IELTS score requirements for Canada, the UK and Australia: what the official pages say

The IELTS score you need depends on the visa, not just the country. On the official pages we checked in November 2026, Canada's Federal Skilled Worker Program asks for CLB 7, which is IELTS General Training 6.0 in each skill; UK routes at CEFR B2 need IELTS for UKVI 5.5 in each component; and Australia's "competent English" needs 6 in each component. Visa rules change often, so confirm your exact route on the official page before you book a test.

This guide is general information from government and test-owner pages, not immigration advice. The sources are listed at the end.

Is your overall IELTS band enough for a visa?

Often it is not. Many visa routes look at each of the four skills, so your lowest band can decide the outcome even when your overall band looks fine. Under the IELTS rule, your overall band is the average of the four section bands rounded to the nearest half band. Here is what that can hide:

The IELTS band calculator works out your overall band, and the IELTS to CLB calculator converts each skill to a Canadian level.

What IELTS score do you need for Canada PR?

For Express Entry, the Federal Skilled Worker Program requires CLB 7 in all four abilities in your first official language. IRCC, the Canadian immigration department, sets these rules:

• Which test: you must take IELTS General Training, not Academic. IELTS One Skill Retake is not accepted. CELPIP-General, PTE Core, TEF Canada and TCF Canada are the other accepted tests.
• How recent: results must be less than two years old when you complete your Express Entry profile and when you submit your application.
• CLB 7: 6.0 in speaking, listening, reading and writing.
• CLB 8: speaking 6.5, listening 7.5, reading 6.5, writing 6.5.
• CLB 9: speaking 7.0, listening 8.0, reading 7.0, writing 7.0.
• CLB 10 and above: speaking 7.5, listening 8.5, reading 8.0, writing 7.5, or higher.

The minimum and a competitive score are different things. IRCC's Comprehensive Ranking System gives a single applicant without a spouse 17 points per ability at CLB 7, 23 at CLB 8, 31 at CLB 9 and 34 at CLB 10 or above. CLB 9 in all four abilities also raises the skill transferability cap for education and foreign work experience from 25 to 50 points. Those values can change, and invitation cut-offs change with each round, so check IRCC for the current picture.

What IELTS score do you need for a Canada student visa?

There are three separate things here, so keep them apart.

• The Student Direct Stream has ended. IRCC closed it at 2:00 p.m. ET on 8 November 2024, so older advice about its IELTS score no longer applies. Applications now go through the regular study permit stream.
• Your school sets its admission score. The IRCC study permit documents page requires a letter of acceptance and does not list a language test. Check what your college or university asks for.
• The post-graduation work permit has its own rule. For applications made on or after 1 November 2024, IRCC requires CLB 7 in all four areas for bachelor's, master's, doctoral and other university programs, and CLB 5 for college, polytechnic and other non-university programs. Eligible flight school programs have no language requirement.

One point to plan for: the work permit page lists IELTS General Training, not Academic, as its IELTS option, while ielts.org describes Academic as the test for higher education. You may need a second test later. At IELTS General Training, CLB 5 means reading 4.0 and 5.0 in the other three skills.

What IELTS score do you need for a UK visa?

GOV.UK states the requirement as a CEFR level, the European language scale, rather than an IELTS score. The IELTS scores come from ielts.org.

• Student visa, degree level or above: B2. If you use IELTS for UKVI, that is 5.5 in each component.
• Student visa, below degree level: B1, or 4.0 in each of the four components.
• Skilled Worker visa: at least B2, so 5.5 in each component. If you had this visa before 8 January 2026 and are extending or updating it, you need B1.

Two details trip people up. First, ielts.org says an overall 5.5 to 6.5 corresponds to B2, with no one-to-one match, but UKVI wants the score in every component, so an overall figure alone will not do. Second, the test name matters. When you need a Secure English Language Test, it has to be an approved one, such as IELTS for UKVI or IELTS Life Skills, taken in person at an official IELTS for UKVI test centre. Life Skills only tests speaking and listening, so it does not suit routes that need all four skills.

For degree-level study, GOV.UK allows your university to assess your English itself, as long as the assessment is equivalent to B2. Your university may ask for more than the visa minimum, so check the course page. You may not need a test at all if, for example, you have a degree taught in English with an Ecctis confirmation, or are a national of a listed country. GOV.UK has the full list.

What IELTS score is required for Australia?

Australia's Department of Home Affairs uses named levels, and your lowest component sets your level. Home Affairs gives the example of an applicant with an overall 8.0 who scored 7.0 in writing: that person counts as proficient, not superior.

• Competent English: 6 in each component, in IELTS Academic or General Training.
• Proficient English: 7 in each component.
• Superior English: 8 in each component.
• Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485): overall 6.5 with at least 5.5 in each component. Study Australia, the Australian government's study site, says this applies to most applicants, and that the test must be taken within one year before you apply.
• Student visa (subclass 500): Study Australia says the minimum rose to IELTS 6.0 or equivalent on 23 March 2024, or 5.0 with a preliminary English course and 5.5 for university foundation or pathway programs.

Home Affairs also says it does not accept tests delivered completely online, which includes IELTS Online.

Which IELTS test should you book?

Check the route first, because a good score in the wrong test may not count. As a starting point:

• IELTS General Training: Canadian PR and the post-graduation work permit. ielts.org also describes it as the option for migration more broadly.
• IELTS Academic: university admission and professional registration, according to ielts.org. Home Affairs accepts both Academic and General Training at the levels above.
• IELTS for UKVI: UK visas that need a Secure English Language Test.

The Speaking section is the same in Academic and General Training, so you can prepare for it whichever version you book.

Questions about IELTS scores for visas

If you have not chosen a test yet, IELTS is not the only option on these routes. Our comparison of IELTS, PTE and TOEFL explains how they differ. And if you need a higher Speaking score, read how to get band 7 in IELTS Speaking.