Is PTE 90 a good score?
IELTS 9.0 describes an expert user. An overall comparison does not establish admission or visa eligibility. Check the required overall and individual skill scores with your institution or visa authority.
Skill scores that match IELTS 9.0
Universities and visa bodies often set a minimum per skill, not just overall. These are the PTE communicative-skill ranges that concord to IELTS 9.0 in each module.
| Skill | PTE range for IELTS 9.0 |
|---|---|
| Listening | 81–90 |
| Reading | 81–90 |
| Speaking | not concorded at this band |
| Writing | not concorded at this band |
What PTE 90 / IELTS 9.0 means for visas
An overall score cannot establish your English level for a visa. Check each skill against the official requirements below and the rules for your test date; meeting an English requirement alone does not establish visa eligibility.
Australia: If you scored 90 in each of the four PTE Academic skills, your English level would be Superior English for a test taken from 7 August 2025. Check your four skill scores with the PTE points calculator or see PTE Superior English.
| Country / level | IELTS (each skill) | PTE Academic (each skill) |
|---|---|---|
| Australia: Vocational English | 5.0 | 33 / 36 / 29 / 24 (L/R/W/S) |
| Australia: Competent English | 6.0 | 47 / 48 / 51 / 54 (L/R/W/S) |
| Australia: Proficient English (10 points) | 7.0 | 58 / 59 / 69 / 76 (L/R/W/S) |
| Australia: Superior English (20 points) | 8.0 | 69 / 70 / 85 / 88 (L/R/W/S) |
These PTE Academic minimums apply to tests taken from 7 August 2025. Earlier tests use different requirements. Verify each skill and the applicable test-date rules on the linked Department of Home Affairs page.
Keep your score sharp
Take a free AI-scored PTE Academic mock, see which skill is holding the overall down, and practise that task type until the score moves.
Take a free mock →Frequently asked questions
What is PTE 90 in IELTS?+
A PTE Academic overall score of 90 aligns with an IELTS overall band of 9.0. Pearson's July 2025 concordance maps PTE 90 to IELTS 9.0.
Is PTE 90 a good score?+
PTE Academic overall 90 aligns with IELTS 9.0 in Pearson's July 2025 concordance, which describes an expert user. Check the required overall and individual skill scores with your institution or visa authority.
What score does your university ask for?
Nearby scores
Source: Pearson, “Establishing score concordance between the enhanced PTE Academic and IELTS Academic” (July 2025). BandLadder is an independent practice platform, not an official Pearson tool. A concordance shows close equivalents, not exact one-to-one scores; check the requirement published by your institution or visa authority.
© 2026 BandLadder. Written and checked by the BandLadder team. You may quote or cite this page with credit to BandLadder and a link to it; republishing it in full needs our written permission. Content use policy