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If you plan to study abroad, you need to submit an English proficiency test score, which usually means you will take either PTE Academic or IELTS. Since institutions receive results from both tests, they need a clear way to understand your score in the same context.
An official PTE-IELTS score conversion chart helps to compare scores fairly, even when you take a different test from others. The comparison scoresheet focuses on overall scores, with limited reference to individual skills to avoid confusion.
All score comparisons follow official equivalence published through formal research. Pearson and IELTS created this alignment using real test data, not guesses or unofficial comparisons.
Official PTE to IELTS Score Conversion Chart
When educational institutions accept both PTE and IELTS, they rely on official research to compare scores fairly. To assist them, test providers publish concordance data that links both exams to a shared language proficiency scale.
However, since Pearson and IELTS publish their findings separately, the values appear in different formats. Pearson presents score ranges to reflect normal score variation, while IELTS.org publishes point estimates from its comparison study. Both sources are official and research-based, but the numbers do not match row by row.
PTE to IELTS Overall Score Conversion (Pearson Concordance)
The PTE score chart below shows IELTS score conversion using official Pearson research. It compares overall score ranges only and does not treat any score as an exact match. The table shows updated information based on Pearson’s research published in July 2025.
| PTE Academic Overall Score | IELTS Academic Overall Band |
| 90 | 9.0 |
| 86–89 | 8.5 |
| 79–85 | 8.0 |
| 71–78 | 7.5 |
| 63–70 | 7.0 |
| 55–62 | 6.5 |
| 47–54 | 6.0 |
| 39–46 | 5.5 |
| 31–38 | 5.0 |
| 24–30 | 4.5 |
Source: Pearson PTE Academic Official Scoring Guide (July 2025)
IELTS to PTE Skill-wise Conversion (Pearson Ranges)
The table below shows how IELTS bands align with PTE skill score ranges based on Pearson’s official concordance data from July 2025. These ranges represent typical alignment, not exact equivalents.
| IELTS Score | PTE Listening | PTE Reading | PTE Speaking | PTE Writing |
| 4.5 | 26–32 | 29–35 | 14–23 | 17–28 |
| 5.0 | 33–39 | 36–41 | 24–38 | 29–40 |
| 5.5 | 40–46 | 42–47 | 39–53 | 41–50 |
| 6.0 | 47–52 | 48–53 | 54–65 | 51–59 |
| 6.5 | 53–57 | 54–58 | 66–75 | 60–68 |
| 7.0 | 58–63 | 59–64 | 76–82 | 69–76 |
| 7.5 | 64–68 | 65–69 | 83–87 | 77–84 |
| 8.0 | 69–74 | 70–74 | 88–89 | 85–89 |
| 8.5 | 75–80 | 75–80 | 90 | 90 |
| 9.0 | 81–90 | 81–90 | – | – |
IELTS to PTE Score Conversion (IELTS.org Study)
The table below shows how each overall IELTS band score aligns with PTE Academic overall and skill scores. These numbers are based on the official IELTS study published by IELTS.org.
| IELTS Academic Band | PTE-A Overall | PTE-A Writing | PTE-A Reading | PTE-A Listening | PTE-A Speaking |
| 5.0 | 40.8 | 43.1 | 43.0 | 40.2 | 40.2 |
| 5.5 | 45.4 | 51.0 | 47.9 | 42.7 | 42.2 |
| 6.0 | 51.6 | 62.2 | 53.5 | 48.1 | 46.2 |
| 6.5 | 58.5 | 74.1 | 60.6 | 56.8 | 53.5 |
| 7.0 | 66.3 | 82.3 | 67.8 | 66.2 | 65.3 |
| 7.5 | 74.6 | 87.5 | 73.7 | 73.9 | 75.3 |
| 8.0 | 82.3 | 89.4 | 78.4 | 79.4 | 80.9 |
| 8.5 | 88.1 | 89.5 | 83.7 | 84.7 | 85.5 |
Source: ielts.org – Official Score Comparison Research
FAQs
An IELTS Academic band score of 6.5 equals a PTE Academic 55–62 overall based on Pearson’s concordance research. This score shows the ability to understand and use academic English in familiar and some complex contexts.
An IELTS Academic band score of 7.0 aligns with a PTE Academic 63–70 overall. It reflects good academic English ability, including clear communication, accurate language use, and reliable understanding of academic tasks.
Universities use official PTE–IELTS score conversion to measure your English proficiency fairly, no matter which test you take. The conversion helps them read PTE and IELTS results on the same level, so neither test carries a bigger advantage. They use this alignment only to confirm that your English meets the required level, not to compare applicants.
PTE to IELTS score conversion is based on statistical research that compares performance across both tests. Since each exam measures English ability differently, small variations are expected, which is why ranges are used rather than exact matches. For clarity, it is better to check the minimum IELTS or PTE score requirements of an institution.
Score conversion charts do not indicate whether IELTS or PTE is easier. How a test feels depends on how you respond to its tasks, timing, and scoring style, not on the comparison table.
The overall IELTS band score is calculated by averaging the scores from listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills. The final overall band is then rounded to the nearest half or whole band to represent overall English language proficiency.
PTE reports separate scores for listening, reading, speaking, and writing, along with an overall score. The overall PTE score is the average of four individual skill scores.
