Kavitha from Coimbatore wanted extra points for her skilled visa application. Three friends gave her three different IELTS targets, and none of them had checked the official page.

Australia’s Department of Home Affairs names English levels, such as competent, proficient and superior, and lists the IELTS scores that meet each. Your visa sets the minimum level, and points-tested visas reward higher levels.

How Does Home Affairs Describe English Levels?

Home Affairs has five levels: functional, vocational, competent, proficient and superior. Each level has its own page.

Functional, vocational and competent English can also be met with a valid passport from Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom or the United States. An Indian passport is not on that list, so you will usually need a test score, although some visas allow other evidence.

For vocational English and above, the IELTS scores are minimums in each skill, so a high band in three skills cannot make up for a lower band in the fourth. Functional English uses an average band instead.

Which IELTS Scores Meet Each Level?

Requirements as of October 2026, from the Department of Home Affairs (level pages last updated 21 September 2026). Check the official page before you book a test:

English level IELTS score needed
Superior English At least 8 in each of the 4 skills
Proficient English At least 7 in each of the 4 skills
Competent English At least 6 in each of the 4 skills
Vocational English At least 5 in each of the 4 skills
Functional English Average band of at least 4.5

These IELTS scores are the same for IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training. In an invented example, a candidate scores Listening 7.5, Reading 7.0, Writing 6.5 and Speaking 7.0, which average 7.0 overall. The lowest band, Writing 6.5, meets competent English (6 in each skill) but not proficient English (7 in each skill), so the level is set by that one band.

Incorrect: “My friend needed 7 for proficient English, so I do too.”

Correct: A friend’s figure may come from a different test or an older table, so check the current Home Affairs table for your own test.

Which IELTS Versions Does Home Affairs Accept?

Home Affairs accepts both IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training, including One Skill Retake results for eligible visas. The page for your visa says whether yours is eligible. To compare the two versions, read how Academic and General Training differ.

The test must be taken at a secure test centre, so Home Affairs does not accept IELTS Online. Its approved list also includes OET, PTE Academic and TOEFL iBT, among others, and you can see how the main English tests compare.

Where Do the Extra Points Come From?

On points-tested skilled visas, Home Affairs says additional points are awarded for proficient or superior English. You may need at least competent English just to submit an expression of interest. Check Home Affairs’ pages for how the points are worked out.

Do Skills Assessments and Registration Need Different Scores?

A skills assessing authority or a professional regulator may set its own English requirement, and it can differ from the visa table. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra), for example, sets its own English scores for health practitioners, which you can see in IELTS requirements set by healthcare regulators. Check your assessing body’s English page before you book, because a score that meets the visa table may not meet the assessment.

How Recent Must Your Test Be?

For vocational, competent, proficient and superior English, Home Affairs says the test must fall within the 3 years before your visa application, depending on the visa subclass. For functional English it is the 12 months before.

If you took IELTS before 7 August 2025, when the approved tests changed, the result may still be valid for a limited time. The page for your visa and level explains how long.

The IELTS partners recommend that organisations accept results for up to two years, but Home Affairs sets its own windows.

Tip

Write your four skill bands beside the table and mark the highest level that your lowest band reaches.

Key Takeaways

  • Home Affairs names five English levels, from functional to superior.
  • For IELTS, competent is 6, proficient is 7 and superior is 8 in each skill.
  • Home Affairs accepts IELTS Academic and General Training, but not IELTS Online.
  • Proficient and superior English earn points on points-tested skilled visas.
  • Skills assessors and regulators may set different English requirements.

The bottom line: Pick your IELTS target from the level named for your own visa, and recheck that Home Affairs page just before you apply.