What English score do you need for 10 or 20 visa points?
Proficient English gives 10 points and Superior English gives 20123. For IELTS General Training taken on or after 7 August 2025, that means at least 7 in every skill for Proficient4 and 8 in every skill for Superior5. Every other test has its own numbers, listed below.
What score gives 10 points?
You need Proficient English123: each of your four scores at or above its row in this table6. Many tests ask more for writing or speaking than for listening, so read across the whole row.
| Test | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS General Training | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| IELTS Academic | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| PTE Academic | 58 | 59 | 69 | 76 |
| OET | 350 | 360 | 380 | 360 |
| TOEFL iBT | 22 | 22 | 26 | 24 |
| C1 Advanced | 175 | 179 | 193 | 194 |
| CELPIP General | 9 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| LANGUAGECERT Academic | 67 | 71 | 78 | 82 |
| Michigan English Test (MET) | 61 | 63 | 74 | 59 |
What score gives 20 points?
Superior English123. The jump from Proficient is real: PTE Academic speaking goes from 76 to 8845, and C1 Advanced writing from 193 to 21045.
| Test | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS General Training | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| IELTS Academic | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| PTE Academic | 69 | 70 | 85 | 88 |
| OET | 390 | 400 | 420 | 400 |
| TOEFL iBT | 26 | 27 | 30 | 28 |
| C1 Advanced | 186 | 190 | 210 | 208 |
| CELPIP General | 10 | 10 | 12 | 10 |
| LANGUAGECERT Academic | 80 | 83 | 89 | 89 |
| Michigan English Test (MET) | No row in this table | |||
Does every skill need the score?
Yes. A level counts only when all four skills reach it6. Three skills at Superior and one at Proficient is Proficient English, worth 10 points, not 20123. The calculator shows which skill is holding you back and the exact score it needs.
What if I sat the test before 7 August 2025?
Then the older table applies, and the numbers are different7. For the earlier PTE Academic, Proficient needed 65 in each skill4 and Superior 795. The current PTE Academic keeps the same name, but the test and scores are different6, so don't mix the two tables. Older OET results use letters: B for Proficient and A for Superior45.
Where does the Michigan English Test fit?
MET can reach Proficient English, so 10 points123, but the legal instrument leaves it out of Superior English8. If you need 20 points from English, MET can't give them.
Is 10 or 20 points enough on its own?
No. English is one part of the points test, worth at most 20123. You still need a score of 65 points to be invited91011, and English counts alongside age, skilled employment, qualifications and the other items on the points table1.
Next step
Type your four scores into the calculator to see your level, your points and the gap to the next level.
Sources
Each small number links to the page it comes from. We keep a dated copy of every page with its SHA-256 fingerprint and check our wording against it word for word.
- Source 1: Points table for Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189). Department of Home Affairs, page last updated 11 June 2026; our copy 31 October 2026.
immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/skilled-independent-189/points-table - Source 2: Points table for Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190). Department of Home Affairs, page last updated 16 July 2026; our copy 31 October 2026.
immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/skilled-nominated-190/points-table - Source 3: Points table for Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491). Department of Home Affairs, page last updated 16 July 2026; our copy 31 October 2026.
immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/skilled-work-regional-provisional-491/points-table - Source 4: Proficient English. Department of Home Affairs, page last updated 21 September 2026; our copy 31 October 2026.
immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/meeting-our-requirements/english-language/proficient-english - Source 5: Superior English. Department of Home Affairs, page last updated 21 September 2026; our copy 31 October 2026.
immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/meeting-our-requirements/english-language/superior-english - Source 6: Competent English. Department of Home Affairs, page last updated 21 September 2026; our copy 31 October 2026.
immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/meeting-our-requirements/english-language/competent-english - Source 7: English language visa requirements. Department of Home Affairs, page last updated 2 February 2026; our copy 31 October 2026.
immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/meeting-our-requirements/english-language - Source 8: Migration (Specification of Language Tests, Test Scores and Passports) Instrument 2025 (LIN 25/016), text as made. Federal Register of Legislation; our copy 31 October 2026.
www.legislation.gov.au/F2025L00905/asmade/2025-08-06/text/original/epub/OEBPS/document_1/document_1.html - Source 9: Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189), Points-tested stream. Department of Home Affairs, page last updated 1 July 2026; our copy 31 October 2026.
immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/skilled-independent-189/points-tested - Source 10: Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190). Department of Home Affairs, page last updated 2 October 2026; our copy 31 October 2026.
immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/skilled-nominated-190 - Source 11: Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491), main applicant. Department of Home Affairs, page last updated 16 July 2026; our copy 31 October 2026.
immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/skilled-work-regional-provisional-491/application
Independent tool by Aptia Skills. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by the Department of Home Affairs, any test provider or any government. Written with AI from the official sources listed on this page, and checked word for word against them. It is general information, not migration advice, and it cannot promise any visa outcome.