IELTS, PTE, TOEFL or Duolingo: which English test will your visa or university actually accept?
8 min read · Updated 7 October 2026
Quick take. Decide by what the result is for, not by which test feels easiest. For Canadian immigration (Express Entry), only IELTS General Training, CELPIP General and PTE Core count. For a UK visa that needs a test, it must be a SELT such as IELTS for UKVI or PTE Academic UKVI; TOEFL and Duolingo are not SELTs. For Australian visas, IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT and several others count, but not Duolingo. Duolingo is mainly a university admission test, accepted by many universities but not for these visas. Check the exact test name your purpose needs before you book.
Comparison articles usually ask which test is easiest. That is the wrong first question. A great score on a test your visa does not accept is worth nothing, and the same company often sells several versions with different names. This guide starts from what you need the result for.
The answer by purpose
| What you need it for | Tests accepted | Not accepted |
|---|---|---|
| Canada, Express Entry | IELTS General Training, CELPIP General, PTE Core (French: TEF Canada, TCF Canada) | IELTS Academic, IELTS One Skill Retake, PTE Academic, TOEFL, Duolingo |
| UK visa that needs a Secure English Language Test (SELT) | IELTS for UKVI, IELTS Life Skills (some visas), PTE Academic UKVI, LanguageCert SELT tests, Trinity SELT tests, Skills for English UKVI | Ordinary IELTS, TOEFL, Duolingo |
| UK university, degree level | Whatever the university accepts; it can assess your English itself | Depends on the university |
| Australian visas | IELTS (Academic or General Training), PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, OET, Cambridge C1 Advanced, CELPIP General, LanguageCert Academic, MET | Duolingo; online or at-home versions |
| US and many other universities | Usually TOEFL, IELTS Academic and often Duolingo | Depends on the university |
Sources, checked 7 October 2026: IRCC language testing, gov.uk SELT list, gov.uk Student visa English, and a summary of Australia's August 2025 changes.
The name traps
Most expensive mistakes come from booking the right brand but the wrong version.
- IELTS Academic vs General Training. Express Entry accepts only General Training. Most universities, and the NMC and AHPRA for nurses, want Academic. See IELTS for nurses.
- IELTS vs IELTS for UKVI. The content and scoring are the same, but only IELTS for UKVI, taken at an approved centre, is a SELT for UK visas. See IELTS for a UK work visa.
- PTE Academic vs PTE Core vs PTE Academic UKVI. Three different products. Canada takes Core, Australia takes Academic, UK visas take Academic UKVI.
- One Skill Retake. Accepted for Australian visas and by some universities, but not for Express Entry. See One Skill Retake.
UK students: you may not need a SELT at all
For a UK Student visa at degree level or above, the level is B2, and your university "can assess your level of English themselves" (gov.uk). That is why many UK universities accept tests such as TOEFL or Duolingo for admission: they are not SELTs, but for degree-level study the university decides. If you are going below degree level, such as a foundation or pre-sessional course at a language school, you are more likely to need a SELT.
So for UK study, the rule is: check your university's own list for your course, and use a SELT only if the university or your route requires one.
How the tests differ
Once you know which tests your purpose accepts, the choice is between real differences in format.
| IELTS | PTE | TOEFL iBT | Duolingo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marked by | Human examiners for Writing and Speaking | Automated scoring | Mix of human and automated | Automated |
| Speaking | Face-to-face (or video) interview with an examiner | Into a microphone, to a computer | Into a microphone | Into a microphone, at home |
| Writing | Task 1 (chart or letter) and a Task 2 essay | Several shorter integrated tasks | Integrated and academic writing tasks | Short responses |
| Mainly used for | Universities and visas in the UK, Canada, Australia and beyond | Visas and universities, strong in Australia | Universities, strong in the USA | University admission |
A few honest observations:
- If you freeze talking to a computer, IELTS's face-to-face speaking may suit you. If you freeze talking to a person, PTE or TOEFL may.
- Automated scoring rewards different habits. Fluency and pronunciation patterns matter a lot in PTE; a human IELTS examiner looks at how well you develop ideas.
- Writing is where IELTS candidates most often fall short, because Task 2 is a full argued essay marked by a person against detailed descriptors. That is also the part you can improve most predictably with practice.
How to choose, in order
- Write down exactly what the result is for: the visa subclass, the immigration programme or the university course.
- Find the official list of accepted tests for that purpose and the exact test name (General Training or Academic, UKVI or not, Core or Academic).
- Note the score you need in each skill, not just overall.
- Of the tests that remain, choose the format you perform best in, and check test dates and centres near you.
- Book only once 1 to 4 are written down.
If IELTS is on your list and Writing is your weakest skill, the essay checker gives an estimated band for each criterion and marks the sentences to fix, so you can see how far you are from the score you need before you pay for a test.
Accepted test lists checked on 7 October 2026. Governments and universities change them, so confirm with the official source for your purpose before you book.
Check your own scores
Enter your four bands and the requirement. See which skill falls short and the smallest change that would meet it.