If your goal is an Australian visa, nine test results are accepted: IELTS Academic, IELTS General Training, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, CELPIP General, OET, C1 Advanced (Cambridge), LANGUAGECERT Academic and the Michigan English Test (MET). If your goal is Canada, it is IELTS General Training, CELPIP General or PTE Core. If your goal is a university place, it is usually IELTS, TOEFL iBT or PTE Academic. If you are a nurse, doctor, pharmacist or other regulated health professional, OET is the test built for you — but your registration board sets its own table, and it is not the visa table.
There is no single “best” English test. There is the test your decision-maker accepts, in the format they accept, with a result still inside its validity window. This guide, updated on 18 September 2026, sets out what each test is for, what Australia and Canada actually accept right now, and the four mistakes that cost people a test fee and a semester.
Written by Green School (formerly Green English), an online English school in Queensland, Australia, teaching IELTS, PTE, CELPIP, OET and NAATI CCL since 2018.
Which English test should you take? IELTS vs PTE vs CELPIP vs OET vs TOEFL, 2026
| Test | Best for | Australian visas | Also accepted in | Key feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic / General Training | Immigration, universities, registration boards | Accepted | Canada, UK, NZ, Ireland | The most widely accepted test; human examiners for Speaking and Writing |
| PTE Academic | Australian immigration, fast results | Accepted | NZ, UK, many universities | Fully computer-scored; results typically in 1–2 business days |
| CELPIP General | Canadian PR and citizenship — and now Australian visas too | Accepted since 7 August 2025 | Canada (IRCC) | Everyday-life tasks, Canadian and North American accents, one sitting on a computer |
| OET | Health professionals seeking registration | Accepted | UK, Ireland, NZ, Singapore, Dubai | Tasks are clinical: patient consultations, referral letters, case notes |
| TOEFL iBT | Universities, especially in the USA | Accepted, with an extra registration step | USA, Canada, worldwide academia | Academic, integrated tasks; from 21 January 2026 you must register for the Australia pathway |
| C1 Advanced (Cambridge) | Long-term proof of level, study, employment | Accepted for most visas; excluded from the packaged-ELICOS concessions | UK, Europe, worldwide | The certificate itself does not expire, although decision-makers still apply their own validity rules |
| LANGUAGECERT Academic, MET | Alternatives where centre availability is the constraint | Accepted | Selected universities | Newer to the Australian list; check that your specific institution accepts them too |
| NAATI CCL | Five extra points on an Australian skilled visa | Not an English test — a bilingual credential | Australia only | Two dialogues interpreted between English and your other language |
What Australia accepts in 2026 — and the date that changed it
Australia rewrote its list of accepted English tests with effect from 7 August 2025. The Department of Home Affairs states the rule for tests sat from that date, and the same page carries the sentence that catches more applicants than any other:
“The Department of Home Affairs does not accept evidence from English language tests where an entire test is delivered online (also known as ‘remote-proctored’ or ‘at-home’).”
Home Affairs names the excluded versions individually: IELTS Online, LANGUAGECERT Academic Online, OET@Home, CELPIP Online, MET Digital taken at home, and TOEFL iBT – Home Edition. Preparing online is fine — that is how our school works — but the test itself has to be sat in a secure test centre.
The second change matters if you have been told for years that CELPIP is a Canadian test. CELPIP General now appears in the Australian tables. For a Subclass 500 Student visa the minimum is CELPIP 7, falling to 6 with at least 10 weeks of packaged ELICOS and 5 with at least 20 weeks. The full Subclass 500 table in force on 18 September 2026 is this:
| Test | Minimum score | With 10+ weeks of ELICOS, a Foundation or eligible Pathway program | With 20+ weeks of ELICOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 Advanced | 161 | Excluded | Excluded |
| CELPIP General | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| IELTS Academic | 6.0 | 5.5 | 5.0 |
| IELTS General Training | 6.0 | 5.5 | 5.0 |
| LANGUAGECERT Academic | 61 | 54 | 46 |
| MET | 53 | 49 | 44 |
| OET | 1210 | 1090 | 1020 |
| PTE Academic | 47 | 39 | 31 |
| TOEFL iBT | 67 | 51 | 37 |
Skilled and partner visas use a different scale — Functional, Vocational, Competent, Proficient and Superior English — with its own numbers for each test. We set those out test by test in CELPIP vs PTE vs IELTS for an Australian visa: the 2026 score tables, side by side. How those levels convert into points — 0, 10 or 20, plus 5 for NAATI CCL — is in PTE Academic and NAATI CCL: where your migration points actually come from.
