PTE 37 in IELTS Band
PTE 37 is IELTS 5.0 overall: Pearson's July 2025 concordance puts PTE 31–38 in that band, and 37 is the 7th of its 8 scores. Skill by skill it reads as Listening 5.0, Reading 5.0, Speaking 5.0 and Writing 5.0, sits at CEFR A2 on Pearson's scale, and with 37 in every skill meets Vocational English on the new Australian test.
Checked 10 Oct 2026 against Pearson's concordance summary (PDF).
IELTS overall
5.0
Band covers PTE 31–38
Next IELTS band
5.5 at PTE 39
2 points away
Pearson CEFR level
A2
PTE 30–42
Australia, new test
Vocational
37 in every skill
Where PTE 37 sits
Losing 7 points (to PTE 30) drops the overall conversion to IELTS 4.5; gaining 2 points (to PTE 39) lifts it to IELTS 5.5.
What is special about exactly 37
- No sourced threshold starts or ends exactly at 37. The closest is Australia Vocational English, test from 7 Aug 2025 at 36, 1 below.
PTE 37 as an IELTS band in each skill
Each skill has its own Pearson table. All four skills convert to IELTS 5.0 at PTE 37, the same as the overall conversion, so no skill is the bottleneck in this table.
| Skill | PTE 37 reads as | Band covers PTE | Points you can lose | Next band at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Listening | IELTS 5.0 | 33–39 | 4 | PTE 40 (IELTS 5.5), 3 points up |
| Reading | IELTS 5.0 | 36–41 | 1 | PTE 42 (IELTS 5.5), 5 points up |
| Speaking | IELTS 5.0 | 24–38 | 13 | PTE 39 (IELTS 5.5), 2 points up |
| Writing | IELTS 5.0 | 29–40 | 8 | PTE 41 (IELTS 5.5), 4 points up |
| Overall | IELTS 5.0 | 31–38 | 6 | PTE 39 (IELTS 5.5), 2 points up |
This is the PTE Academic scale only. PTE Core has its own requirements; see the PTE Core guide.
Australian English levels at PTE 37
Each skill has its own minimum, and a strong skill cannot cover a weak one. With 37 in every skill the highest level is Vocational English (test from 7 August 2025) or Vocational English (earlier test). 37 lands on the same level whichever test version you sat. Next up is Competent English: short in Listening (needs 47, +10), Reading (needs 48, +11), Speaking (needs 54, +17) and Writing (needs 51, +14).
| Level | New test: minimum (margin at 37) | New | Old test: minimum (margin at 37) | Old |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Functional | Overall 24 (+13) | Meets | Overall 30 (+7) | Meets |
| Vocational | L 33 (+4), R 36 (+1), W 29 (+8), S 24 (+13) | Meets | 36 each (+1) | Meets |
| Competent | L 47 (short 10), R 48 (short 11), W 51 (short 14), S 54 (short 17) | Not met | 50 each (short 13) | Not met |
| Proficient | L 58 (short 21), R 59 (short 22), W 69 (short 32), S 76 (short 39) | Not met | 65 each (short 28) | Not met |
| Superior | L 69 (short 32), R 70 (short 33), W 85 (short 48), S 88 (short 51) | Not met | 79 each (short 42) | Not met |
Home Affairs levels, checked 9 Oct 2026. Detail: Australia PTE score guide, PR guide and student visa guide.
UK, New Zealand and Canada at PTE 37
Pearson maps PTE 37 to CEFR A2 (PTE 30–42). B1 starts at 43, 6 points higher.
| Route | Needs | PTE 37 |
|---|---|---|
| UK B1: student visa below degree level | 43 in each skill | Short by 6 |
| UK B2: student degree level and new Skilled Worker | 59 in each skill | Short by 22 |
| NZ: Accredited Employer Work Visa | Overall 29 | Clears by 8 |
| NZ: Skilled residence visa, partner | Overall 36 | Clears by 1 |
| NZ: Skilled residence visa, principal | Overall 58 | Short by 21 |
UK figures apply to each skill, so read them as 37 in every skill. New Zealand: 37 clears 29 and 36 and is 21 points short of 58. Canada's tables convert PTE Core, not Academic, so none is applied: Canada guide. New Zealand guide and UK guide.
Sources: Pearson CEFR bands, Pearson UK visa table, GOV.UK student visa and Immigration New Zealand (checked 10 Oct 2026).
University examples near PTE 37
Three universities' published rows closest to 37; each university sets its own rule.
| Course | Overall / each section | PTE 37 |
|---|---|---|
| University of Waikato: foundation certificate and International Diploma | 42 / 36 | Short: overall +5 |
| University of Waikato: undergraduate degrees (general row) | 50 / 42 | Short: overall +13, each section +5 |
| Victoria University (Australia): bachelor degrees | 52 / 52 | Short: overall +15, each section +15 |
| University of Waikato: LLB law | 56 / 46 | Short: overall +19, each section +9 |
| University of Waikato: most postgraduate programmes and BNurs nursing | 58 / 50 | Short: overall +21, each section +13 |
| Victoria University (Australia): masters degrees | 60 / 52 | Short: overall +23, each section +15 |
Sources: University of Waikato, UNSW and Victoria University (checked 10 Oct 2026). Masters in Australia guide.
