English tests: IELTS & PTE

Understand the academic tests, compare the experience, and plan your next step using official resources.

Start with your course requirements

Before choosing a test, open your university's current English-language requirements for the exact programme and intake. Record the accepted test version, overall score, minimum score in each skill, and how recent the result must be. Check scholarship conditions and the relevant government visa guidance separately.

Use our university profiles, country guides and scholarship directory to find the official application links for Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and New Zealand.

Academic test comparison
Feature	IELTS Academic	PTE Academic
Skills	Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking	Speaking & Writing, Reading and Listening sections assess all four skills
Speaking experience	Conversation with a trained examiner	Spoken responses recorded through a microphone
Score scale	Band scale up to 9, with whole and half bands	90, with overall and individual skill scores
Where to confirm format	Official IELTS Academic guide	Official PTE format guide

These score scales are different. Follow the institution's published IELTS or PTE requirement rather than assuming a direct conversion.

Students walking together on a university campus

IELTS Academic

An examiner-led speaking test

IELTS Academic is designed for undergraduate or postgraduate study and professional registration. The test takes 2 hours 45 minutes: Listening is approximately 30 minutes, Reading and Writing are 60 minutes each, and Speaking is 11?14 minutes. See the official Academic format.

Understand your bands

Your report includes an overall band and scores for each skill. IELTS recommends considering results valid for two years, although the receiving organisation decides its acceptance policy. Read the scoring explanation.

Practise with official materials

Use official Academic sample questions to practise timed reading, listening, the two writing tasks and a speaking interview. Review your weaker skills before scheduling the test.

Find an IELTS centre in Pakistan

A test taker at a computer in a Pearson test centre

PTE Academic

A computer-based test experience

PTE Academic is taken on a computer at a test centre. Some tasks combine skills; speaking responses use a microphone. Review Pearson's current three-section format and Speaking & Writing tasks before practising.

Understand your scores

The score scale is 90. Check the university's required overall and skill scores against Pearson's scoring guide. Results usually arrive within two days but can take up to five working days. Reports remain valid for two years from the test date. Share scores through myPTE or your Score Report Code; Pearson says institutions do not accept a paper or PDF report as verification. Official results and sharing guidance.

Practise with current resources

Pearson's preparation hub includes guides and practice options. Practise microphone use, listening, typing and timed responses, using materials that match the current test.

Find PTE centres and fees

Choose the right test version

IELTS Academic and General Training serve different purposes. Do not substitute General Training for an Academic requirement. Likewise, PTE Academic is different from PTE Core and PTE Home. Confirm any UKVI or other approved-test requirement with the university and relevant government before paying.

IELTS delivery update for 2026

IELTS announced a transition away from paper-based tests from mid-2026, with timing varying by market. A Writing on Paper option is being introduced in selected markets alongside computer delivery. Check your chosen centre's actual booking options. Previous paper-based results are unaffected by the change. Read IELTS's official announcement.

Booking from Pakistan

Confirm acceptance first. Save your programme's official test requirements. Ask admissions if its page does not clearly cover your qualification or intended test version.
Check local availability. Use the IELTS Pakistan centre finder or Pearson's centre and fee finder. Select your city, test and date in the provider's booking service.
Read the booking conditions. Check the current fee and currency, accepted identification, name-matching requirements, arrival instructions, cancellation rules and any access arrangements before payment.
Leave time in your application plan. Allow for preparation, result delivery, institutional verification and a possible retake before the course or scholarship deadline.

We do not publish a single Pakistan test fee because prices depend on the provider, location and test version. Use the amount shown by the official booking service for your selection.

Common questions

Which test is easier?

There is no universal answer. If both are accepted, try official sample tasks and compare your comfort with examiner conversation, recorded speaking, typing and timed questions. Choose based on your requirements and practice experience.

What score do I need?

There is no single score for every university or country. Use the exact programme's overall and individual skill requirements. A scholarship may have additional conditions.

Can I use the same result for every application?

Check each receiving institution's test-version and result-age policy, then follow its official score-sharing instructions. Acceptance by one institution does not establish acceptance by another.

Official sources & last checked

Last checked: 2 October 2026. Summaries use the providers' official pages; booking options and institutional policies may change.

IELTS: Academic format, scoring, 2026 delivery update, sample questions and Pakistan centres.
Pearson: PTE Academic format, scoring, results and score sharing, preparation and centres and fees.

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