In case you get 79 marks exactly in all the four PTE bands, you will get 10 marks, not 20 marks. This is the short answer, and most of those who ask have their jaws dropped.
Therefore, if someone asks, “How many points would I get for Australian PR if my PTE score is 79+ in all PTE bands?” the answer will begin with the date. On 7 August 2025, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) introduced an updated points system by introducing individual thresholds for each of the four bands instead of the previous fixed system. In that case, 79 for each of the Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking would be a threshold for the proficient English band, which receives 10 points. For the superior English, which gets 20 points, there is a much higher threshold of Writing and Speaking.
This guide describes the current PTE score for Australia PR 2026, the complete points table, and the question, Can I get PR with 70 points in Australia?
One Important Exception Before You Read Further
The above mentioned cut-off scores will be applicable to the tests that are taken from 7 August 2025 onwards.
If you took your test up to 6 August 2025 and your scores fall within the three years of validity period, then the old scoring criteria of 79 in all bands might apply to you. Check your test date first. Plenty of people have panicked over this update when their existing score was perfectly fine.
Rules may vary, so please check your own figures on homeaffairs.gov.au or by consulting a registered migration agent before making any bookings. We can train you to a certain score. We cannot give you migration advice, and neither can a forum post.
Why PTE 79 No Longer Gives You 20 Points?
For years, 79 in every band was the number everyone chased. It was written on the walls of coaching centers as the equal of an IELTS score of 8.0, and this was accurate at that point.
However, the DHA changed the equation in response to the difference in the behavior of the four PTE skills. Candidates were doing much better in the skills of writing and speaking compared to reading and listening, because template answers worked quite effectively for the old scoring algorithm. In order to make PTE comparable to other standard tests, the department increased the cut-off for the two skills that had increased in scores and decreased it for the other two.
Here is what happens to the flat 79 band today:
- Listening 79 clears the superior requirement of 69. Pass.
- Reading 79 clears the Superior requirement of 70. Pass.
- Writing 79 falls short of the Superior requirement of 85. Fail.
- Speaking 79 falls short of the Superior requirement of 88. Fail.
You must hit every single one of the four minimums to claim a band. There is no averaging and no overall score provision. Two passes and two near misses still drop you to Proficient English, which is 10 points.
This is the part most candidates get wrong. They look at their overall score of 79 on the report, see a strong number, and assume the job is done. The DHA never looks at your overall score. It reads the four communicative skill scores individually and applies the lowest one to your claim. An average score of 82 with a Speaking score of 80 is still a proficient English grade.
This difference of 10 points between the Superior English and Proficient English grade will be the one that determines whether you get the invitation or not, depending on how many points you have in a highly competitive list.
PTE Score Chart For Australia’s PR (Update for 2026)
These are the minimum scores that candidates who took the PTE Academic test from 7 August 2025 onwards will need to achieve.
| English Level | PR Points | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
| Competent English | 0 (mandatory to apply) | 47 | 48 | 51 | 54 |
| Proficient English | 10 points | 58 | 59 | 69 | 76 |
| Superior English | 20 points | 69 | 70 | 85 | 88 |
Two things to note:
- Only PTE Academic is accepted by the DHA for skilled migration. PTE Core is a Canadian test. PTE General is not accepted either. Select PTE Academic when you book.
- Remote-proctored or at-home tests are not accepted for Australian visa purposes. Book a test centre sitting.
Notice the shape of the table. Writing and Speaking are now the hard part, and Reading and Listening are slightly easier than they used to be. That completely changes how you should plan your PTE academic exam preparation. Splitting your study time evenly across four skills is now the wrong strategy for most candidates.
How Many Points Do I Get for Australian PR? The Full Breakdown?
English is one line on a longer scorecard. SkillSelect is used for assessing the GSM applications of Australia, and in order to submit an expression of interest, one must have a minimum of 65 points. Lodging is not the same as being invited, which we will come to shortly.
