Since 7 August 2025 the Department of Home Affairs accepts nine English tests for Australian visas — including CELPIP-General, which was not on the old list at all. Which test is “easiest” no longer has a single answer, because the current tables set a different bar for each of the four skills, so the right test depends on which skill is your weakest.
That is the whole story of the 2025 change, and most course pages in Australia still have not caught up with it. Below are the actual numbers from immi.homeaffairs.gov.au, checked on 17 September 2026.
What changed on 7 August 2025
The old tables were flat: one number across all four components. For Proficient English you needed PTE Academic 65 in listening, reading, writing and speaking. The new tables are not flat.
| Old (test on or before 6 Aug 2025) | New (test on or after 7 Aug 2025) | |
|---|---|---|
| PTE Academic, Proficient | 65 / 65 / 65 / 65 | 58 / 59 / 69 / 76 |
| PTE Academic, Superior | 79 / 79 / 79 / 79 | 69 / 70 / 85 / 88 |
| CELPIP-General | not accepted | accepted at every level |
Read that PTE row again. On the old table, listening and speaking asked for the same 65. On the new one, listening asks 58 and speaking asks 76 — an 18-point gap inside the same test, for the same visa level.
If you already sat a test on or before 6 August 2025, that result stays usable as evidence of English proficiency until 6 August 2028 inclusive, scored against the old table. You do not need to re-sit merely because the rules changed.
Competent English — the level most skilled visas ask for
Tests taken on or after 7 August 2025:
| Test | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic / General Training | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| PTE Academic | 47 | 48 | 51 | 54 |
| CELPIP-General | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| OET | 290 | 310 | 290 | 330 |
| TOEFL iBT | 16 | 16 | 19 | 19 |
| Cambridge C1 Advanced | 163 | 163 | 170 | 179 |
| LANGUAGECERT Academic | 57 | 60 | 64 | 70 |
| Michigan English Test (MET) | 56 | 55 | 57 | 48 |
At Competent level CELPIP is the only test besides IELTS that stays flat: 7 across all four. Every other test asks more of speaking than of listening.
Proficient English — where the tests stop agreeing
Tests taken on or after 7 August 2025:
| Test | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic / General Training | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| PTE Academic | 58 | 59 | 69 | 76 |
| CELPIP-General | 9 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| OET | 350 | 360 | 380 | 360 |
| TOEFL iBT | 22 | 22 | 26 | 24 |
| Cambridge C1 Advanced | 175 | 179 | 193 | 194 |
| LANGUAGECERT Academic | 67 | 71 | 78 | 82 |
| Michigan English Test (MET) | 61 | 63 | 74 | 59 |
This is the table worth printing out. Three different shapes:
- IELTS is flat — 7 everywhere. Weakness anywhere sinks you equally.
- PTE Academic is speaking-heavy: 76 for speaking against 58 for listening.
- CELPIP-General is writing-heavy: 10 for writing, but only 8 for reading and 8 for speaking.
- MET is the only one of the eight where speaking (59) is the lowest bar on the row, below reading and writing.
Superior English — the top tier
Tests taken on or after 7 August 2025:
| Test | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic / General Training | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| PTE Academic | 69 | 70 | 85 | 88 |
| CELPIP-General | 10 | 10 | 12 | 10 |
| OET | 390 | 400 | 420 | 400 |
| TOEFL iBT | 26 | 27 | 30 | 28 |
| Cambridge C1 Advanced | 186 | 190 | 210 | 208 |
| LANGUAGECERT Academic | 80 | 83 | 89 | 89 |
Two numbers here are worth pausing on. CELPIP Superior asks for writing 12 — the maximum of the 0–12 CELPIP scale. PTE Superior asks 88 for speaking, where the scale tops out at 90. At Superior level, both tests ask for a near-perfect result in a single skill while leaving the other three comparatively lower.
CELPIP across all four visa levels
| Level | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vocational | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Competent | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Proficient | 9 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| Superior | 10 | 10 | 12 | 10 |
Writing is the binding constraint at every level above Competent: it is the only component where CELPIP asks for more than the others, and the gap widens as you go up — 10 against 8 at Proficient, 12 against 10 at Superior.
What this means for you
1. Pick the test by your weakest skill, not by reputation. If speaking is your weak point, the PTE Proficient speaking bar of 76 is the hardest single number on that row. If writing is your weak point, CELPIP asks 10 of 12 at the same level. IELTS is the flat option: no skill to hide behind, and none to be ambushed by either.
2. If you are a health professional, the visa test and the registration test are two different questions. AHPRA’s English language skills standard, with minimum scores in effect from 23 April 2026, accepts five tests: Cambridge C1 Advanced / C2 Proficiency, IELTS Academic, OET, PTE Academic and TOEFL iBT. CELPIP is not on AHPRA’s list. A CELPIP result can support the visa and still leave your registration requirement unmet. Check both requirements before you book anything.
3. CELPIP-General LS will not work for an Australian visa. Every Home Affairs table above requires a score in all four components. CELPIP-General LS reports only listening and speaking — it is the version built for Canadian citizenship applications, not the one the Home Affairs tables describe.
