Key Facts
| IELTS on computer results turnaround | 1–5 days |
|---|---|
| IELTS for UKVI results turnaround | 1–5 days |
| IELTS Online results turnaround | 6–8 days |
| PTE Academic results turnaround | within two business days after taking the test |
| PTE Academic UKVI results turnaround | within two business days after taking the test (some up to five business days) |
| IELTS for UKVI minimum for CEFR B2 routes | At least 5.5 in each of the four components |
| IELTS for UKVI minimum for CEFR C1 | At least 7.0 in each of the four components |
| Student visa English level, degree level or above | Equivalent to CEFR level B2 |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
In an IELTS vs PTE comparison, the central difference is how you are assessed: IELTS includes a face-to-face Speaking test with an examiner, whilst PTE Academic is taken entirely on a computer and scored automatically. IELTS reports band scores from 0 to 9 and PTE reports scores from 10 to 90 on the Global Scale of English, and both have UKVI versions that GOV.UK lists among approved Secure English Language Tests. The better fit usually depends on which organisation is asking for your result and on whether you perform more comfortably with a person or a microphone.
Who runs IELTS and who runs PTE Academic?
IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP IELTS and Cambridge University Press & Assessment, whilst PTE Academic is run by Pearson. IELTS Academic can be taken at a test centre or, in some countries, remotely online, and IELTS for UKVI is the Secure English Language Test (SELT) version, which must be taken in person at an official centre. PTE Academic is taken on a computer at an authorised PTE test centre and cannot be taken at home. Its UKVI version, PTE Academic UKVI, has the same content, format and scoring and adds a unique reference number for visa applications.
GOV.UK names IELTS for UKVI and IELTS Life Skills under the IELTS SELT Consortium, and PTE Academic UKVI and PTE Home under Pearson, and states that it is for you to decide which test to take.
How do the formats and timings compare?
IELTS Academic lasts 2 hours 45 minutes across four sections, whilst PTE Academic is a single computer session of about 2 hours divided into three parts. The recordings in IELTS Listening are heard once.
PTE Academic combines skills in its parts: Part 1 covers Speaking and Writing in 76 to 84 minutes across 9 question types, with an unscored Personal Introduction; Part 2 is Reading in 23 to 30 minutes across 5 question types; and Part 3 is Listening in 31 to 39 minutes across 8 question types, with each clip played once. Integrated question types mean one response can count towards more than one skill.
- IELTS Listening: about 30 minutes, 4 sections, 40 items
- IELTS Reading: 60 minutes, 3 sections of 2,150 to 2,750 words in total, 40 questions across 11 question types
- IELTS Writing: 60 minutes, Task 1 of at least 150 words (about 20 minutes) and Task 2 of at least 250 words (about 40 minutes)
- IELTS Speaking: 11 to 14 minutes in 3 parts
| Feature | IELTS Academic | PTE Academic |
|---|---|---|
| Test duration | Approximately 2 hours 45 minutes | Approximately 2 hours |
| Speaking section | Done face to face with a human examiner | Completed on a computer (and is machine scored) |
| Speaking and writing | Speaking is tested separately from writing | Tests the integrated skills of speaking and writing |
| Scheduling | Speaking may fall up to a week later | Completed on the same day in a single test session |
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IELTS Speaking is a recorded face-to-face interview with a certified examiner, whilst PTE speaking tasks are answered into a microphone and scored automatically. The IELTS interview has three parts: an introduction and interview, a long turn with one minute of preparation and about two minutes of speaking, and a discussion of abstract issues linked to that topic. Examiners award marks for fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation.
PTE speaking items are scored on Content, Pronunciation and Oral Fluency. Content is scored by AI, and for some tasks a human expert also reviews it before the task score is confirmed. The microphone opens after a countdown and a short tone, you can record each response once, and anything said before the microphone opens is not captured.
How do IELTS bands and PTE scores map to the CEFR?
IELTS bands run from 0 to 9, whilst PTE scores run from 10 to 90, and the owners link them to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) differently. IELTS describes bands 5.5 to 6.5 as equivalent to B2, bands 7 to 8 as corresponding to C1, and band 9 as approximately C2. Its band descriptors run from 9 (Expert) through 8 (Very good), 7 (Good), 6 (Competent), 5 (Modest), 4 (Limited), 3 (Extremely limited), 2 (Intermittent) and 1 (Non-user) to 0 (did not attempt the test).
