Australia's visa English levels: the scores for Competent, Proficient and Superior English

These are the PTE Academic minimums for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, from the Functional, Vocational, Competent, Proficient and Superior English pages. Home Affairs notes that PTE Academic kept its name, but the test and its scores changed on that date.

The new minimums are no longer the same number in every skill. At the Proficient and Superior levels, writing and speaking now need higher scores than listening and reading. Old and new scores are on different scales, so do not compare them point for point.

IELTS did not change. IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training need the same bands, and results that include One Skill Retake are accepted for eligible visas. Home Affairs has accepted One Skill Retake since 14 December 2022; each visa page says whether it applies to that visa.

For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, Home Affairs also accepts TOEFL iBT, OET, Cambridge C1 Advanced, CELPIP General, LANGUAGECERT Academic and the Michigan English Test (MET), all taken at a secure test centre. Each cell lists listening, reading, writing and speaking in that order. 'Not listed' means Home Affairs gives no score for that test at that level.

Functional English uses one overall score: TOEFL iBT total 26, OET overall 1020, LANGUAGECERT Academic 38, MET 38 and CELPIP General 5. C1 Advanced is not listed for Functional English. For TOEFL iBT, you must choose 'Taking TOEFL for Australia' when you register. OET reports do not show an overall score, so you have to ask OET for it.

Some visas name a level. Others publish their own table, which can differ from the five levels. These are the visas people ask about most, as stated on each visa's Home Affairs page.

The 485 accepts IELTS One Skill Retake and MET Single Section Retake, but any retake must be finished before you lodge. Cambridge C1 Advanced is not accepted for 485 tests taken from 7 August 2025. Holders of Hong Kong or British National (Overseas) passports have a lower table. Our 485 visa score guide has the full table.

The 482 table applies to tests taken on or after 13 September 2025. For tests before that date the 482 page still uses the older rules, such as PTE Academic 36 overall with 36 in each skill. Several groups are exempt, including passport holders from Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. See IELTS for the 482 visa.

On the 189 and 190 pages, every family member aged 18 or over who applies with you must have Functional English, or you pay a second instalment of AUD4,885 when Home Affairs asks. It asks only if it is going to grant the visa. See Functional English for Australia.

The subclass 189 points table gives English points as below. You need at least 65 points to be invited. Competent English is the entry level, so it earns nothing. Moving from Competent to Superior adds 20 points.

Your partner can add points too. A partner who applies for the same visa and has Competent English earns you 5 points. If your partner also meets the age and skills criteria, it is 10 points. Try the Australia PR points calculator to see your total.

Home Affairs does not give a test result a fixed life. Instead, each visa says how recent the test must be on the day you apply. For Vocational, Competent, Proficient and Superior English, the level pages say the test must be in the 3 years before your visa application, depending on the visa subclass. Functional English needs a test in the 12 months before the application.

Some visas set a shorter window. The 485 needs a test in the 12 months immediately before you apply. The Student visa needs a test in the 2 years before you lodge, or before the decision if you are at Streamlined Evidence level and Home Affairs asks for evidence. See how long an IELTS score is valid for other countries.

The biggest change came on 7 August 2025, when Home Affairs replaced its list of approved tests and its score tables. Results from older tests still count for a while, as the table shows.

Home Affairs does not accept tests taken fully online, such as IELTS Online, OET@Home, CELPIP Online, LANGUAGECERT Academic Online, MET Digital at home or TOEFL iBT Home Edition. Book a test centre.

To see what your current score means, use the PTE score chart or the IELTS score chart. A free PTE Academic mock for Australia gives you an AI score for each skill. It is a practice estimate, not an official Pearson score, but it shows which skill is furthest from your target.

Home Affairs changes these rules, sometimes at short notice. Confirm the current scores on the Home Affairs English language page before you book a test or lodge an application. This guide restates the department's pages; it is not migration advice.