IELTS 6.5 to PTE score
IELTS 6.5 overall is PTE Academic 55–62 overall in Pearson's July 2025 concordance, which Pearson's CEFR scale puts across B1 to B2. Skill by skill the same band asks for different PTE scores: Speaking needs 66 at the floor, while Listening needs only 53.
Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Pearson's concordance summary (PDF).
PTE Academic overall
55–62
For IELTS 6.5 overall
Hardest skill to match
Speaking 66
Floor of the 6.5 band
Pearson CEFR
B1 to B2
PTE 55–62
Step from the band below
8 points
IELTS 6.0 starts at PTE 47
IELTS 6.5 in each PTE skill
The overall range for IELTS 6.5 is 8 PTE scores wide. The widest skill range is Speaking (10 scores) and the narrowest is Listening (5), so a Speaking score has more room to land inside the band than a Listening score.
| Skill | PTE range for the band | Scores in range | Floor vs overall floor (55) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 55–62 | 8 | reference |
| Listening | 53–57 | 5 | 2 lower |
| Reading | 54–58 | 5 | 1 lower |
| Speaking | 66–75 | 10 | 11 higher |
| Writing | 60–68 | 9 | 5 higher |
What PTE 55–62 clears
The band straddles 5 sourced thresholds: Waikato LLB at 56, NZ residence at 58, Waikato masters at 58, UK B2 at 59 and VU masters at 60. A score at the floor, 55, misses them, while the top of the band, 62, clears them. The table reads each threshold as 55 or 62 in every skill and overall.
| Threshold | Stated requirement | At PTE 55 | At PTE 62 |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Waikato: undergraduate degrees (general row) | overall 50, no section below 42 | Clears | Clears |
| Victoria University (Australia): bachelor degrees | overall 52, no section below 52 | Clears | Clears |
| Australia Competent English, test from 7 Aug 2025 | L 47, R 48, W 51, S 54 | Clears | Clears |
| University of Waikato: LLB law | overall 56, no section below 46 | Short by 1 | Clears |
| New Zealand: Skilled residence visa, principal applicant | overall 58 | Short by 3 | Clears |
| University of Waikato: most postgraduate programmes and BNurs nursing | overall 58, no section below 50 | Short by 3 | Clears |
| UK visa CEFR B2: Student visa at degree level or above, and new Skilled Worker applications | 59 in each skill | Short by 4 | Clears |
| Victoria University (Australia): masters degrees | overall 60, no section below 52 | Short by 5 | Clears |
| UNSW: Engineering, Science and Medicine and Health undergraduate and postgraduate coursework | overall 64, no section below 54 | Short by 9 | Short by 2 |
| Australia Proficient English, test before 7 Aug 2025 | L 65, R 65, W 65, S 65 | Short by 10 | Short by 3 |
| UNSW: Business and Law and Justice undergraduate and postgraduate coursework | overall 65, no section below 54 | Short by 10 | Short by 3 |
Sources: Home Affairs (checked 9 Oct 2026), Pearson UK visa table, Immigration New Zealand and the university pages listed on each PTE score page.
Pearson's per-skill floors for IELTS 6.5 against Australia
Take the lowest PTE score Pearson lists for each skill at IELTS 6.5: Listening 53, Reading 54, Speaking 66 and Writing 60. Those four figures do not match any new-test level exactly, so a score at each floor lands between Home Affairs levels. As a profile, they meet Competent English on the new test and Competent English on the old test.
| Level | New-test minimums | Floors profile, new test | Old-test minimum | Floors profile, old test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Functional English | Overall 24 | Meets | Overall 30 | Meets |
| Vocational English | L 33, R 36, W 29, S 24 | Meets | 36 each skill | Meets |
| Competent English | L 47, R 48, W 51, S 54 | Meets | 50 each skill | Meets |
| Proficient English | L 58, R 59, W 69, S 76 | Short: Listening +5, Reading +5, Speaking +10, Writing +9 | 65 each skill | Short: Listening +12, Reading +11, Writing +5 |
| Superior English | L 69, R 70, W 85, S 88 | Short: Listening +16, Reading +16, Speaking +22, Writing +25 | 79 each skill | Short: Listening +26, Reading +25, Speaking +13, Writing +19 |
Four section bands that add up to IELTS 6.5
IELTS averages the Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking bands and rounds to the nearest half band, with .25 rounding up to the half band and .75 up to the whole band. These mixes show where IELTS 6.5 starts and stops, and the last column converts the overall result to PTE with Pearson's table.
