PTE score chart 2026: Australia PR, IELTS, CEFR and score validity

Updated 3 August 2026 - about an 8-minute read

PTE Academic reports every result on a 10 to 90 scale, but the number on its own does not tell you whether you have passed. This PTE score chart shows how PTE ranges map to IELTS bands and CEFR levels, then separates that general score comparison from the current Australia PR PTE cutoffs, because Home Affairs changed approved English-test scores for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025.

The PTE score chart (PTE to IELTS to CEFR)

The table below is the quick reference most candidates are looking for. The IELTS column is an approximate concordance based on Pearson's published PTE-to-IELTS mapping, so treat it as a close guide rather than an official equivalence. Always confirm the exact number your institution or visa requires.

Need a precise two-way conversion for one number? Use our PTE to IELTS score calculator, or predict your overall from four sub-scores with the PTE score calculator.

What the key PTE scores mean

A handful of numbers come up again and again because they are common IELTS-equivalent anchors. For Australia PR, do not stop at the old shortcuts: check the official test-date rule below.

PTE 50

A PTE Academic 50 sits in the middle of CEFR B2 and is comparable to IELTS 6.0. It is still a useful general benchmark, and it was the older all-skills Competent English cutoff for some tests taken on or before 6 August 2025. For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, Home Affairs lists separate Competent English cutoffs: listening 47, reading 48, writing 51 and speaking 54.

PTE 65

A 65 is a high-value preparation target because it is comparable to IELTS 7.0 and sits at C1 on the concordance. It was the older all-skills Proficient English cutoff for some pre-7-August-2025 tests. Under the current Home Affairs table for newer tests, Proficient English requires listening 58, reading 59, writing 69 and speaking 76, and awards 10 points.

PTE 79

A 79 is comparable to IELTS 8.0 on the PTE-to-IELTS concordance and remains a strong study and migration-prep target. For Australia PR tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, Superior English is now listed as listening 69, reading 70, writing 85 and speaking 88, and awards the maximum 20 English points.

PTE scores and Australia migration points

Australia is where the PTE score chart matters most, because skilled migration is points-based and English is one of the biggest levers you control. The three English levels below are the current PTE Academic scores listed by the Department of Home Affairs for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025. Points and thresholds can change, so always confirm against the official Home Affairs rules before you rely on them.

The figures must be met in each skill, not just overall, so a single weak skill caps your points. If your PTE Academic test was taken on or before 6 August 2025, the older 50/65/79 all-skills cutoffs may still be usable until 6 August 2028 for some visas. For the full migration picture, including which visas accept PTE, see PTE for Australia PR; if you are still choosing a test, our guide to PTE vs IELTS for Australia compares them side by side.

Is there a new PTE score chart?

No. The PTE Academic score scale has not changed: it is still 10 to 90, exactly as it has been. Pearson's own scoring page states that you receive an overall score of between 10 and 90, with 90 the highest possible, graded against the Global Scale of English. If you have seen a "new PTE score chart" or a "PTE score chart new update" and worried your target no longer applies, the scale itself is not what moved.

What genuinely does change, and what almost every "new score chart" search is really reacting to, is the requirements that reference those scores. Three separate things get updated, and none of them alters the 10 to 90 scale:

So the practical answer: use the current chart above, and check the requirement you are aiming at rather than hunting for a newer chart. The one date that genuinely matters for Australian migration is your test date, because the cutoffs that apply to you depend on when you sat the test, which is covered in the migration section above.

How the overall PTE score is built

Your overall figure is not an average of the four skills. PTE is integrated: a single task can feed several skills at once, and the overall is a weighted reflection of your performance across the whole test. Beneath the four communicative skills (Speaking, Writing, Reading, Listening) sit six enabling skills, Grammar, Oral Fluency, Pronunciation, Spelling, Vocabulary and Written Discourse, and a weak enabling skill quietly drags several task scores down at once. The two that surprise people most are Pronunciation and Oral Fluency, because you cannot judge your own delivery the way the test does. For the full mechanics, see how PTE is scored.

PTE marks distribution: how scores spread across the 10 to 90 scale

The 10 to 90 scale is deliberately wide, but real PTE test-takers do not spread evenly across it. Because most candidates prepare with a specific migration or university target in mind, and because a weak enabling skill penalises several tasks at once, the practical distribution of PTE scores tends to bunch in the middle bands, with fewer people at the very high and very low ends. The chart above gives you the levels; this section gives you the shape of the PTE score distribution.

• Below 36 (limited English): a small tail. Most candidates who have prepared for the test at all clear this line, so a result in this band usually points to under-preparation rather than English ability.
• 36 to 49 (modest): a common early-preparation band. Many candidates start here after a first serious sitting and move up quickly with targeted practice on their weakest enabling skill.
• 50 to 64 (solid B2 range): the largest practical preparation band for many candidates. This is often where people first become competitive for pathway and undergraduate requirements, but Australia PR now requires checking the exact per-skill Home Affairs table.
• 65 to 78 (strong C1 range): a smaller but still substantial band. Scores here line up well with many university and migration-prep goals, though newer Australia PR tests still depend on separate listening, reading, writing and speaking cutoffs.
• 79 and above (high C1/C2 range): the top slice of the distribution. It remains a useful high-score target, but Australia PR Superior English now uses the official per-skill cutoffs for newer PTE Academic tests.

PTE score distribution chart across the four skills

The four columns of your report card each sit somewhere on the same 10 to 90 scale, but the four skills do not usually land in the same place. The gap between your strongest and weakest skill is often larger than you expect, and that gap is what caps your migration score, because Australia counts each skill separately. A common preparation shape looks like this:

A free full PTE mock test is the quickest way to see your own PTE marks distribution across the four columns and pick the one that will move fastest with targeted practice.

How long is a PTE score valid?

A PTE Academic result is valid for two years from your test date. After that, most universities and visa programmes will not accept it, so line up your test date with your application deadline rather than sitting the test too early. If your score is close to expiring and you still need it, re-book in good time.

Frequently asked questions