Points come from these areas:
- Age: 30 points if you are between the ages of 25 and 32. This drops away as you get older, and it is the one factor you cannot improve.
- English language: 0, 10 or 20 points, based on the table above.
- Skilled employment outside Australia: Up to 15 points for eight or more years of relevant experience.
- Skilled employment inside Australia: Up to 20 points, counted separately from overseas experience.
- Educational qualifications: 15 points for a recognized Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, 20 points for a PhD.
- Australian study requirement: 5 bonus points.
- Specialist education qualification: 10 points for a Master’s by research or a doctorate in a STEM field.
- Partner skills: Up to 10 points if your spouse has competent English and a positive skills assessment. 10 points if you are single or your partner is an Australian citizen or PR holder.
- Community language credential: 5 points for accredited translator or interpreter status.
- State or regional nomination: 5 points for a State Nomination (Subclass 190) or 15 points for a Regional Provisional Visa (Subclass 491).
Run your own numbers through an Australia PR points calculator before you book your test. Most people find that age, education and work experience are already fixed. English is usually the only line they can still move, and it is the fastest one to move. Eight more years of work experience is worth 15 points and takes eight years. Going from Proficient to Superior is worth 10 points and can take a few months of focused work.
There is a second reason English deserves your attention. Age points fall the moment you cross a birthday, so every year you spend hoping the cut-off drops is a year your total quietly shrinks. Improving your PTE result is the only lever that moves in your favour while you wait.
That is the honest case for serious Pearson Test of English preparation rather than a casual attempt.
Can I Get Australian PR with 70 Points?
Yes, but it depends heavily on your occupation and which visa you target. 70 points clears the legal minimum of 65. Whether it clears the invitation cut-off is a different question, and the answer changes by occupation and by round.
This is how 70 points will react to the three major visa point pathways.
Subclass 189 (Skilled Independent)
This is the fully independent visa with no state commitment attached, so it draws the most competition.
- If you are in a crowded field such as IT, accounting, or general engineering, 70 points is unlikely to attract an invitation. Cut-offs in these occupations have often sat well above 80.
- If you are a registered nurse, doctor, educator or a profession within some licensed trades, it is an entirely different story. These professions have been sought after at 65 and 70 points during previous rounds due to demand outweighing supply.
- The occupation is more important than raw points in such a case. Two individuals with the same 70 points can receive totally different results.
Subclass 190 (State Nominated)
- An added 5 points due to state nomination takes your 70 to 75 points.
- Your path to permanent residence becomes direct, but with a requirement to reside in the nominating state for 2 years. Each state runs its own occupation list and its own criteria. Some prioritise applicants already living and working in the state. Others weight local job offers heavily.
- One can have EOIs for more than one state simultaneously, and that is something that is recommended if one’s occupation makes it onto more than one list.
Subclass 491 (Provisional Skilled Work Regional Visa)
- This earns an additional 15 points, which is the maximum one-off points one can score. It is possible for those having either 55 or 60 points to end up with 70 or 75, respectively.
- It is a five-year provisional visa and not the permanent residency visa immediately.
- Following three years in a designated regional area of Australia and meeting the income requirements, one would be able to make an application for permanent residency under Subclass 191.
- The regional areas of Australia include the whole of certain cities like Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and Newcastle.
How to think about it practically: 70 points means getting into the pool, whereas state and regional nominations along with superior English bring one the ITA.
How to Hit Writing 85 and Speaking 88?
For the same reasons why the previous methodologies have failed, the DHA has set the above two benchmarks high. The period between 2020 and 2024 in India has been marked by coaching centers teaching students templates for essays and speeches. Pearson’s scoring engine adapted. Templates now read as filler, and filler does not score.
Reaching 85 in Writing and 88 in Speaking needs real skill:
- Spelling accuracy under time pressure, especially in Write from Dictation, which feeds both Writing and Listening.
- Able to speak fluently without any pause or self-correction.
- Having good pronunciation and rhythm which the engine takes into account more than accent.
- Precise grammar and controlled vocabulary in Summarize Written Text and essays.
