There’s been a lot of chatter on forums and Facebook groups about PTE’s recent changes to how they compare to IELTS. Some test takers are worried about how the possible change will impact them.
When speaking to Australia’s SBS News, Voriganti Shakti Goud said this update was terrible news.
“How come they increased five marks on PTE for Band 8 and one mark for Band 7? How did they previously accept 79 as Band 8? Each student has to appear six to 10 times to get 79 marks and now they have increased it to 84. It is really hard.”
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What does the PTE concordance update mean for your visa?
Migration agent at IDP Adelaide, Shiva Ghimire (MARN 1686773) said the Department of Home Affairs needs to accept the proposed changes first. However, “If that happens, these changes can impact applicants who are hoping to migrate to Australia as a Permanent Resident (PR).”
And, he continued, “Some Australian Permanent Resident (PR) visas are points-based. Many will aim to prove they have Superior English to get 20 points for English language proficiency. So, if these changes take effect, one may need to score 84 instead of 79.”
As a result, we recommend test takers and organisations that rely on English language tests to use IELTS as the gold standard test for English language assessment. Our scoring system remains consistent and reliable. And, IELTS band scores have been the same for over 30 years. By choosing IELTS, test takers can have confidence that the score standards won’t shift.
IELTS scoring: Fair for more than 30 years
At IELTS, we want to help you achieve the result you need for work, study or migration. As a result, that’s why we share with you how we test, how we mark your work, and what is important. So, for IELTS Writing, Speaking, Reading and Listening, we’ll tell you what examiners look for and how your test is marked. We’ll also show you how we calculate your overall band score.
Quality and fairness
IELTS invests heavily in the continued development of its test and the processes how we mark your test. This is to ensure a fair assessment for all test takers. Furthermore, it is to ensure a reliable result for the organisations that depend on IELTS as a measure of English language skill. We also show you how we mark our test.
Find out more about the test format
IELTS is unique in that it allows the choice of an Academic or General Training test. Both types of IELTS test measure your skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening. However, the questions are a little different and one test might suit you more than the other.
How does PTE compare to IELTS?
More than 3 million people take IELTS each year. And IELTS is available at more than 1,100 test centres globally, including 50 test venues in Australia.
One of the biggest differences is that IELTS has a computer-delivered test as well as a paper-based test. PTE-A is only available on a computer.
Both IELTS and PTE offer an Academic test. IELTS also offers a General Training test for migration in Australia.
IELTS is accepted globally by more than 12,000 organisations including universities, professional bodies, employers, and Australian student visa and migration applications. PTE is also accepted for study applications by thousands of academic programs globally and is approved for all Australian student visa and migration applications.
PTE made changes to the way their scores are linked to IELTS.