IELTS for Australia
Australian skilled migration needs Competent English as the floor, which is IELTS 6.0 in each of the four skills and earns 0 language points. Superior English is 8.0 in each and worth 20 points, which is often the difference between an invitation and another year in the queue. We help you get there.
Written by Manish Sharma 路 CELTA and DELTA qualified 路 8 years teaching IELTS 路 Updated 9 October 2026
Required bands
The exact IELTS scores Australia asks for
Test format: Academic or General. Depends on visa subclass
| Program / visa | Required band |
|---|---|
| Competent English (minimum) | L6.0 R6.0 W6.0 S6.0 |
| Proficient English (+10 points) | L7.0 R7.0 W7.0 S7.0 |
| Superior English (+20 points) | L8.0 R8.0 W8.0 S8.0 |
| Subclass 189 typical pass-mark | 65 to 95 points |
| Subclass 491 regional | Competent + state nomination |
Put your four scores into the free band calculator to see your overall band, your CLB level and the visa points each one is worth.
Source: Home Affairs. Skilled visa English requirements. Visa thresholds change. Always verify the live policy before booking.
IELTS band to skilled migration points
Points for the points-tested visas (189, 190, 491). EVERY module must clear the band shown, so one weak skill sets the level: an 8.0 overall with a single 6.5 earns zero language points.
| English level | Band in every module | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Superior | 8.0 or higher | 20 |
| Proficient | 7.0 or higher | 10 |
| Competent | 6.0 or higher | 0 |
Competent English earns no points but is the floor a points-tested application needs to be valid.
Common mistakes
Where Australia candidates lose 0.5 bands
How BandNine helps
What we built for Australia-route candidates
- Per-criterion targets mapped to Competent / Proficient / Superior. See how far you are from +10 or +20 points.
- Writing Task 2 sentence surgery focused on lexical resource. The criterion most-often blocking 7.0+.
- Speaking practice with a clear British exam-style examiner voice, and a transcript of every answer so you can read back what cost you marks.
Keep reading
Guides for the Australia route
Australia Student Visa Now Costs AUD 2,500: What This Means for Your IELTS Plan
Australia raised its student visa fee to AUD 2,500 in October 2026. Here is what changed, what your full pre-departure cost looks like, and how to protect your IELTS score before you apply.
IELTS Score for Australia PR: The Points, and the Rule That Costs 10 of Them
Your language points are set by your weakest module, so the points table is really a table about one number. What each level costs in marks, and how to decide whether a retake is worth it.
Australia Student Visa English Requirements: Which Test, Which Score, Who Is Exempt
Which English test counts for an Australian student visa, who is exempt from providing one, and the score your institution is likely to want on top of the visa floor.
IELTS or PTE for Canada PR: which gets you to CLB 9 faster
Canada reads a Canadian Language Benchmark, not your test score, and the conversion chart is different for each test. Both tables in full, what CLB 9 is worth in CRS points against CLB 7, and how to pick the test that asks least of your weakest skill.
See your real band against the Australia requirement
Write an essay or record a 60-second speaking response. Get a band score across all four IELTS criteria in about a minute. We highlight the sentences costing you the band that Australia actually asks for.
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