- Content accuracy in Repeat Sentence and Retell Lecture, where partial answers lose heavy marks.
How We Train for It at Tiju’s Academy?
We are the best PTE coaching centre in Kerala, and we rebuilt our entire curriculum after the August 2025 update rather than editing the old one. Tiju’s Academy PTE coaching now runs on a set of in-house methods our trainers developed for these exact targets.
Our core techniques:
- Speakathon: Our fluency accelerator program, built for candidates chasing the 88 Speaking mark.
- ALIS Technique: The PTE Language Interpretation System, which trains you to decode question intent quickly instead of reacting to keywords.
- LIT: The Listening Interpretation Technique developed by Rissy, aimed at accuracy in the highest-weighted listening tasks.
- RAP Technique: A grammar-based Reading Accuracy Programme designed by our HOD.
- Germa Technique: Gerund mastery for high-scoring PTE essays, which lifts Writing scores where templates used to sit.
- DEW Technique: Dedicated keyboard practice, because typing speed and spelling accuracy directly cap your Write from Dictation score.
- Endura Technique: A series of mock tests with expert assessment and personalized feedback after each attempt.
- Groxis: Our mentor system, pairing you with a trainer who tracks your progress week by week.
- Yo-Co: A yoga-based concentration method combined with structured lessons. The exam runs close to three hours with no real break, and most candidates lose marks in the final section simply because focus drops.
- Screen-Li: Learning activities that reduce excess time spent on screens but at the same time maintain your practice load, allowing you to end your study session fresh instead of tired.
Along with all that, you will get AI-supported speaking practice with immediate feedback, strategy sessions on a section-by-section basis, realistic practice tests following the exam format, a customized score improvement plan, daily practice assignments, vocabulary and pronunciation training, time management exercises, personalized tutor feedback, an active community of peers for help, and a clear path to reach your target score.
We run flexible online batches, so our PTE Academic online coaching works whether you are studying full time, working shifts, or preparing from outside Kerala. Students searching for the best online training for PTE Academic usually come to us after one failed attempt with template-based methods. Our PTE academic training online covers the same syllabus as our classroom batches, with the same trainers, and our PTE academic preparation online batches keep group sizes small enough for every student to get speaking feedback in each session.
If you want the best PTE preparation for the 2026 requirements rather than recycled 2024 material, that is exactly what we built.
Start Preparing for the Right Target
Finding out that your target score moved is frustrating, especially if you have already sat the exam once and thought 79 was enough. The upside is that English remains the cheapest and fastest 10 points available to you. There is no faster route to an ITA than turning Proficient into Superior.
Do not spend another exam fee on 2024 templates. Talk to us about a PTE academic preparation plan built around your current score report and your target date, and we will show you exactly which skills are costing you points.
Explore our Premium PTE Coaching Packages and book a free assessment with Tiju’s Academy today.
Frequently Asked Questions:
A: For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, a flat 79 gives you 10 points, not 20. Superior English now needs Writing 85 and Speaking 88, so a 79 in those two skills places you in Proficient English.
A: Yes, though it depends on your occupation. 70 points rarely wins a Subclass 189 invitation in IT or accounting, but it is often enough in nursing and licensed trades. State nomination adds 5 points and regional nomination adds 15.
A: Listening 69, Reading 70, Writing 85 and Speaking 88. You must meet every one of the four minimums to claim the 20 points. Missing even one drops you to the Proficient English band.
A: Only tests taken on or after 7 August 2025 use the new cut-offs. If you sat your test on or before 6 August 2025 and it is still within its three-year validity, the old flat 79 rule may still apply.
A: No. The Department of Home Affairs reads your four communicative skill scores individually and applies the lowest one. An overall 82 with Speaking at 80 is still counted as a Proficient English result.
A: No. The DHA accepts only PTE Academic for skilled migration. PTE Core is used for Canadian immigration and PTE General is not accepted. Remote-proctored or at-home tests are also rejected, so book a test centre sitting.
