If you need an English test for an Australian visa or a university place in 2026, you will almost always choose between PTE Academic and IELTS. Both are accepted by the Department of Home Affairs for skilled migration English levels, and both are widely used by Australian universities. The better choice depends on how you prefer to take the speaking test, whether you need to retake only one skill, and which score minimums you must hit for your visa or course.
This guide compares PTE Academic and IELTS for Australian permanent residency (PR) points and university entry, using the Home Affairs rules that apply to tests taken on or after 7 August 2025.
Home Affairs accepts PTE Academic and IELTS (Academic or General Training, depending on the visa) as evidence of English for skilled migration. For points-tested visas, Competent English is usually required to lodge, Proficient English gives 10 points, and Superior English gives 20 points. You must meet the minimum in every skill. An overall score alone is not enough.
For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, the skill minimums are:
If your PTE was taken on or before 6 August 2025, the older equal-skill rules still apply for that result (for example 65 in each skill for Proficient and 79 in each skill for Superior), within the validity period Home Affairs sets for your visa. Our guide to PTE scores for Australian visas from August 2025 lists the full set of skill minimums.
Home Affairs does not accept fully online or at-home versions of these tests for visa purposes. Book a secure test-centre sitting for both PTE Academic and IELTS.
PTE Academic is a single computer-based test of about two hours at a test centre. Speaking and Writing are combined in one part. You speak into a headset microphone in a room with other candidates. From 7 August 2025 the test includes two extra Speaking and Writing question types, Summarize Group Discussion and Respond to a Situation, on top of the earlier task types. Pearson publishes scores on a 10–90 scale for the overall score and for Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing. Results are typically ready in about two days (Pearson says no more than five business days).
IELTS takes about two hours and 45 minutes in total. Listening, Reading and Writing are separate papers (computer-delivered or paper, depending on the centre). Speaking is a short interview with a human examiner, either face to face or by video call in a private room. Scores use bands from 0 to 9. Computer-delivered IELTS results are often available the next day. For many visas, Home Affairs also accepts IELTS One Skill Retake (OSR), which lets you retake one skill once if your visa subclass allows it. Always check your visa page before relying on OSR.
Pick PTE Academic if you prefer a fully computer-based day, want one sitting for all four skills, and are comfortable speaking into a mic with other people nearby. Plan practice around the higher Writing and Speaking minimums for Proficient and Superior English.
Pick IELTS if you perform better in a face-to-face speaking interview, you may need One Skill Retake for an eligible visa, or your migration agent or university pack already assumes IELTS bands.
Neither test is automatically easier. The right one is the one that matches how you score under exam conditions. If you are unsure, take a timed practice test in each format and compare your skill gaps with the Home Affairs table above.
Australian universities usually accept PTE Academic and IELTS Academic for admission, but the numbers are set by the institution and the course, not by Home Affairs. A course might ask for IELTS 6.5 overall with no band below 6.0, or an equivalent PTE overall and skill floor. Some professional programs set higher scores. Confirm the exact requirement for your intake year before you book.
If you need the same result for both a student visa pathway and later skilled migration, choose the test you can repeat cleanly and keep the score report within the validity window each body requires. Pearson states that a PTE Academic score is valid for two years from the test date; universities and Home Affairs each apply their own currency rules on top of that.
You can start with a free AI-scored PTE mock test on PTE Master, then drill weak skills with PTE practice questions, speaking practice or writing practice. For reading mock results against visa minimums, see how to read your free PTE mock test AI scores.
PTE Master practice scores are exam-style AI feedback to guide study. They are not official Pearson or IELTS results. For visa rules, use the Department of Home Affairs pages for Proficient English and Superior English, and Pearson's note on the updated DHA score requirements.
Facts checked against Home Affairs and Pearson on 3 November 2026. Written by the PTE Master team.