For the 17 September 2026 migration announcement and what it does and does not change for students, see English requirements for studying in Australia after the 17 September 2026 announcement. The short version: the English scores did not move.
IELTS: the most widely accepted test
IELTS is still the test with the fewest questions attached to it. Immigration departments in Australia, Canada, the UK and New Zealand accept it, so do registration boards such as AHPRA, and so do universities almost everywhere. If you do not yet know which country or which pathway you will end up on, IELTS is the result least likely to be wasted.
Two forms exist and they are not interchangeable. IELTS Academic is for study and most professional registration; IELTS General Training is for migration and work. Australia accepts both for Subclass 500; Canada requires General Training for permanent residence. Booking the wrong one is a common and expensive error.
The hard part for most candidates is Writing Task 2, where the criteria reward argument structure and range of language rather than correctness alone. Speaking and Writing are marked by human examiners, which some people find fairer than an algorithm and others find less predictable.
PTE Academic: the fastest results
PTE Academic is computer-delivered and computer-scored end to end, and the score report usually arrives within one to two business days. For anyone working to a deadline — a visa lodgement date, an EOI round, a university offer — that turnaround is the reason to choose it.
The format is the catch. Several PTE tasks mark two skills at once: Read Aloud scores speaking and reading, Summarise Written Text scores reading and writing. Candidates with strong English routinely underperform on PTE the first time, not because of their English but because they answered the task the way a human examiner would want rather than the way the scoring engine measures. PTE preparation is mostly format training, and it is the test where practising to the machine pays the most.
CELPIP: Canada’s test, now on Australia’s list
CELPIP General is built around everyday situations — answering a complaint, giving advice, describing a photo, choosing between two options — rather than academic argument. It is one computer-based sitting of about three hours, all four skills in one go, and the listening uses Canadian and North American accents.
In Canada it is accepted by IRCC for permanent residence and for citizenship, and the CELPIP level maps one-to-one onto the CLB scale. Since 7 August 2025 it also appears in the Australian visa tables, which changes the calculation for a group nobody used to advise: people in Australia on a Canadian pathway, and people who simply find the CELPIP task types easier than IELTS Writing Task 2. Test centres in Australia are fewer than IELTS centres, so book early — we list what is available and how the scores map in CELPIP in Australia: test centres, scores and what Home Affairs accepts. For the Canadian side — CLB levels for permanent residence and the shorter test used for citizenship — we cover it in Ukrainian in CELPIP for Ukrainians in Canada.
One warning that applies to both countries: CELPIP Online is not accepted for Australian visa purposes. The test must be sat at a centre.
OET: English for health professionals
OET tests the English a clinician actually uses. You read case notes and write a referral letter; you take a patient history in a role-play; the reading texts are clinical. OET publishes profession-specific versions — nursing, medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, physiotherapy and others — and for Australian registration AHPRA states that “Any profession-specific OET test can be accepted”.
It is accepted for registration in Australia, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore and Dubai, and for Australian visas. The trap is assuming one score does both jobs. Your registration board and Home Affairs publish separate tables, and since 23 April 2026 they are close but not identical: AHPRA asks for 350 in Writing, Proficient English asks for 380. We set the two tables side by side in OET scores for AHPRA registration and for your visa, and cover the 23 April 2026 change itself in what changed for AHPRA English requirements. AHPRA accepts five tests, and CELPIP is not among them.
