PTE Academic vs IELTS: which test suits your university application?

Direct answer: They differ in delivery, scoring and how the overall score is built. Pearson (n.d.-a) describes PTE Academic as "a computer-based academic English test" taken in about 2 hours, while IELTS (n.d.-b) states that the IELTS Academic test time "is 2 hours and 45 minutes".

IELTS (n.d.-b) adds that you can take IELTS Academic at a test centre or remotely online.

The scales look nothing alike. PTE reports an overall score and four skill scores, each from 10 to 90, on Pearson's Global Scale of English (Pearson, n.d.-b). IELTS reports a band from 0 to 9 for each of its four sections and an overall band, and IELTS (n.d.-a) labels band 6 a Competent user and band 7 a Good user.

The way the four skills combine is the difference that matters most when you read an entry requirement. In IELTS, the overall band is arithmetic done on the four section bands. IELTS (n.d.-a) says, "The overall band score is the average of the four section band scores rounded to the nearest half band." In PTE it is not. Pearson (2025, p. 6) states, "Note: The overall score is not an average calculation of the communicative skills scores." PTE also uses what Pearson calls integrated skills tasks, where one answer counts towards two skills at once, for example listening and writing (Pearson, 2025, p. 6).

The table draws on Pearson (n.d.-a, n.d.-b, 2025) and on IELTS (n.d.-a, n.d.-b, n.d.-c, n.d.-d).

Direct answer: PTE Academic is one computer-based session in three parts: Speaking and Writing together, then Reading, then Listening. Every answer is given at a computer, including your spoken answers, and Pearson (n.d.-a) publishes a guide to each question type on its own website.

Pearson (n.d.-a) gives the first part as 76 to 84 minutes, and the Pearson (n.d.-c) score guide says you will complete between 65 and 75 questions across 22 question types.

Because speaking and writing come first and share a part, the test feels different from IELTS, where IELTS (n.d.-b) gives Writing its own 60 minutes and Speaking is a separate interview. In PTE you speak into a headset at a computer, in a test room that Pearson (n.d.-a) says has no more than 15 seats.

The scoring follows the format. Pearson (n.d.-c) explains that the scoring engine for speaking and writing was trained on ratings by human experts, and that human experts still review unusual responses the machine cannot score reliably, along with some task types such as Describe Image and Retell Lecture before scores are finalised. So "machine scored" is accurate, but it does not mean no person ever looks at your answers.

IELTS keeps a human in the room for Speaking. IELTS (n.d.-d) describes the Speaking test as "a face-to-face interview between the test taker and an examiner", in three parts, assessed on fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. Some students speak more fluently to a person than to a microphone, and some find the reverse. Which of these describes you is worth knowing before you choose.

Direct answer: Pearson publishes a table that sets PTE score ranges beside IELTS bands, both overall and for each skill. In its July 2025 version, IELTS 6.5 sits beside a PTE overall score of 55 to 62, and IELTS 7.0 beside 63 to 70 (Pearson, 2025, p. 10).

Treat that table as an estimate rather than an exchange rate. Pearson (2025, p. 8) says, "Please note that score relationships between tests are always an approximation." The same guide notes that the table was updated in July 2025 based on new research, so a conversion copied from an older blog or forum post may no longer match.

The per-skill columns are where students get caught. In the same table, IELTS 7.0 sits beside PTE Listening 58 to 63 and Reading 59 to 64, but beside Speaking 76 to 82 and Writing 69 to 76 (Pearson, 2025, p. 10). So a university that asks for IELTS 7.0 in every skill and accepts PTE in its place may set a different PTE figure for each skill. Read the university's own PTE line, not a converted number.

Rows taken from the PTE Academic and IELTS table in Pearson (2025, p. 10).

For a sense of the general range, the Pearson (n.d.-c, p. 9) score guide says that postgraduate degrees typically require a minimum of between 57 and 67, and undergraduate degrees between 51 and 60. Those are Pearson's typical figures, and your programme's published requirement is the one that counts.

Direct answer: PTE Academic UKVI is the version taken for UK visas and immigration purposes. Pearson (n.d.-c) says its Score Report is identical in content but carries a SELT URN number, which allows the UK Government to verify the score.

Pearson (n.d.-a) adds that if your UK visa requires a 4-skills English test for work or for study below degree level, you may need the UKVI version. IELTS has the same split: IELTS (n.d.-c) lists IELTS for UK Visas and Immigration as its own test, with results in 1 to 5 days. For a degree-level course, the university may set its own English requirement, so the rule depends on both your university and your visa route. Check both the university's admissions page and the current UK government guidance before you book, because booking the wrong version means booking again.

Direct answer: PTE results are released through your myPTE account, typically in 2 days according to Pearson (n.d.-a), and you share them from there rather than by sending a document. Pearson (n.d.-c, p. 9) says, "Governments and institutions do not accept paper or PDF versions of PTE Academic Score Reports."

There are two ways to share. You can give the university your Score Report Code, or you can assign your score to the institution through myPTE (Pearson, n.d.-c). A scan or screenshot of your report will not count as proof, so leave time for the official route before an application deadline.

IELTS works with a Test Report Form, either on paper or as a digital eTRF, and organisations verify results through the IELTS Results Service (IELTS, n.d.-c). IELTS (n.d.-a) recommends that results be considered valid for two years, while noting that organisations can choose to accept them for longer.

Direct answer: The fee depends on the country where you sit the test, so Pearson does not publish one worldwide price. On its PTE Academic page, Pearson (n.d.-a) asks you to select where you will take your test in order to view your local price, so compare it with the fee at your nearest IELTS centre.

Compare the two fees in your own country on the same day, because both providers set prices locally. A difference in fee is real money, but it matters less than a difference in whether your target university accepts the test at all, and less than the cost of sitting a test twice because you chose the format that suits you worse.

Direct answer: Choose the test your target universities accept for your programme, then the format that suits how you perform under test conditions. Try an official practice test of each before booking, because the formats feel different even when the scores are meant to line up.

Start with acceptance. Pearson (n.d.-a) says PTE Academic is accepted for study by more than 4,000 universities and colleges and approved by Australia and New Zealand for work and migration visas, but acceptance by most institutions is not acceptance by yours. Open each programme's English requirement page and note the PTE line and the IELTS line separately.

Then think about format. If you type faster than you write by hand and are comfortable speaking to a computer, the PTE format may suit you. If you think more clearly in conversation with a person, the IELTS Speaking interview may suit you better. Pearson offers an official Scored Practice Test (Pearson, n.d.-a), and IELTS provides its own preparation materials. Taking a practice test of each under timed conditions tells you more than any comparison article, this one included.

A course helps most when it targets the skill that is furthest below your requirement. If your writing is the weak skill, practise extended writing under time pressure in either format, since the skills a university asks for are the same skills you will use in your coursework.

Direct answer: MAAS works as a tutor. In 1:1 sessions a MAAS tutor helps you understand what each task asks for and practise the academic reading, writing and speaking your degree will need, while you sit the test and make every decision about your application.

Tutoring from MAAS runs in sessions of 60 or 90 minutes, or as a package, in your timezone. It is an advisory service: MAAS does not set a target score and does not promise a result. If the tutor is not the right fit, you can ask to change tutor. If you are also checking whether your master's degree lets you skip the test altogether, our guide on whether an English-taught master's is enough to skip IELTS for a PhD covers how universities set those rules.