PTE Score Chart 2026: 10-90 Scale and IELTS Equivalents

PTE Academic reports a score from 10 to 90 on the Global Scale of English, plus four communicative skill scores. There are two things most preparation material still gets wrong about it, and both matter if you are reading your own score report.

First, the overall score is not an average of the four skill scores. Second, the enabling skills were replaced by a Skills Profile in November 2021 — the six-item list of grammar, oral fluency, pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary and written discourse no longer appears on current score reports.

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Key Takeaways

• PTE Academic is scored 10 to 90 on the Global Scale of English, with four communicative skill scores reported alongside.
• Pearson states the overall score is not an average calculation of the communicative skills scores.
• Enabling skills were replaced in November 2021 by a Skills Profile of eight groups.
• Results arrive within 5 working days and typically within 48 hours; scores are valid for 2 years.
• Any table converting a raw item count to a PTE score is an estimate — Pearson does not publish one.

PTE score chart: PTE to IELTS by skill

This is Pearson’s own alignment between PTE Academic and IELTS Academic, from the PTE Academic Test Taker Score Guide. Pearson updated it based on research released in July 2025 and calls it its current best estimate.

IELTS	PTE overall	Listening	Reading	Speaking	Writing
4.5	24-30	26-32	29-35	14-23	17-28
5.0	31-38	33-39	36-41	24-38	29-40
5.5	39-46	40-46	42-47	39-53	41-50
6.0	47-54	47-52	48-53	54-65	51-59
6.5	55-62	53-57	54-58	66-75	60-68
7.0	63-70	58-63	59-64	76-82	69-76
7.5	71-78	64-68	65-69	83-87	77-84
8.0	79-85	69-74	70-74	88-89	85-89
8.5	86-89	75-80	75-80	90	90
9.0	90	81-90	81-90	–	–

For example, an overall PTE score of 65 sits in the 63-70 range that Pearson aligns with IELTS 7.0. Read your own requirement against the skill columns as well: a university asking for IELTS 7.0 in each band needs the PTE skill ranges in that row, not only the overall.

PTE to IELTS converter

Enter your PTE overall score and any of your four skill scores to see the IELTS band each one aligns with in Pearson’s table above.

What the score report contains

Element	Detail
Overall score	10-90, on the Global Scale of English
Communicative skills	Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing — each 10-90
Skills Profile	Eight groups, replacing the former enabling skills
Relationship	Pearson: “the overall score is not an average calculation of the communicative skills scores”
Validity	2 years
Turnaround	Within 5 working days, typically within 48 hours

The Skills Profile: eight groups

These replaced the enabling skills in November 2021. If a preparation site still lists grammar, oral fluency, pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary and written discourse as separate scored items, it is describing a score report format that no longer exists.

Skills Profile group
Open Response Speaking and Writing
Reproducing Spoken and Written Language
Extended Writing
Short Writing
Extended Speaking
Short Speaking
Multiple-skills Comprehension
Single-skill Comprehension

The grouping is by task behaviour rather than by linguistic feature, which is why it maps onto what you practise more directly than the old list did.

Why the overall score is not an average

Consequence	What it means for you
You cannot compute your overall from four skill scores	Any calculator that averages them is guessing
Two candidates with identical skill scores can differ overall	The item-level performance behind the skills differs
A weak skill does not translate mechanically into a fixed overall deduction	Improving the weakest skill is still the best strategy, but the gain is not arithmetic
Institutions often set both an overall minimum and per-skill minimums	Check both, because meeting one does not guarantee the other

Which tasks feed which skill

Several PTE Academic tasks score two skills, which makes them worth more practice time per minute than single-skill tasks.

Task	Skills scored
Read Aloud	Speaking
Repeat Sentence	Listening, Speaking
Describe Image	Speaking
Retell Lecture	Listening, Speaking
Answer Short Question	Listening
Summarize Group Discussion	Listening, Speaking
Respond to a Situation	Speaking
Summarize Written Text	Reading, Writing
Write Essay	Writing
Reading Fill in the Blanks (dropdown)	Reading
Reading Fill in the Blanks (drag and drop)	Reading
Summarize Spoken Text	Listening, Writing
Listening Fill in the Blanks	Listening
Highlight Incorrect Words	Listening, Reading
Write from Dictation	Listening, Writing

Write from Dictation and Repeat Sentence each feed two skills, and with Listening Fill in the Blanks they are all mechanical rather than judgement-based, which is why they are the most efficient tasks to drill.

