IELTS for Australian skilled migration: Competent, Proficient or Superior, and what each is worth

Quick take. For Australia's points-tested skilled visas, English is judged on your lowest IELTS skill: 6.0 in every skill is Competent (the minimum, 0 points), 7.0 in every skill is Proficient (10 points), and 8.0 in every skill is Superior (20 points). So 8.0 in three skills with 7.5 in Writing still counts as Proficient. One half band in your weakest skill, very often Writing, can be worth 10 points. Since 7 August 2025, tests must be taken in person at an approved centre, and IELTS One Skill Retake is accepted.

Most pages list the three levels and move on. The detail that changes your plan is that every level is a minimum in each skill, not an average. That makes your weakest skill the only one that matters for points, and for many people that skill is Writing.

The three levels

IELTS General Training and Academic are both accepted. The scores above are the IELTS thresholds that applied after Home Affairs updated its English test rules on 7 August 2025 (summary of the changes); see the Home Affairs English language page for the full rules.

Why your lowest skill decides everything

Because each level needs that score in every skill, these two candidates are both only Proficient:

Candidate B's extra bands in three skills earn nothing until Writing reaches 8.0. Then all four clear the Superior line and the score jumps by 10 points from one half band.

The same is true one level down. Someone with 7.5, 7.5, 6.5 and 7.0 is Competent, and gains 10 points the moment Writing reaches 7.0.

Before you plan a retake, find your lowest skill and ask one question: is it the only one below the next level? If yes, that single half band is worth 10 points. If two skills are below, raising one changes nothing.

Why 10 points matters

In the points test, 10 points is a lot. It is the same as the gap between some age bands, or between some levels of skilled work experience. Invitations in popular occupations often go to candidates well above the pass mark, so English is frequently the quickest block of points a candidate can still change. Check the current invitation rounds for your occupation on Home Affairs before deciding how many points you need.

The August 2025 changes that affect IELTS candidates

From 7 August 2025, Home Affairs changed which tests it accepts and how:

• In person only. Online or at-home versions of tests are not accepted for Australian visas. Take IELTS at an approved test centre.
• One Skill Retake is accepted. If one skill is holding you back, IELTS One Skill Retake lets you resit just that skill. See our guide to One Skill Retake for Writing before you book.
• Validity. Results are generally valid for up to three years from the test date for skilled visas, but this varies by visa, so check yours.

Getting Writing from 7.0 to 8.0, or 6.5 to 7.0

At the top of the scale, Writing is usually the hardest skill to push up, because the descriptors ask for accuracy and control rather than more words:

• Band 7 asks for a clear position throughout, ideas that are extended and supported, and "frequent error-free sentences".
• Band 8 asks for well-developed ideas, skilful paragraphing, a wide range of vocabulary used precisely, and "the majority of sentences" free of error.

So the work is precision. Fix the errors you repeat, develop each idea fully rather than adding more of them, and choose the exact word over the impressive one. The band 7 guide and the band descriptors explained show what changes at each step, and the essay checker marks the sentences holding an essay back.

Scores checked on 7 October 2026. Home Affairs changes English rules and points from time to time, so confirm on immi.homeaffairs.gov.au before you apply.