4. No fully online test counts. Home Affairs states it does not accept evidence from English language tests delivered completely online. You sit the test at a centre; you can prepare online.
5. If you already have a pre-August-2025 result, do the arithmetic before you rebook. It is valid until 6 August 2028 against the old table — and on the old flat PTE table, a 65 across the board was Proficient. On the new table the same profile might not be.
Where you can sit each test in Australia
CELPIP’s own location pages list Australian test centres in Sydney, Parramatta, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide — the Adelaide centre, for example, is at Level 3, 29 King William Street and offers both General and LS. CELPIP’s overview page words the same coverage more narrowly as “Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and Brisbane”, so confirm your city on the booking portal before you plan travel.
What that list does not include: Gold Coast, Canberra, Hobart, Darwin, Newcastle, Cairns or anywhere regional. If you live outside those capitals, sitting CELPIP means a trip — which is exactly why preparation for it is done online.
Test logistics, compared
| CELPIP-General | PTE Academic | IELTS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sitting | One sitting, computer-delivered, no separate speaking session | Computer-based | Academic or General Training |
| Length | Under 2 h 50 min | About 2 hours | — |
| Results | Online in 3–4 business days | Usually within 2 business days, up to 5 | — |
| Scale | 0–12 per skill | 10–90 | Bands |
| Score validity | Viewable in your account for 2 years | 2 years from test date | — |
| Fee (publisher’s list) | CAD 299 + tax (General); CAD 199 + tax (LS) | — | — |
Blank cells are facts we could not confirm on the test owner’s own site on 17 September 2026, so we have left them out rather than guess. CELPIP notes that pricing outside Canada varies by location — check the amount at checkout for your Australian centre.
And if Canada is the real destination
Plenty of people sitting an English test in Australia are aiming at Canadian permanent residence rather than an Australian visa. There the currency is not a band score but a CLB (Canadian Language Benchmark) level, and CELPIP maps onto it one-to-one:
| CELPIP level | CLB level |
|---|---|
| 12 | 12 |
| 11 | 11 |
| 10 | 10 |
| 9 | 9 |
| 8 | 8 |
| 7 | 7 |
| 6 | 6 |
| 5 | 5 |
| 4 | 4 |
| 3 | 3 |
| 2 | 1, 2 |
A CELPIP 9 is a CLB 9 — no conversion table, no rounding. Which CLB level a given Canadian program requires is set by IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada), so take that number from IRCC’s own site; we do not publish it here because it changes independently of everything above.
The overlap is the useful part: as of 7 August 2025, one CELPIP-General sitting can speak to both an Australian visa application and a Canadian PR application, against two different tables.
FAQ
Does the Department of Home Affairs actually accept CELPIP?
Yes, for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025. CELPIP-General appears in the Home Affairs tables for Vocational, Competent, Proficient and Superior English. It does not appear in the tables for tests taken on or before 6 August 2025.
Which test is easiest for an Australian visa?
There is no test that is easiest for everyone — the 2025 tables removed that idea. At Proficient level, PTE asks 76 for speaking but 58 for listening; CELPIP asks 10 for writing but 8 for reading and speaking; IELTS asks 7 for everything. The easiest test is the one whose highest bar sits on your strongest skill.
My test was in early 2025. Do I have to sit it again?
Not because of the rule change. A result from a test taken on or before 6 August 2025 may be used as evidence of English proficiency until 6 August 2028 inclusive, assessed against the old table.
Can I use CELPIP for AHPRA registration as a nurse or doctor?
No. AHPRA’s accepted tests, with minimum scores in effect from 23 April 2026, are Cambridge C1 Advanced / C2 Proficiency, IELTS Academic, OET, PTE Academic and TOEFL iBT. CELPIP is not among them.
Can I sit CELPIP online from home?
Not for an Australian visa. Home Affairs does not accept evidence from tests delivered completely online. Preparation is a different matter — that is done online from anywhere.
How long are the scores good for?
CELPIP scores are viewable in your CELPIP account for 2 years from the test date; PTE Academic scores are valid for 2 years from the test date. How long a result is accepted for a particular visa is a separate question — Home Affairs states that results from tests taken on or after 7 August 2025 are valid for up to 3 years depending on the visa subclass, so check the subclass you are applying under.
Before you book
This page reproduces published rules, not advice about your application. Visa requirements depend on the subclass, your occupation and your circumstances, and they change. Confirm the level your subclass requires on immi.homeaffairs.gov.au or with a registered migration agent, and confirm the current score requirement with the test owner before you pay for a sitting. Nothing here is a promise of any visa or test outcome.
Sources
All figures above were checked on 17 September 2026.
- Department of Home Affairs — English language requirement
- Department of Home Affairs — Vocational English
- Department of Home Affairs — Competent English
- Department of Home Affairs — Proficient English
- Department of Home Affairs — Superior English
- CELPIP — Test overview (scale, acceptance, fees)
- CELPIP — Test format (General vs General LS, duration)
- CELPIP — Results (CLB equivalency, turnaround, validity)
- CELPIP — Australia test locations
- Pearson — PTE Academic (format, duration, results, scale)
- AHPRA — Accepted English language tests (from 23 April 2026)
Last verified: 17 September 2026.