What is 7 each in PTE?

What 7 each means

7 each is an IELTS phrase. It means a band of 7 in all four skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking.

For Australian visas, IELTS 7 in each skill is Proficient English. On the skilled migration points test, it's worth 10 points.

When students ask about 7 each in PTE, they mean the PTE scores that count the same as that IELTS result. For a test taken from 7 August 2025, that's a different score for each skill. There is no single PTE number any more.

Home Affairs sets a minimum for each of the four skills and nothing for your overall score. So a high overall score can't make up for one low skill.

6, 7 and 8 each in PTE

Students use the same shorthand for the other two levels. 6 each is Competent English, and 8 each is Superior English.

6 each in PTE is now listening 47, reading 48, writing 51 and speaking 54. Competent English earns no points, but many skilled visas need it as the minimum.

8 each in PTE is now listening 69, reading 70, writing 85 and speaking 88. Superior English is worth 20 points, the most you can get for English.

Here are all three levels, with the older PTE scores beside the new ones.

Why it's no longer 65 each

On 7 August 2025, a new version of PTE Academic started. Home Affairs says it has the same name as the old test, but the test and its scores are different. So the old rule of 65 in each skill doesn't fit the new test.

The new scores follow a study Pearson published in July 2025. 1,522 people took both PTE and IELTS within 90 days, and Pearson matched the two tests one skill at a time.

The match is different for each skill. IELTS 7 in speaking lines up with PTE 76 to 82. IELTS 7 in listening lines up with PTE 58 to 63. Each new visa score is the lowest PTE score in that skill's range.

Many websites and videos still say 65 each. That was right for the old test. For a test taken from 7 August 2025, 65 in speaking is 11 points too low for Proficient English, and 65 in listening is 7 points more than you need.

Which scores apply to you

The date you took the test decides which scores apply. The date you apply for your visa doesn't change it.

If you took PTE on or before 6 August 2025, the old scores apply to that result: 50, 65 or 79 in each skill. Home Affairs accepts those results until 6 August 2028 at the latest, depending on the visa.

If you took PTE on or after 7 August 2025, the new scores in the table apply. Many visas also want the test to be from the three years before you apply. The rules differ between visas, so check the Home Affairs page for yours.

Why speaking and writing are the hard part

At all three levels, speaking needs the highest score and writing comes next. For 7 each, speaking needs 76 and writing needs 69. Listening needs only 58.

So these two skills are where 7 each is hardest to reach. Give them most of your practice time.

For speaking, start with Describe Image. It's worth about 31 per cent of your speaking score. Summarize Group Discussion and Repeat Sentence come next.

For writing, the question types are Write Essay, Summarize Written Text, Write from Dictation and Summarize Spoken Text. Write Essay is worth the most, about 31 per cent of your writing score.

Check your four scores

A full test shows you all four skill scores at once. Compare those with the table, and leave your overall score aside.

Our mock tests have the same three parts and timers as the real test. You get a score for each skill, so you can see which one is furthest from 7 each and start there.