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ENGLISH LEVELFunctionalHome Affairs
Functional English: the PTE score and every other test
What Home Affairs counts as functional English, in the test you plan to take, for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025. Quoted from Home Affairs and checked on 4 Oct 2026.
ENGLISH LEVEL
Functional
Home Affairs definition
PTE OVERALL
24
Academic, from 7 Aug 2025
IELTS OVERALL
4.5
Academic or General Training
TEST WINDOW
12 months
before your visa application
SHORT ANSWER
24
overallPTE Academic
LISTENNo min
READNo min
WRITENo min
SPEAKNo min
PTE Academic overall 24 for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025. Home Affairs sets no per-skill minimum at this level.
4.5
overallIELTS Academic
LISTENNo min
READNo min
WRITENo min
SPEAKNo min
IELTS Academic overall 4.5 for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025. Home Affairs sets no per-skill minimum at this level.
26
overallTOEFL iBT
LISTENNo min
READNo min
WRITENo min
SPEAKNo min
TOEFL iBT overall 26 for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025. Home Affairs sets no per-skill minimum at this level.
5
overallCELPIP General
LISTENNo min
READNo min
WRITENo min
SPEAKNo min
CELPIP General overall 5 for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025. Home Affairs sets no per-skill minimum at this level.
NOT ADVICERequirements change. Confirm on the official Home Affairs page before you book a test or lodge your application.
Check your scores
Enter your results in the test you took. Nothing is saved or sent.
You meet the requirement
Overall
NEED 24
Meets
Listening
NO MINIMUM
Reading
NO MINIMUM
Writing
NO MINIMUM
Speaking
NO MINIMUM
Overall
NEED 4.5
Meets
Listening
NO MINIMUM
Reading
NO MINIMUM
Writing
NO MINIMUM
Speaking
NO MINIMUM
Overall
NEED 26
Meets
Listening
NO MINIMUM
Reading
NO MINIMUM
Writing
NO MINIMUM
Speaking
NO MINIMUM
Overall
NEED 5
Meets
Listening
NO MINIMUM
Reading
NO MINIMUM
Writing
NO MINIMUM
Speaking
NO MINIMUM
Every accepted test
Functional English is one overall score per test.
PTE AcademicACCEPTED
OVERALL
24
BEFORE 7 AUG 2025
30
Overall score only. No per-skill minimum.
IELTS AcademicACCEPTED
OVERALL
4.5
BEFORE 7 AUG 2025
4.5
Overall score only. No per-skill minimum.
IELTS General TrainingACCEPTED
OVERALL
4.5
BEFORE 7 AUG 2025
4.5
Overall score only. No per-skill minimum.
TOEFL iBTACCEPTED
OVERALL
26
BEFORE 7 AUG 2025
32
Overall score only. No per-skill minimum.
CELPIP GeneralACCEPTED
OVERALL
5
BEFORE 7 AUG 2025
-
Overall score only. No per-skill minimum.
OETACCEPTED
OVERALL
1020
BEFORE 7 AUG 2025
-
Overall score only. No per-skill minimum.
LANGUAGECERT AcademicACCEPTED
OVERALL
38
BEFORE 7 AUG 2025
-
Overall score only. No per-skill minimum.
Michigan English TestACCEPTED
OVERALL
38
BEFORE 7 AUG 2025
-
Overall score only. No per-skill minimum.
What this level is used for
Training visa (407)
Home Affairs: “You must have functional English.”
Partners and children on skilled visas
You might have to pay an extra charge for any applicant 18 years old or older who has less than functional English.
Or show it with your schooling
Home Affairs also accepts study in English instead of a test, for these study times.
Educational institution
Study time
A primary school and secondary school, in or outside Australia, where all instruction was in English
All years of primary and at least 3 years of secondary education
A secondary school, in or outside Australia, where all instruction was in English
At least 5 years of secondary education
An institution in Australia, where all instruction was in English, towards one of the following awards: a degree, a higher degree, a diploma, an associate diploma
At least 1 year of full-time study towards an award, or the part-time equivalent of 1 year of full-time study towards an award
Taken on or before 6 August 2025
Results from the previous version of each test count only until the date Home Affairs gives.
Test
Overall
Cambridge C1 Advanced
147
IELTS
4.5
PTE Academic
30
TOEFL iBT
32
* Test results from a test taken on or before 6 August 2025, may be used as evidence of English proficiency for visa purposes until 6 August 2026, inclusive. This will depend on the visa. That date has passed, so check the visa page before relying on an older result.
If you're short
01Check the weak spotOnly the overall score counts at this level.
02Mind the 12 monthsA functional English result must be from the 12 months before your visa application.
03Or use your schoolingHome Affairs also lets you show functional English with the years you studied in English.
BOOK OR PREPAREThe link goes to the provider's own site. How this works
Pearson PTEOfficial PTE Academic booking and test centre finder
For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, an overall score of at least 24. Home Affairs sets no per-skill minimum for functional English.
A functional English test result must be from the 12 months before your visa application. Home Affairs: “You achieved one of the test scores in Table 2 or Table 3 in the 12 months before your visa application.”
Yes. Home Affairs accepts citizens with a valid passport from Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom or the United States, a degree, higher degree, diploma or trade certificate that took at least 2 years of full-time study taught in English, or the years of English-language schooling in the table above.
A separate table applies. For PTE Academic the overall score is 30. Home Affairs set 6 August 2026 as the last day older functional English results could be used, depending on the visa, and that date has passed.