What PTE Academic score will I need to study in the UK?

PTE Author
PTE Author
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Reading time: 5 minutes

Are you thinking about studying in the UK? If so, you’re not alone. Each year, over 500,000 international students enrolled at a UK university. In fact, after the United States, the UK is the second most popular destination for higher education students.  

UK universities are renowned for excellent teaching and cutting-edge research, and UK degrees are highly valued by academics and employers worldwide. But to study there, you’ll need to demonstrate you have an appropriate level of English.  

Our PTE Academic secure language test is accepted by nearly every university in the UK – as well as for all immigration applications. So, what score will you need to earn a spot in a university? Let’s find out:  

What it’s like to study in the UK

When it comes to world rankings, UK universities consistently perform well. According to this year’s QS World University Rankings, four of the top 10 universities around the globe are located in the UK.  

Going to a UK university isn’t just a good move as far as your education goes. It’s also a great way to immerse yourself in a new culture and meet lots of different people.  

The UK is small, but it’s also very diverse. This means your student experience will be quite different, depending on whether you choose to study in a big multicultural city like London or Glasgow, or a smaller university town like St. Andrews or Exeter.  

The amount of money you’ll need to study in the UK will also vary. Student fees differ from institution to institution. At the same time, your accommodation and day-to-day living expenses will depend on where your university is located.  

Check out our guide on the cost of living in the UK.

English language requirements  

To secure a student visa and attend a UK university, you’ll need to prove you have the English speaking, reading, writing and listening skills needed to succeed in your studies.

The PTE Academic English test is accepted by 99% of universities across the UK.

Still, each has slightly different entry requirements. But as a general UK government rule, for programs below degree level – such as a  foundation program – you will need to demonstrate a CEFR B1 level of English. For programs at degree level and above, you will need to demonstrate CEFR B2 level of English.

How does PTE Academic scoring work? 

PTE Academic provides transparent and easy to understand scoring. After taking the test you will receive an overall English score, as well as see how you performed in the Listening, Reading, Speaking, and writing areas of the exam.  

You’ll also get a: 

  • Grammar score

  • Spelling score

  • Oral Fluency score

  • Vocabulary score

  • Written Discourse score

If you’re happy with your results, you can assign your scores to the universities or institutions you are applying to directly from the myPTE account you created when registering. If you want to improve your scores, you can re-book the test after some more practice.  

Find out how PTE Academic scoring compares with other English tests.

University score breakdown

Here are the required PTE Academic scores for 25 universities across the UK, including their Times Higher Education World University and QS World University rankings:

Higher Education institutions Time HE rank QS rank PTE Score Requirement
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine  11 8 56-62
University College London 16 10 59-75
London School of Economics and Political Science 27  49  58 – 65 
King’s College London  35 31 59-75
The University of Manchester  51 27 49-73
The University of Warwick  77 62 60 – 75 
The University of Glasgow  92 77 59 – 70 
The University of Birmingham  107 87 51 – 67 
Queen Mary University of London  110 114 51 – 57 
Error 121 93 51 – 56 
The University of Lancaster  136 135 50 – 70 
University of Durham 149 86 56 – 62 
The University of Leeds  160 91 56 – 60
The University of Sussex 160 246 56 – 67 
The University of Liverpool  163 181 51 – 62 
The University of Leicester  170 242 56 – 67 
Newcastle University  178 152 56 – 69 
The University of Aberdeen  178 207 51 – 54 
Cardiff University  191 159 36 – 78 
The University of East Anglia  200 333 42 – 50 
The University of Bath  201-250  173 51-67
The University of Dundee  201-250  319 56 – 67 
The University of Reading  201-250  205 51 – 67 
The University of Surrey  251-300  267  42 – 73
The University of Kent  301-250 380  65 – 68 

Ready to book your test?

Don’t forget to explore our huge range of resources to prepare for PTE Academic!

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    If you have completed PTE Academic, you would know by now that it is scored against the Global Scale of English and that you need to practice many skills for each part of the test: Speaking & Writing, Reading, and Listening.

    After completing PTE Academic you will receive an email notification that your results are available online. Typically within 2 days. Learn how to access your Score Report.

    What does my Score Report mean?

    When you receive your Score Report it will show you your overall score, which is based on your performance across all test items. Your communicative skills that are measured are listening, reading, speaking and writing.

    This is an example of what your Score Report may look like.

    The enabling skills are those skills that are required to fulfill the question types in the test. It’s important to know what each of these skills refers to.

    Grammar

    Correct use of language with respect to word form and word order at the sentence level.

    Oral Fluency

    Smooth, effortless and natural-paced delivery of speech.

    Pronunciation

    Production of speech sounds in a way that is easily understandable to most regular speakers of the language. Regional or national varieties of English pronunciation are considered correct to the degree that they are easily understandable to most regular speakers of the language.

    Spelling

    Writing of words according to the spelling rules of the language. All national variations are considered correct, but one spelling convention should be used consistently in a given response.

    Vocabulary

    Appropriate choice of words used to express meaning, as well as lexical range.

    Written Discourse

    Correct and communicatively efficient production of written language at a textual level. Written discourse skills are represented in the structure of a written text, its internal coherence, logical development, and the range of linguistic resources used to express meaning precisely.

    How do I identify my areas of weakness?

    From the visual graph on your Score Report, you will be able to see areas you need to improve on. You should aim to develop your core (enabling) skills required across all areas of the test.