The test format the scores come from

Part	Name	Time	Question types
1	Speaking and Writing	76-84 min	9
2	Reading	23-30 min	5
3	Listening	31-39 min	8
Total		About 2 hours	22

All PTE tests are taken at a test centre. PTE Academic Online is no longer offered, and the current products are PTE Academic, PTE Core, PTE Academic UKVI and PTE Home.

Where negative marking applies

Task	Rule
Reading Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers	Marks deducted for incorrect selections
Listening Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers	Marks deducted for incorrect selections
Highlight Incorrect Words	Plus one for a correct click, minus one for an incorrect click
Everything else	No deduction — answer every item

Official comparison: DET, IELTS and TOEFL

Pearson publishes a PTE-to-IELTS alignment table in its Score Guide, which it calls its current best estimate, so any figure claiming an exact conversion is an estimate. Duolingo does publish an official DET-to-IELTS-and-TOEFL table, which is reproduced here because it maps the DET to both IELTS and TOEFL.

CEFR	DET	IELTS	TOEFL iBT
C2	160	8.5-9	120
C2	155	8	119
C1	150	8	117-118
C1	145	7.5	113-116
C1	135	7	104-108
B2	125	6.5	93-97
B2	115	6	82-86
B2	100	5.5	65-69
B1	90	5	53-58
B1	75	4.5	35-40
B1	60	4	18-23

Use this to compare a DET score with an IELTS requirement. It does not convert to PTE, and no official table does.

What is not published, and what to do about it

Not published by Pearson	Practical response
A raw-score to scaled-score conversion table	Use the official scored practice tests for an estimate rather than a chart
An exact PTE-to-IELTS conversion table	Check the requirement in PTE terms; institutions publish their own PTE minimum
Per-item preparation times for Reading and Listening	Practise the whole section under its published section time
A country-by-country fee table	The Pearson test centre search shows local pricing

Which skill to push first

Profile	Push	Tasks
Writing behind the rest	Writing	Write Essay, Summarize Written Text, Summarize Spoken Text, Write from Dictation
Listening behind	Listening	Write from Dictation, Repeat Sentence, Listening Fill in the Blanks
Reading behind	Reading	Reading Fill in the Blanks, Reorder Paragraph, Highlight Incorrect Words
Speaking behind	Speaking	Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence, Describe Image, Retell Lecture
All four close together	Write from Dictation and Repeat Sentence	Each feeds two skills and both are pure practice effects

Practical scoring facts

1. Answer every item except where negative marking applies — two Multiple Answers tasks and Highlight Incorrect Words.
2. Personal Introduction is not scored. Speak fluently and move on.
3. Speak for the full response window on every speaking task; silence produces nothing to assess.
4. Observe the word limits: Summarize Written Text 5 to 75 words, Write Essay 200 to 300, Summarize Spoken Text 50 to 70.
5. Scores are valid for two years, and institutions may set per-skill minimums as well as an overall figure.
6. Results arrive within five working days and typically within 48 hours.

FAQ

Is the PTE overall score an average of the four skills?

No. Pearson states explicitly that the overall score is not an average calculation of the communicative skills scores, which means any calculator that averages your four skill scores is guessing.

What happened to PTE enabling skills?

They were replaced in November 2021 by a Skills Profile of eight groups: Open Response Speaking and Writing, Reproducing Spoken and Written Language, Extended Writing, Short Writing, Extended Speaking, Short Speaking, Multiple-skills Comprehension and Single-skill Comprehension. Score reports no longer list grammar, oral fluency, pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary and written discourse as separate items.

Is there an official PTE to IELTS conversion table?

Not as an exact conversion. Pearson’s Score Guide gives a PTE-to-IELTS alignment table that it calls its current best estimate, so every conversion chart online is an estimate. Institutions publish their own PTE minimum alongside their IELTS minimum, and that requirement is the number to work from.

How long does it take to get PTE results?

Within five working days, and typically within 48 hours. Scores are valid for two years from the test date.

Which PTE tasks are worth practising most?

The ones that score two skills and are mechanical rather than judgement-based: Write from Dictation and Repeat Sentence. Each raises two skill scores and each responds directly to volume of practice.

Can I take PTE Academic online?

No. All PTE tests must be taken at a test centre. PTE Academic Online is no longer offered, and the current products are PTE Academic, PTE Core, PTE Academic UKVI and PTE Home.

Related practice resources

• PTE Write Essay practice
• PTE Academic Reading practice with answers
• PTE question prediction
• How to achieve PTE 63 overall

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