Is PTE banned in Australia? We Reveal the Truth!

Recently, a rumour about PTE getting banned in Australia has risen among students and immigrants. Is it true?

Join PTE Magic and find out the truth in this blog.

Key Takeaways

• A rumour claims that the IRCC office in India advises against taking the PTE test, believing it’s no longer accepted in Canada and Australia.
• The Australian government has not officially announced any changes in the PTE exam band score.
• The approval rates for student visa applications have been higher since the COVID crisis.

The Rumour

A rumour suggests that the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) office in India advises people not to enrol for the PTE test, believing it is no longer accepted in Canada and Australia. 

But where did this all start? Essentially, Indian students shared a screenshot taken from an email believed to be from the IRCC in New Delhi. 

The screenshot was taken from an email believed to be from the IRCC in New Delhi

The mentioned email indicates that applicants who submit PTE test results often have higher scores than their current or previous IELTS results. As a result, they suggest that IRCC should stop accepting the PTE tests.

Analysing the Situation

In this part, we will explore the current situation surrounding the rumours of the PTE ban in Australia. We’ll start by clarifying the rumour as below.

Clarifying the Rumour

The truth is, the government has not made any official announcement. We only have a screenshot of an email, which anybody could write. 

If you are wondering whether the sender was an authority institute, consider that embassies worldwide receive thousands of emails daily. Someone could write an email asking for a million dollars, but what chance does that person have? It’s similar to our PTE rumour situation.

Please pay attention to the last line of the email: “It is recommended that IRCC stop accepting Pearson Test of English (PTE) results to demonstrate language ability.” IRRC India was not sending this email to confirm that no official report has been given out yet.

Is PTE Easier than IELTS?

If we look into the issue from a different point of view, the rumour is true somehow. According to Alex Siletsky, a professional PTE trainer, getting a higher PTE score is easier than IELTS. He mentions, “Even if IELTS lets you retake a section you failed, you may still struggle with the reading, especially the writing.” 

Those who take the IELTS test must be familiar with the difficulty of writing in the IELTS. Writing a 6.5 in IELTS is hard because few people get a 7. Imagine you fail your writing task in an IELTS exam. How many attempts would you need to score 79 on a PTE test, which is equal to a band 8 in IELTS writing?

Siletsky also mentions a rumoured suggestion that PTE scores in each section should increase from 65 to 66. This is because whenever they compare to IELTS, PTE scores are higher. They also advise that 79 is equivalent to band 8 IELTS for now (which would give you 20 points towards Australian permanent residency) and should be increased to 84.

These are also only suggestions. The Australian government has not officially announced any changes. 

Related:

• Difference between PTE and IELTS

Australia’s Current Immigration

Over the last two years, Australia has had massive shortages of skilled labour due to the COVID crisis. IT, nurses, and hospitality-related industries have reported massive shortages. Given the situation, why would they try to make immigration harder now?

Australia has had massive shortages of skilled labour due to the COVID crisis

The current immigration of Australia is the complete opposite. The approval rates for student visa applications are higher than ever. Before, getting an invitation would take 85 to 90 points, whereas now they would accept 75-80, depending on the state and occupation. 

Australia will not ban PTE exams anytime soon. However, they might change the score needed for permanent residency. Instead of 65, they might raise to 66 as advised two years ago. The same goes for 79 to 84 in the score range.

It’s crucial to know that whenever there are changes in the Australian immigration policy, they usually do not happen until after June or July of the year. So if you received your score before this time of the year, rest assured.

Conclusion

Is PTE banned in Australia? As far as we know, the rumour is not official, and neither PTE nor the Australian government has announced it.

In the meantime, keep practising to improve your PTE score and performance. PTE Magic courses offer valuable tips and tricks to help you succeed and be well-prepared. Visit us now!

Last updated on 02/05/2024