In Australia, demonstrating English language proficiency is essential for certain visa types, as it ensures that immigrants can communicate effectively in daily life, at work, and in educational settings. A strong knowledge of the English language makes it easier to find the right job, and helps with working together in local communities.

For student visas, certain nationalities don’t need to take an official language exam in order to meet the requirements of the visa, but the school you’re applying to might still ask for one before they can admit you. Many schools offer an online English test as part of the application process, and if you score well, you can be admitted without having to go through with an official language exam. However, this always depends on the specific school and the course’s entry requirements.

For other visa types, the language exam requirements vary based on the subclass you are applying for, and with immigration, there are many other aspects to consider as well. You can read more on our FAQ page, to find out more about the specific language requirements for your selected visa type or course, please contact us!

In the past, the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) was the only type of language exam accepted by the Australian government for immigration purposes. This has since changed, and the following language exams are now also recognized:

Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT)

Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic

Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) test (Certificate in Advanced English)

Occupational English Test (OET)

However, most of our clients choose IELTS because it is still the most widely accepted language exam in Australia. We have gathered some information about this exam type for you below.

What is IELTS?

We first encountered the IELTS language exam when we applied to an Australian university, and later when applying for citizenship.

The IELTS (International English Language Testing System) was not widely known in most countries until recent years, but it has since become one of the most sought-after language exams in the world.

It is an international language exam that is required by many different English speaking countries’ immigration offices in addition to Australia, as it credibly proves that you can understand, read, write, and speak English at an appropriate level. Moreover, IELTS is recognized and may be required by the world’s leading universities as well, and following a free of charge naturalisation process, it may also be accepted by your home country’ higher education institutions.

The IELTS is not divided into different exam levels (for example, there is no intermediate IELTS test), but there are two subtypes of the exam:

General Training (General)

Academic Module (Academic)

The Academic IELTS is primarily required for university and college applications, and it is also necessary for the recognition of qualifications for certain professions that require a higher education degree, such as within the fields of healthcare or education. In most cases, however, the General level IELTS is sufficient.

The IELTS exam consists of four main components (in the following order):

Listening
The listening section lasts approximately 30 minutes and consists of 4 recordings. The main challenge is that you can only listen to the recordings once.

Reading
Many consider reading comprehension to be the easiest part of the exam, where you need to read and interpret a significant amount of text within 60 minutes. However, the length of the texts can initially be challenging.

Writing
Writing is considered by many to be one of the most difficult parts of the exam, but in our experience, writing skills can be significantly improved with enough practice.

Speaking
The IELTS speaking section is always conducted by a native speaker examiner and lasts for about 15 minutes. The exam is recorded, and another IELTS examiner also evaluates it later on.

The Listening and Speaking sections are the same in both the Academic Module and General Training tests but the Reading and Writing sections differ significantly and require different skills.

How is IELTS assessed?

Results on the IELTS exam are scored on a scale from 1 to 9, and you can achieve half points as well. Each section is evaluated separately (e.g., 4.5, 6.0, 7.0, and 5.5), and these individual scores are displayed on the certificate.

Then there is the Overall Band Score, which is the average of the scores from each section (for example, with the above scores, it would round up to a 6.0).

For immigration purposes, if an IELTS score of 6.0 is required for a certain profession, the applicant must achieve at least 6.0 in each section. If the overall band score is 6.0 but one or more of the individual component scores is below 6.0, the exam will not be sufficient.