TOEFL iBT: the academic standard
TOEFL iBT remains the default for universities in the United States and is accepted across Canadian and international academia. Its tasks are integrated — read a passage, hear a lecture, then speak or write about both — which suits people who are already comfortable with academic material.
If you are using TOEFL for an Australian visa there is an administrative step that cannot be fixed afterwards: from 21 January 2026 you must select the “Taking TOEFL for Australia” option when you register. Choose the ordinary registration and the result may not be accepted.
Cambridge C1 Advanced: a certificate that does not expire
C1 Advanced (CAE), along with B2 First and C2 Proficiency, certifies a level rather than a score for one application. The certificate itself has no expiry date, which makes it useful for employers and for long-term academic plans.
Two practical limits. Decision-makers still apply their own recency rules regardless of what the certificate says, and in the Australian Subclass 500 table C1 Advanced is accepted at 161 but is excluded from the packaged-ELICOS concessions that lower the threshold for other tests.
NAATI CCL: not an English test, but five points
NAATI CCL (Credentialled Community Language) is not an English exam at all. It tests your ability to interpret two dialogues between English and another language, and passing it is worth five points on the Australian skilled migration points test — the same five points that decide a large share of invitations.
It is worth knowing about here because applicants often spend months chasing a higher IELTS or PTE band for points that CCL would deliver faster. Both point tables, the exact PTE component scores for 10 and 20 points, and why CCL is taken after PTE rather than instead of it, are in PTE Academic and NAATI CCL: where your migration points actually come from. Tatiana Green, director of Green School, wrote our NAATI CCL course herself, recorded the dialogues with native speakers, and has run it with multiple cohorts over more than three years.
Four mistakes that cost a test fee
- Booking an at-home version. Home Affairs excludes every entirely online variant by name. Check the words “online”, “at home” and “remote-proctored” on your booking before you pay.
- Booking the wrong form of the right test. IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training; PTE Academic and PTE Core; OET for the wrong profession. The name on the score report has to match what your decision-maker asked for.
- Misreading the validity window. For a Subclass 500 Student visa, Home Affairs requires the test to have been completed “within the 2 years before you lodged your visa application, if you are Regular Evidence level; or within the 2 years before a decision is made on your visa application, if you are Streamlined Evidence level and the Department has requested evidence.” At Streamlined Evidence level the clock therefore runs to the decision, not to lodgement — a result sat 23 months before you apply can fall out of range while you wait.
- Preparing to the exact minimum. Almost every table above is a floor, and your university or registration board usually sits above it. One weak section on the day is normal; a plan with no margin turns that into a re-sit.
How to choose, in one pass
- Australian skilled or partner visa: PTE Academic if you want speed, IELTS if you want the result to work everywhere else too. Add NAATI CCL for five points if you have a second language.
- Australian student visa: IELTS Academic or PTE Academic, checked against both the Subclass 500 table above and your provider’s own admission threshold, whichever is higher.
- Canadian PR or citizenship: CELPIP General or IELTS General Training. CELPIP if everyday tasks suit you better than academic essays.
- Registration as a health professional: OET, against your board’s table, not the visa table.
- University admission: IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT or PTE Academic — whichever your shortlist of institutions all accept.
- Proof of level for an employer, with no deadline: C1 Advanced.
FAQ
Which English test is required for immigration to Australia?
Australia accepts nine results: IELTS Academic, IELTS General Training, PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT, CELPIP General, OET, C1 Advanced, LANGUAGECERT Academic and MET, for tests sat on or after 7 August 2025. IELTS and PTE Academic are the two most commonly used. CELPIP General has been accepted since 7 August 2025, which many older guides still do not reflect.
Which English test is easiest?
None of them is easier in general; they are easier for different people. Candidates who dislike essay writing often score better on CELPIP or PTE; candidates who freeze in front of a microphone often do better with IELTS, where Speaking is a conversation with a person. The honest way to choose is a diagnostic against two formats rather than a general reputation.