| Mix | Section bands | Average | IELTS overall | PTE overall range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All four equal | 6.5 + 6.5 + 6.5 + 6.5 | 6.50 | 6.5 | 55–62 |
| Two half-bands up, two down | 7.0 + 7.0 + 6.0 + 6.0 | 6.50 | 6.5 | 55–62 |
| Lowest mix that still rounds up | 6.5 + 6.5 + 6.0 + 6.0 | 6.25 | 6.5 | 55–62 |
| One skill short of that mix | 6.5 + 6.0 + 6.0 + 6.0 | 6.125 | 6.0 | 47–54 |
| Two skills up: tips into the next band | 6.5 + 6.5 + 7.0 + 7.0 | 6.75 | 7.0 | 63–70 |
IELTS 6.5 next to its neighbours
| IELTS band | PTE overall | Starts at | Step from the band below | Hardest skill floor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IELTS 6.0 | 47–54 | PTE 47 | 8 points | Speaking 54 |
| IELTS 6.5 | 55–62 | PTE 55 | 8 points | Speaking 66 |
| IELTS 7.0 | 63–70 | PTE 63 | 8 points | Speaking 76 |
The PTE scores inside IELTS 6.5
Each score has its own page with the per-skill conversion, the Australian, UK and NZ checks and a practice plan. Pearson's CEFR scale puts this band at B1 to B2:
| PTE score | Pearson CEFR | IELTS by skill if you score it in every skill (L / R / S / W) | Australia, new test |
|---|---|---|---|
| PTE 55 | B1 | 6.5 / 6.5 / 6.0 / 6.0 | Competent English |
| PTE 56 | B1 | 6.5 / 6.5 / 6.0 / 6.0 | Competent English |
| PTE 57 | B1 | 6.5 / 6.5 / 6.0 / 6.0 | Competent English |
| PTE 58 | B1 | 7.0 / 6.5 / 6.0 / 6.0 | Competent English |
| PTE 59 | B2 | 7.0 / 7.0 / 6.0 / 6.0 | Competent English |
| PTE 60 | B2 | 7.0 / 7.0 / 6.0 / 6.5 | Competent English |
| PTE 61 | B2 | 7.0 / 7.0 / 6.0 / 6.5 | Competent English |
| PTE 62 | B2 | 7.0 / 7.0 / 6.0 / 6.5 | Competent English |
Study plan for IELTS 6.5 equivalents
- Know the hardest floor: for IELTS 6.5, Speaking starts at PTE 66, 11 above the overall floor of 55.
- Train Speaking first: Read Aloud and Repeat Sentence. All speaking practice.
- Next, Writing (floor 60): Summarize Written Text and Write Essay. Give the easiest skill, Listening (floor 53), one short set per session so it stays above its floor.
- Estimate, then verify: use the score calculator and PTE to IELTS converter. They are estimates, so confirm any requirement with the university or immigration page.
Frequently asked questions
What PTE score is IELTS 6.5?
In Pearson's July 2025 concordance, IELTS Academic 6.5 overall corresponds to a PTE Academic overall score of 55–62. Per skill: Listening 53–57, Reading 54–58, Speaking 66–75, Writing 60–68.
Is PTE 55 the same as IELTS 6.5?
PTE 55 is the bottom of the 55–62 range that Pearson lines up with IELTS 6.5, 8 points above where IELTS 6.0 starts. Scores at the top of the range, up to 62, convert to the same band.
IELTS 6.5 ka PTE score kitna hai?
IELTS 6.5 overall equals PTE Academic 55–62 overall in Pearson's 2025 table. The hardest skill to match is Speaking, which starts at 66. These are estimates, and the university or visa body sets the final requirement.
What PTE Speaking score matches IELTS 6.5?
IELTS 6.5 Speaking corresponds to PTE Speaking 66–75, and Writing to 60–68.
Sources and last checked
Figures for IELTS 6.5 come from the Pearson July 2025 summary table, checked on 2026-10-10. The rule for combining section bands into an overall band is from IELTS's official scoring guide (2026-10-09).
- Pearson: PTE Academic and IELTS Academic concordance summary (July 2025)
- Pearson: understand your PTE Academic score (CEFR bands)
- IELTS: how IELTS is scored (overall band rounding)
Estimates only. PTE Academic and PTE Core are separate tests; this page covers PTE Academic. Not affiliated with Pearson.