    The following resources will help you develop your enabling skills:

    How can I improve in each part of the test?

    It’s also worth focusing on particular parts of the test or questions you think you had trouble with. The following articles may help you improve your skills across questions:

    If you don’t already have one, it’s recommended to work with an English teacher to work through areas that may need improvement.

    Good luck!

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    Listening: Self-Improvement Part 1
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    After working through the strategies to improve your English listening skills, you can work on specific areas of the test. In this part, you will need to apply a number of listening and writing skills.

    Below are improvement tips on the question types that combine writing and listening skills.

    Summarize Spoken Text

    In the Summarize Spoken Text questions you will be scored on content, form, grammar, vocabulary, and spelling.

    Content and Form

    Make sure you write a good, clear summary of all the key points in the text and also condense the most important supporting points.

    In this question, you will not be given the context of the recording before it starts. Make sure to listen carefully from the start to help understand the context and the information given.

    Some helpful tips for the content and form, to maximize your score are:

    • Take notes on your Erasable Noteboard Booklet or in the response box on the screen

    • Do not try to write down sentences (you will not have enough time)

    • Use symbols and abbreviations in your notes

    • Write down key points and their relationships with others

    • Start with an overview sentence to introduce your summary

    • Use cohesive devices to link the information as you write

    • Try to write between 50 and 70 words

    Overall, make sure you summarize the text in your own words as this will show that you have understood the purpose of the text. If you do not write in your own words, you will score zero for content.

    If you write less than 40 or more than 100 words, you will score zero.

    Grammar

    It is important that grammar is correct as you will be tested on sentence structure, punctuation and capitalization.

    Try not to be too ambitious with your grammar to avoid making mistakes. Try to use grammatical structures you feel comfortable with.

    In this question type you should:

    • Communicate meaning clearly and concisely

    • Use complex sentences where possible to score more points

    • Write sentences between 18 and 30 words – long sentences are hard to control grammar

    • Check your response for common errors before submitting

    Vocabulary and Spelling

    You will score points if you use the correct and appropriate vocabulary in the Summarize Spoken Text question type. Use words from the recording if you use them appropriately, however, try to use synonyms to replace words already used.

    You will also need to make sure to spell every word correctly to receive maximum points. Try to type as carefully as possible during this question. If you can not remember how to spell a word, guess as it is better to include the word than leave it out, even if it is incorrect.

    Don’t forget to use the space bar to show the end of each word.

    Write from Dictation

    Another question that tests both listening and writing is the Write from Dictation question type.

    In this question type, you will need to write the words in the correct order with the correct spelling in order to score points.

    Before the recording starts, place your cursor in the response box and get ready to type as soon as you hear the recording. Make sure to reproduce what you hear exactly as you heard it as the recording will only be played once.

    Remember to start the sentence with a capital letter and end it with a full stop (period).

    Type as you hear it and when finished, check for any mistakes. Always make sure that to read over your answer before clicking next.

    Continue improving your listening skills by reading our Listening: Self-Improvement Part 2 article.

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    Listening: Core English Skills Part 1
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    The last part of PTE Academic, Part 3: Listening, requires a large combination of core skills.

    The very first skill you will need to develop involves how you listen (listening methods).

    Below, is information on different types of listening and where you may need to use them during PTE Academic.

    Listening Methods

    Predicting

    One of the listening methods you will need to develop is predicting. Before listening, most people will have some idea about what they are going to listen to and prepare themselves for it. They predict.

    It helps to think about the recordings before you hear it spoken, it helps you listen more effectively.

    This listening method will help during Select Missing Word questions as the topic of the text you listen to is given in the instructions. It will also help in the Re-tell Lecture questions as the image will give you an idea of the general context of the listening text.

    Listening for Gist

    Listening for ‘gist’ will allow you to understand the general meaning of a text quickly. When someone is talking, listen in a general way and think about what the speaker is trying to communicate and how they might feel about the topic based on their tone of voice.

    When practicing, try to listen for the gist before listening for a second time more intensively for specific information.

    This reading method will help in the Multiple-choice, Choose Multiple Answer and Multiple-choice, Choose Single Answer questions. Remember in PTE Academic you can not replay the listening track.

    Listen for Specific Information

    You will also need to be able to listen effectively to find specific information. This is more detailed listening and is often used when you need to answer comprehension questions. You first need to understand what information you are looking for in the text.

    When practicing, if you listen to a text that does not have questions write some yourself. Questions that may help could be:

    • What happened?

    • When did it happen?

    • Where did it happen?

    • Why did it happen? Or, why did it happen in this way, and not another way?

    While listening for specific information, you should listen for synonyms and paraphrasing to match the meaning of the text with the meaning of the questions.  This is because you will not hear the exact words in the question.

    Listening to Infer Meaning

    At times you can understand what the speakers are saying by inferring meaning, as the information is not always stated by the speakers.

    To infer meaning, you need to listen for clues in the text or use general knowledge to guess the meaning of what the speakers are saying. Do this by working out the relationship between the speakers, the tone of voice or the words they use.

    You may need to use this listening method in the Multiple-choice, Choose Multiple Answer and Multiple-choice, Choose Single Answer questions.

    In addition to listening methods, you will also need to understand how words are pronounced on their own and together in a sentence. Read more about pronunciation in Part 2 of Core English Skills.

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