PTE 39 to 46 to IELTS: what band is it?
Quick answer
Pearson's concordance relates overall PTE Academic scores of 39 to 46 to IELTS 5.5. The number 39 is the lowest score Pearson ties to that band, and 47 begins the IELTS 6 row. It is a comparison of overall scores made by Pearson, and IELTS has no PTE table.
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Part of The IELTS test, answered
IELTS 5.5 is the lowest of the six rows in this set, and Pearson’s table starts it at PTE 39. The 39 to 46 row below comes from Pearson’s scoring page as read on 3 November 2026; the rest of the table is on the IELTS to PTE answer.
What the 39 to 46 row says
Pearson names the lowest PTE Academic score it relates to each IELTS band. For 5.5 that is 39, and for band 6 it is 47, so 39 through 46 make up the row. Only overall scores are compared. Pearson states that the table shows nothing about the tests or scores accepted by universities or visa authorities.
The scores at each end
Thirty-nine is the entry point for 5.5. One point lower, 38, reads as IELTS 5, whose row starts at 31 on Pearson’s table and so covers 31 to 38. The top of this row is 46, and 47 moves up half a band to IELTS 6. A 44 and a 46 read the same here; a 46 and a 47 do not.
What IELTS band 5.5 means
IELTS.org describes whole bands, so 5.5 sits between two: band 5, the “modest user” with partial command, coping with overall meaning in most situations though likely to make many mistakes, and band 6, the “competent user” with effective command despite some inaccuracies. On “IELTS and the CEFR”, overall bands 5.5 to 6.5 are B2, which makes 5.5 the lowest overall band IELTS places there. See what level is IELTS 5.5.
A profile that averages to 5.5
Listening 5.5, Reading 6.0, Writing 5.0 and Speaking 4.5 add up to 21.0, an average of 5.25. IELTS rounds the average to the nearest half band, and .25 is counted upward, so the overall is 5.5. One section at 4.5 does not pull it down to 5.0 in this case.
Acceptance and what lies around the row
The receiving institution decides, and a PTE requirement it states itself takes precedence over this table. The row above is PTE 47 to 54, related to IELTS 6. Below 39 the table continues to IELTS 5 and 4.5; the general answer lists them, and the score converter shows any band.
What this means for your score
A page asking for "IELTS 5.5 overall" from a PTE Academic candidate is read from 39. A 46 is still 5.5 on the table, while 38 belongs to the IELTS 5 row.
Frequently asked questions
Is PTE 39 equivalent to IELTS 5.5?
Pearson relates 39 to IELTS 5.5 as the minimum for the band, and scores to 46 share the row. It is Pearson's estimate for overall scores and not an IELTS figure.
Do universities accept PTE Academic rather than IELTS?
The institution decides which tests it accepts and the score it asks for. Pearson says the table shows nothing about acceptance, so go to the institution's own page.
Is PTE less difficult than IELTS?
A difficulty comparison is published by neither Pearson nor IELTS, so no answer can be given from the sources.
Is there a way to convert section scores?
Not from this table, which compares overall scores and has no section figures. IELTS reports four section bands and averages them for the overall, so a PTE overall does not divide into IELTS sections. If section minimums are asked for, the page will give the PTE ones.
Sources
- PTE Academic scoring: how PTE Academic relates to the CEFR and to IELTS Academic — Pearson
- IELTS scoring in detail: band scores explained — IELTS.org
- IELTS and the CEFR — IELTS.org
Last verified 3 Nov 2026
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