PTE 79 to 85 to IELTS: what band is it?
Quick answer
On Pearson's concordance with IELTS Academic, an overall PTE Academic score of 79 to 85 relates to IELTS 8. Seventy-nine is the minimum Pearson relates to band 8, and 86 opens the 8.5 row. The table compares overall scores and is Pearson's own estimate; IELTS publishes no PTE table.
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Part of The IELTS test, answered
Seventy-nine is where Pearson’s table reaches IELTS 8. This page covers the seven PTE Academic scores from 79 to 85, read from Pearson’s scoring page on 3 November 2026; the other rows are on the IELTS to PTE answer.
What the PTE 79 to 85 row says
Pearson’s concordance gives one PTE figure per IELTS band, the minimum score it relates to that band. Band 8 starts at 79, and the next row starts at 86, which leaves 79 to 85 in the band 8 row. This is the narrowest of the six ranges here, seven scores against eight elsewhere, because the table tightens near the top. It compares overall scores only, and Pearson adds that it shows nothing about the tests or scores any university or visa authority accepts.
Where the range begins and ends
The bottom score, 79, is the one that matters most for a requirement written as IELTS 8: one point less, 78, falls back to the 7.5 row. The top score, 85, is a single point under the 8.5 row that opens at 86. Above that, 90 is Pearson’s maximum and the only score it relates to IELTS 9, so 86 to 89 all read as 8.5.
What IELTS band 8 means
IELTS.org calls band 8 the “very good user”: fully operational command of the language, with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriate usage. Band 7 below is the “good user” and band 9 above is the “expert user”. On “IELTS and the CEFR”, overall bands 7 to 8 are C1 and band 8 is borderline between C1 and C2, with 8.5 to 9 at C2. See what level is IELTS 8.0.
One way to reach an overall 8
Listening 8.5, Reading 8.0, Writing 7.5 and Speaking 8.0 add up to 32.0. Divided by four that is 8.0, so the overall is 8. IELTS averages the four sections and rounds to the nearest half band, with .25 and .75 rounding up, so a 7.5 in one section does not hold the overall below 8 here.
Acceptance, and the rows around it
Each institution names the tests it accepts and the score it wants; if it states a PTE figure, that figure counts and this table does not. The row below is PTE 71 to 78, related to IELTS 7.5. Try other scores in the score converter, or check an overall in the band score calculator.
What this means for your score
A requirement written as "IELTS 8 overall" for someone sitting PTE Academic points to 79 as the starting score. An 85 still belongs to that row, and an 86 reads as IELTS 8.5.
Frequently asked questions
Is PTE 79 the same as IELTS 8?
On Pearson's concordance it is the lowest PTE Academic score related to IELTS 8, and every score up to 85 sits in that row. The concordance is Pearson's estimate for overall scores, not an IELTS figure.
Will a university take PTE Academic in place of IELTS?
That is each institution's decision, including the tests it takes and the score it asks for. Pearson says the table shows nothing about accepted tests or requirements, so use the admissions page itself.
Which is the easier test, PTE or IELTS?
No difficulty comparison is published by Pearson or by IELTS. The concordance only lines scores up against each other.
Can I turn my PTE section scores into IELTS section bands?
Not with this table, which covers overall scores and gives no section figures. IELTS reports each section in whole and half bands and averages the four for the overall, so a PTE overall does not split into IELTS sections. If an institution lists section minimums, use the PTE figures it states.
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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