, Write Essay, Reading: Fill in the Blanks and Write from Dictation, all at full timing.
4. Compare the gaps, skill by skill. For each test, compare every estimate with its minimum. Do not average the gaps. Look at the biggest single gap, because that is the skill that could sink the whole result.
5. Choose the test with the gap you can close. Then check dates, test centres and fees with the test provider before you pay.
6. Plan the remaining weeks around that skill, with one full timed practice round every week.

Example: a fictional applicant

Amara, a fictional civil engineer, needs Proficient English. Her IELTS-style practice puts her at 7 in listening, reading and speaking, but below 7 in writing. Her PTE-style practice puts her above 58 in listening, 59 in reading and 69 in writing, but well under 76 in speaking. She decides that her essay writing is easier to fix than her speaking fluency, so she books IELTS and spends most of her practice on Task 2 essays. Her numbers are practice estimates, not test results, but they show her which way to lean.

Practising both formats on PractiseNow

PractiseNow has separate tracks for IELTS Academic, IELTS General Training and PTE Academic: you choose your test and see only its task types and timings. You can switch the test any time from your account, so the two-week comparison above can run in one place. Every task type has three levels, Starter, Builder and Exam, and the Exam level uses real timing with no help. Listening and reading answers are checked instantly with a question-by-question review, free on every plan. Spoken and written answers get AI feedback with an estimated score per criterion, and those scores are practice estimates, not official results. 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.

Start free, pick your test from the list of tests, or compare passes if you need more marking.

If your plan also involves having your qualifications or skills assessed in Australia, RPLDirect covers skills assessment and qualifications. When your test result arrives, add the test name, date and each skill score to your CV; Build AI CV is one way to put that CV together.

Frequently asked questions

Is PTE easier than IELTS for Australian PR?

Neither test is easier for everyone. They use different scales and different formats, so the better choice is the test where your weakest skill is closest to the Home Affairs minimum for your level.

Does Home Affairs accept IELTS General Training?

Yes. For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, Home Affairs accepts both IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training, taken at a secure test centre.

Can I use PTE Core for an Australian visa?

No. PTE Core is not on the Home Affairs list of accepted tests, so for Australia you need PTE Academic.

Do I need the same score in every skill?

In IELTS, yes: one band applies to all four skills. In PTE Academic each skill has its own minimum, and you have to meet every one of them.

Last checked: 25 October 2026. Test rules and score requirements change: confirm on the official pages linked in this article before you book or apply.