What it takes to move up from PTE 37
The nearest sourced thresholds above 37, in order. The first is 2 points away.
- PTE 39 (+2): IELTS 5.5 overall (Pearson concordance).
- PTE 42 (+5): University of Waikato: foundation certificate and International Diploma (overall 42, no section below 36).
- PTE 43 (+6): Pearson CEFR B1.
- PTE 43 (+6): UK visa CEFR B1: Student visa for a course below degree level, such as a pre-sessional course (43 in each skill).
- PTE 47 (+10): IELTS 6.0 overall (Pearson concordance).
Scores around 37
| PTE score | Distance from 37 | IELTS overall | Pearson CEFR | Threshold starting here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PTE 32 | -5 | 5.0 | A2 | None |
| PTE 33 | -4 | 5.0 | A2 | None |
| PTE 34 | -3 | 5.0 | A2 | None |
| PTE 35 | -2 | 5.0 | A2 | None |
| PTE 36 | -1 | 5.0 | A2 | AU Vocational (new); AU Vocational (old); NZ partner |
| PTE 37 | this page | 5.0 | A2 | None |
| PTE 38 | +1 | 5.0 | A2 | None |
| PTE 39 | +2 | 5.5 | A2 | IELTS 5.5 starts |
| PTE 40 | +3 | 5.5 | A2 | None |
| PTE 41 | +4 | 5.5 | A2 | None |
| PTE 42 | +5 | 5.5 | A2 | Waikato foundation |
Worked example: how four skills turn into one IELTS band
IELTS averages four section bands and rounds to the nearest half band. Here is that arithmetic for two profiles built around 37. The second makes Reading strong (45) and Writing weak (29), each 8 points from 37.
| Skill | Even profile (PTE) | IELTS band | Uneven profile (PTE) | IELTS band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Listening | 37 | 5.0 | 37 | 5.0 |
| Reading | 37 | 5.0 | 45 | 5.5 |
| Speaking | 37 | 5.0 | 37 | 5.0 |
| Writing | 37 | 5.0 | 29 | 5.0 |
- Even profile (L 37, R 37, S 37, W 37): 5.0 + 5.0 + 5.0 + 5.0 = 20.0, divided by four is 5.00, which IELTS rounds to 5.0. That matches the direct overall conversion of 5.0.
- Uneven profile (L 37, R 45, S 37, W 29): 5.0 + 5.5 + 5.0 + 5.0 = 20.5, divided by four is 5.125, which IELTS rounds to 5.0. Same overall as the even profile: the strong and weak skills offset.
Illustration of the IELTS rounding rule only. Pearson works out your PTE overall score itself and prints it on your score report; this page does not model that calculation. Rounding rule: IELTS scoring guide.
A four-line plan from PTE 37
- Target Competent English: Speaking 54, 17 above 37. Large gap: rebuild basics before timing yourself.
- Start with Speaking: Describe Image and Retell Lecture. All speaking practice.
- Then Writing (51, +14): Summarize Written Text and Write Essay.
- Check progress with the free mock test and the score calculator: estimates only, so confirm each threshold on the official page.
FAQs
Is PTE 37 equal to IELTS 5.0?
Yes. IELTS 5.0 covers PTE 31–38 and 37 is the 7th of 8. IELTS 5.5 starts at 39.
Which skill is lowest when PTE 37 becomes IELTS?
None. All four skills read as IELTS 5.0 at 37.
Does PTE 37 meet an Australian English level?
Vocational English on the new test, Vocational English on the old one. Next up is Competent English: short in Listening (needs 47, +10), Reading (needs 48, +11), Speaking (needs 54, +17) and Writing (needs 51, +14).
Does PTE 37 meet UK B2 or New Zealand residence?
UK B2 needs 59 in each skill: 22 short. NZ residence needs overall 58: 21 short.
क्या PTE 37 अच्छा स्कोर है?
PTE 37 का मतलब IELTS 5.0 ओवरऑल और CEFR A2 है। अगला पड़ाव PTE 39 है, यानी 2 अंक ऊपर।
Want to convert a different score?
Use the PTE to IELTS converter, or go the other way with the IELTS to PTE guide. Full chart: PTE score chart.
Sources, each checked on the date shown:
- Pearson: PTE Academic and IELTS Academic concordance summary (July 2025) (2026-10-10)
- Pearson: understand your PTE Academic score (CEFR bands) (2026-10-10)
- Pearson: UK visa requirements for PTE Academic UKVI (2026-10-10)
- GOV.UK: student visa, knowledge of English (2026-10-10)
- Immigration New Zealand: English requirements for skilled residence visas (2026-10-10)
- Department of Home Affairs: proficient english (2026-10-09)
- University of Waikato: English language requirements (2026-10-10)
- Victoria University: entry requirements for international students (2026-10-10)
- UNSW: English language requirements (2026-10-10)
Conversions are estimates based on the published concordance (Pearson: PTE Academic and IELTS Academic concordance summary (July 2025)), not an official score report. Institutions and visa authorities set their own requirements.