PTE Academic and IELTS Academic scores can be compared through a concordance study, but they are not interchangeable labels. Pearson's latest published concordance is dated July 2025. It describes an approximate relationship between the tests and advises score users to consider other evidence when setting requirements (Pearson summary paper).
Use the table to understand broad score relationships. Use the receiving university, government or registration body's own requirement to decide what score you need.
Use concordance for comparison, not eligibility
Pearson's July 2025 concordance compares score distributions; it does not convert an individual result into an IELTS certificate. Read the overall row only for an overall comparison and use the separate Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing tables for skill comparisons. Do not reverse-engineer a visa or course threshold from the concordance. The receiving body may publish its own PTE cut scores, test-date transition and delivery restrictions.
2025 overall concordance table
| IELTS Academic overall | PTE Academic overall range |
|---|---|
| 4.5 | 24–30 |
| 5.0 | 31–38 |
| 5.5 | 39–46 |
| 6.0 | 47–54 |
| 6.5 | 55–62 |
| 7.0 | 63–70 |
| 7.5 | 71–78 |
| 8.0 | 79–85 |
| 8.5 | 86–89 |
| 9.0 | 90 |
This is a range comparison, not a promise that every PTE score inside a range will be accepted wherever the IELTS band is named. An authority may publish its own PTE requirement.
Skill comparisons are different
The July 2025 study also introduced separate Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing concordances. They do not use the same PTE range as the overall column. For example, the row for IELTS Academic 7.0 reports:
| Score type | PTE Academic range aligned with IELTS 7.0 |
|---|---|
| Overall | 63–70 |
| Listening | 58–63 |
| Reading | 59–64 |
| Speaking | 76–82 |
| Writing | 69–76 |
That uneven pattern is why "IELTS 7 equals PTE 65 in every skill" is not supported by the current concordance. Pearson explains that skill relationships differ because the score distributions differ across the tests.
Worked example: an uneven PTE profile
Fictional candidate Mei has PTE Academic overall 68, Listening 62, Reading 64, Speaking 74 and Writing 70. She wants to understand a course page that mentions IELTS Academic 7.0 overall and 7.0 in every skill.
The overall concordance places 68 inside the 63–70 range aligned with IELTS 7.0. The skill table tells a more cautious story:
- Listening 62 is inside the published 58–63 range.
- Reading 64 is inside 59–64.
- Writing 70 is inside 69–76.
- Speaking 74 is below the published 76–82 range.
Mei still cannot declare her result equivalent or decide admission from this exercise. She must look for the provider's explicit PTE requirement or ask the provider. Concordance describes group-level score relationships; it does not convert an individual's report into a new official test result.
Common conversion mistakes
Avoid these shortcuts:
- using the overall table for every skill
- converting PTE Core or IELTS General Training with an Academic concordance
- choosing one number from a range and calling it exact equivalence
- using an older chart without checking its study date
- replacing an authority's published PTE requirement with your own conversion
For Australian visas, use the Department of Home Affairs PTE component table for your visa and test date. Do not convert an IELTS rule yourself when Home Affairs already publishes PTE values.
Build the right practice target
Copy the target exactly as the receiving body states it. If it requires an overall score and skill minimums, track all five separately. Use concordance only as context when comparing tests or reading older material.
Once the receiving body's PTE target is confirmed, practise the relevant skill through the PTE practice question hub.