Competent, proficient, and superior English: what the three levels mean for your visa

Why the three-level framework matters

Home Affairs does not ask for a raw IELTS or PTE score in isolation. Instead, it maps your result against a defined level — competent, proficient, or superior — and that level determines two things: whether you are eligible for your visa subclass at all, and (for skilled visas) how many points you receive on the points test.

For most skilled visa subclasses (189, 190, 491, and related), competent English is the minimum needed to be eligible. If you cannot demonstrate at least competent English, your application will generally not proceed. Proficient and superior English are optional higher levels that earn you 10 and 20 additional points respectively, which are directly added to your SkillSelect invitation score.

Because the points test is competitive — the score needed to receive an invitation varies by occupation and by selection round — proficient or superior English can make a material difference to how quickly you receive an invitation to apply.

Competent English: the baseline level

Competent English is the minimum English standard for most skilled visas and for many other visa subclasses including the graduate visa (subclass 485). It earns no additional points on the skilled-migration points test but is required as an eligibility condition.

The component thresholds for competent English across the major tests are:

IELTS (Academic or General Training):
- Listening: 6.0
- Reading: 6.0
- Writing: 6.0
- Speaking: 6.0

Every band score must be 6.0 or above. A result of 7.5/6.5/6.0/5.5 does not meet competent English because the Speaking component is below 6.0.

PTE Academic:
- Listening: 47
- Reading: 48
- Writing: 51
- Speaking: 54

Note that the PTE component thresholds for competent English are not all the same number — each component has its own minimum that reflects the PTE scoring scale. A candidate who scores 60 overall but 45 in Listening has not met the competent English standard.

TOEFL iBT:
- Listening: 16
- Reading: 16
- Writing: 19
- Speaking: 19

As with PTE, each component must individually reach its threshold.

For Cambridge C1 Advanced, CELPIP General, LANGUAGECERT Academic, OET, and MET, the competent English thresholds are published in the Home Affairs competent English table. Refer to that page for the authoritative and current figures, as they may be updated.

Proficient English: 10 points

Proficient English earns 10 additional points on the skilled-migration points test. For IELTS, the threshold is straightforward: 7.0 in each of the four components — Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. Every component must reach 7.0; there is no averaging.

For PTE Academic and TOEFL iBT, the proficient thresholds are set at the component level in the same way, but the specific numbers are not reproduced here because they are liable to change and the Home Affairs proficient English table is the authoritative source. Before booking or sitting your test with a target of proficient English, check the current proficient English score table on the Home Affairs website. The same applies to Cambridge C1 Advanced, CELPIP, LANGUAGECERT, and MET.

A common mistake is to assume the proficient PTE score is a uniform figure — for instance, that it is 65 in every component in the same way that IELTS 7.0 applies uniformly. The component scores on the proficient table are not necessarily symmetrical. Check the table for each component separately.

Superior English: 20 points

Superior English is the highest of the three levels and earns 20 additional points — double the proficient award. For IELTS, the threshold is 8.0 in each of the four components. Achieving 8.5 in three components and 7.5 in one does not meet the superior standard.

For PTE Academic and TOEFL iBT, the superior component thresholds are published in the Home Affairs superior English table. As with the proficient level, these figures should be confirmed directly from the current superior English table rather than assumed from the IELTS equivalence. The same applies to all other accepted tests.

Achieving superior English on PTE Academic or TOEFL iBT may require component scores that feel counterintuitively different from the IELTS 8.0 equivalence — the scoring scales are not linear translations of each other.

The per-component rule explained

All three levels — competent, proficient, and superior — require every single component to meet or exceed its minimum. This is the most commonly misunderstood aspect of the English requirements.

If you sit IELTS and receive:
- Listening: 7.5
- Reading: 7.0
- Writing: 7.0
- Speaking: 6.5

You have not achieved proficient English. The Speaking band of 6.5 is below the 7.0 threshold, regardless of how well you performed in the other three components.

There is no averaging of components, no substitution of a higher score in one component to compensate for a lower score in another, and no rounding up of borderline scores. The test must show the required band in each component independently.

This is why test preparation strategies often focus on your weakest component rather than improving your overall average. If your speaking is consistently your lowest band, a targeted speaking course or additional speaking practice is worth more for visa purposes than marginal gains in your already-strong components.

The IELTS One Skill Retake option

IELTS offers a One Skill Retake option in some markets, which allows you to resit a single component of a previous IELTS test within 60 days of your original test date rather than sitting the full test again. Home Affairs accepts the One Skill Retake result, and the combined result (original components plus the retake component) is treated as a valid IELTS result for visa purposes.

This can be useful if you narrowly missed the threshold in one component — for instance, receiving 6.5 in Speaking when you needed 7.0 for proficient English. Check with your IELTS test provider about availability of the One Skill Retake in your location.

MET (Michigan English Test) also allows a Single Section Retake, which is similarly accepted by Home Affairs.

How the levels apply to visa subclasses

The three-level framework is primarily used for:

- Skilled visas (189, 190, 491, and related): Competent English is the eligibility floor. Proficient earns 10 points; superior earns 20 points.
- Graduate visa (485): Competent English is generally required.
- Skills in Demand visa (482): The threshold for this visa is usually expressed in subclass-specific terms rather than the three named levels — confirm with the Home Affairs page for your stream.

Vocational English and functional English are lower bands used for other visa subclasses — for example, certain partner and family visa pathways. Vocational English is roughly equivalent to IELTS 5.0 average with no component below 4.0; functional English sits below that. For these levels, the exact Home Affairs definition for the specific subclass applies and should be confirmed at the relevant subclass requirement page.

OET grades and the three-level equivalence

OET is graded from A (highest) to E (lowest) in each of four sections (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking). For visa English requirement purposes, OET grade B in each section is widely accepted as meeting the competent English standard. The equivalence for proficient and superior levels is set out in the Home Affairs OET tables — check the relevant proficient and superior pages for the OET thresholds if you are using OET and targeting points.

What is the IELTS score for competent English in Australia?

Competent English requires a minimum score of 6.0 in each of the four IELTS components — Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. Every component must individually reach 6.0; it is not an average.

What PTE scores do I need for competent English?

For PTE Academic, the competent English thresholds are: Listening 47, Reading 48, Writing 51, Speaking 54. Each component must reach its individual minimum.

What TOEFL iBT scores are needed for competent English?

The competent English thresholds for TOEFL iBT are: Listening 16, Reading 16, Writing 19, Speaking 19. As with IELTS and PTE, each component is assessed independently.

What PTE score do I need for proficient or superior English?

The PTE and TOEFL iBT component thresholds for proficient and superior English are published in the Home Affairs proficient and superior English tables. Check those tables directly rather than guessing — the component minimums are not a simple scaling of the competent thresholds.

Can I average my component scores to meet the threshold?

No. All three levels — competent, proficient, and superior — require every individual component to reach its minimum. A high score in one component does not offset a score below the threshold in another. Each band must independently meet the requirement.