Pearson reports PTE Academic on the Global Scale of English and gives these equivalents: 85 to 90 is C2, 76 to 84 is C1, 59 to 75 is B2, 43 to 58 is B1, 30 to 42 is A2 and 10 to 29 is A1. IELTS notes that the CEFR is not an accreditation scheme, so each provider supplies its own evidence for how its scores compare.
Which UK visas, universities and regulators accept each test?
Both IELTS for UKVI and PTE Academic UKVI appear on GOV.UK as approved SELTs, and the visa route decides which skills and level the test must show. Routes such as Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker and Student need a test covering reading, writing, speaking and listening, whilst routes such as settlement, citizenship, partner and parent need speaking and listening only, for which GOV.UK names IELTS Life Skills and PTE Home. The Home Office states the level for each route, so check the minimum for your route before booking.
For degree-level study, a Higher Education Provider can assess your English itself, sometimes with a different test, provided the assessment is still equivalent to CEFR B2. A university's own admissions page therefore tells you which tests it takes and at what score. A professional regulator such as the NMC sets its own English requirement, so its published list of accepted tests is the page to read before you book.
How should test takers choose between IELTS and PTE by their strengths?
Choose IELTS if you speak more fluently with a person who reacts to you, and PTE Academic if you are comfortable typing, listening to clips once and speaking to a microphone. IELTS rewards a developed Writing Task 2 argument and natural conversation, whilst PTE rewards accurate repetition, quick summarising and clear pronunciation under short time limits.
Practical points also matter. PTE is completed in a single session. Each owner publishes its own results turnaround per test type, so compare those figures with your application deadline. Whichever test you choose, confirm that the body asking for your result accepts that exact version, including UKVI where required.
How should test takers prepare for each test?
Begin with the published scoring criteria, then learn the task types, then practise each skill in short sets, and finish with timed full tests. For IELTS Writing, the four criteria are task achievement or response, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource, and grammatical range and accuracy. Task 2 counts for twice as much as Task 1, so practise 250 words in 40 minutes first. Check each answer against those four criteria, and record your Speaking practice to review fluency and coherence, vocabulary range, grammar and pronunciation.
For PTE, practise with a microphone and the published timings, such as 40 seconds to answer Describe Image and 10 minutes for Summarize Written Text. Summarize Spoken Text asks for 50 to 70 words, and summaries under 40 or over 100 words score zero, so count your words. Read Aloud is credited for content, oral fluency and pronunciation, so rehearse smooth pacing instead of speed.
Related guides
- What is IELTS? Format, versions and scoring
- IELTS or TOEFL?
- IELTS or the Duolingo English Test?
- OET or IELTS for healthcare staff
- PTE Academic explained
- TOEFL in the UK
- The Duolingo English Test
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Frequently asked questions
- Is it possible to take PTE Academic at home?
- Pearson states that PTE Academic is taken at an authorised PTE test centre, on a computer, so it cannot be taken at home. IELTS Online lets you sit the Academic test at home in some countries, with Speaking in a video call with an examiner, yet tests taken for a UKVI visa must be taken at an official IELTS test centre. Receiving organisations decide whether they accept online results.
- Does PTE Academic have a face-to-face speaking test?
- PTE Academic has no live examiner, because testing is computer-based and speaking responses are recorded through a microphone. You can record each response once, and the microphone opens after a countdown and a short tone. IELTS Speaking is the option with a face-to-face interview, which is also recorded, with a certified examiner.
- Is the UKVI version of the test required?
- You need a UKVI version when your visa route requires a Secure English Language Test, and GOV.UK lists IELTS for UKVI and PTE Academic UKVI among the approved tests. For a university place without a visa, the institution decides which tests it accepts, so read its admissions page. A Higher Education Provider can also assess English itself for degree-level Student visa applications.
- How does IELTS work out the overall band score?
- IELTS takes the average of the four section band scores and rounds it to the nearest half band. An average of 6.25, for example, becomes 6.5. Each section is reported separately as well, so a strong score in one skill can lift the average, whilst visa and regulator requirements often ask for a minimum in every component.
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