We would like to reassure you that there has been no change to the PTE exam or how it is scored. We would also like to inform you there has been no change to Australian, New Zealand or UK visa requirements.
We have however changed our guidance on how PTE scores relate to IELTS. We have started informing institutions and governments about the results of the research. They will likely consider this research against research completed by other test publishers. It is important to note that in the majority of cases the research shows minimal changes in the relationship between PTE and IELTS.
Summary:
Today we have published the latest concordance report from the PTE Academic Standards and Measurement team.
Like other language test providers, the PTE team undertakes periodic reviews of its score concordance with other tests.
This enables us to re-evaluate, validate, and update our concordance as appropriate, to ensure we maintain the highest levels of accuracy when scoring test takers.
The concordance research only compares PTE Academic and IELTS Academic tests. The alignment of PTE Academic to TOEFL and the industry-standard used to describe language proficiency, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), has not changed.
The original concordance table between PTE Academic and IELTS Academic test scores was based on a linking study conducted in 2009 (published 2011). Following the recent research study, using data collected over several years, the concordance table has been updated.
The research involved collecting score data from candidates who each undertook PTE Academic and IELTS Academic tests within a short time period. Test takers were generally representative of PTE Academic test takers in terms of gender, age, primary language, and country of citizenship.
PTE Academic remains the most accurate and reliable test of academic English. There have been no changes to the construct and scoring of PTE Academic.
What has changed
In the mid-range, where the test is typically used for academic admissions purposes, the updated concordant scores have been minimally adjusted.
At IELTS 7.5 and above, the concordant PTE Academic scores, while in the same range, are at some points higher on the scale.
At IELTS 6.5 and below the concordant PTE Academic scores, while in the same range, are at some points lower on the scale
https://pearsonpte.com/articles/2020-pte-and-ielts-concordance-report-summary-and-faqs/