Consistent and clear requirements
IELTS has always been clear and straightforward. Top universities like University of Melbourne and UNSW stick to a consistent minimum IELTS score of 6.5 for undergraduate degrees, whereas the score for other tests may change, making it unclear which score to aim for.
Recently, Australian universities are correcting English language standards to focus on quality applicants.
University of Melbourne
While IELTS scores remain unchanged, the University of Melbourne has reviewed their equivalency settings of PTE-A against the IELTS standard benchmark:
IELTS | PTE (old) | PTE (new) |
|---|---|---|
Overall 6.0 | 50 | 60 |
Overall 6.5 | 58 | 64 |
Overall 7.0 | 65 | 72 |
Curtin University
Curtin University has recently completed a review of our English requirements for meeting entry into all courses offered by Curtin. There are no changes to IELTS, but the following changes to the PTE Academic scores will apply:
IELTS | PTE (old) | PTE (new) |
|---|---|---|
Overall 6.5 | 58 | 69 |
No sub-score below 6 | 50 | 59 |
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney has also reviewed its equivalency settings of PTE-A against the IELTS standard benchmark:
IELTS | PTE (old) | PTE (new) |
|---|---|---|
Overall 6.5 | 61 | 64 |
Overall 7.0 | 68 | 72 |
With IELTS, your required score remains consistent across time and institutions. These recent updates to PTE scoring by top universities only reinforce IELTS as the more trusted option for its clarity, reliability, and strong alignment with academic needs.
100% of Australian and New Zealand universities accept IELTS One Skill Retake, which allows you a unique opportunity to retake one skill (Listening, Reading, Writing, or Speaking) of your IELTS test without having to re-sit the whole test again.