Is CELPIP accepted for an Australian visa?
Yes, for tests sat on or after 7 August 2025. For a Subclass 500 Student visa the minimum is CELPIP General 7, dropping to 6 with 10 weeks of packaged ELICOS and 5 with 20 weeks. CELPIP Online is not accepted. Note that AHPRA, the health practitioner regulator, does not accept CELPIP — the visa list and the registration list are different lists.
Which English test is best for Canada immigration?
CELPIP General and IELTS General Training for permanent residence and citizenship; PTE Core is also accepted by IRCC for economic programs. CELPIP is the only one of the three designed specifically around Canadian everyday English, and its levels map one-to-one onto CLB.
Can I take an English test at home for my visa?
Not for an Australian visa. Home Affairs excludes IELTS Online, LANGUAGECERT Academic Online, OET@Home, CELPIP Online, MET Digital taken at home and TOEFL iBT – Home Edition. You can prepare online; you cannot sit the test online.
How many points does English give me for an Australian skilled visa?
Zero for Competent English, 10 for Proficient and 20 for Superior. NAATI CCL adds a further 5 and is a separate credential, not an English test.
How long does it take to prepare for IELTS or PTE?
Most of our students need six to twelve weeks of structured preparation to move one band, and longer if the gap is more than one band. PTE often takes less time than IELTS for the same target, because a large part of the work is learning the format rather than raising the level of English.
How long is an English test result valid?
It depends on the level of English your visa asks for. For Vocational, Competent, Proficient and Superior English, Home Affairs requires a test taken “in the 3 years before your visa application”; for Functional English the window is “in the 12 months before your visa application”. A Subclass 500 Student visa is measured differently again — two years, counted to the date you lodged if you are Regular Evidence level, or to the date a decision is made if you are Streamlined Evidence level and the department has asked for evidence. Universities and registration boards apply their own windows, which are often shorter.
Not sure which test is right for you?
Green School has taught English exam preparation online since 2018, to more than 3,500 students, from Queensland, Australia. We prepare candidates for IELTS, PTE Academic, CELPIP, OET and NAATI CCL, and we are a Silver member of the CELPIP Network.
The cheapest way to find out which exam suits you is to sit down with a teacher for one lesson and be assessed on two formats rather than guess from a comparison table — including this one.
👉 Book a trial class (A$29) and get an exam recommendation
Or go straight to a course: IELTS, PTE and CELPIP group preparation, or one-to-one preparation for CCL, DET, MET, OET and LanguageCert. Who we are, what we charge and how to verify it: our school facts page.
Nothing on this page is migration advice. It sets out published rules; for your own application, speak to your own registered migration agent, and for registration, to your own board.
Sources
- Department of Home Affairs, English language visa requirements — accepted tests and the at-home exclusion, for tests sat from 7 August 2025: immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/meeting-our-requirements/english-language (checked 18 September 2026)
- Department of Home Affairs, Subclass 500 Student visa — score table, validity wording, TOEFL registration note: immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/student-500 (checked 18 September 2026)
- Department of Home Affairs, Points table for Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) — English and community-language points: immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/.../points-table (checked 18 September 2026)
- Migration (English Language Tests and Evidence Exemptions for Subclass 500 (Student) Visas) Instrument 2025, F2025L00906, in force 6 August 2025: legislation.gov.au/F2025L00906 (checked 18 September 2026)
- Ahpra, Accepted English language tests — five accepted tests and minimum scores from 23 April 2026: ahpra.gov.au/.../Accepted-English-language-tests (checked 18 September 2026)
- CELPIP, test format and scoring, CELPIP–CLB–CEFR chart: celpip.ca/test-format-scoring (checked 18 September 2026)
- OET, results and scoring: oet.com/test/test-overview/results-and-scoring (checked 30 September 2026)
- NAATI, Credentialled Community Language test: naati.com.au/migration-assessments/ccl (checked 18 September 2026)
Last updated 18 September 2026. We check this page against the sources above whenever the Australian or Canadian lists change.