LanguageCert score for Competent English: a study plan for each skill

Competent English in LanguageCert Academic means at least 57 in Listening, 60 in Reading, 64 in Writing and 70 in Speaking. Those are the Home Affairs minimums for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, as of October 2026, and you need all four in the same test, taken at a test centre. The numbers aren't equal, and that shapes how you should prepare: the Speaking line is 13 points above Listening, so most people who miss Competent English miss it in Speaking or Writing.

This guide sets out the requirement, then a plan for each skill, an example of how to divide your study time, and the mistakes we see most often from AIL students preparing for skilled and graduate visas. The visa details are on our LanguageCert for Australian visas page; this one is about getting there.

What exactly does Competent English require?

Source: Department of Home Affairs, Competent English page, as of October 2026.

Three conditions apply:

• Test centre only. Home Affairs does not accept tests delivered completely online, and it names LanguageCert Academic Online in that list. Book the test-centre version. On languagecert.org that is listed from AU$399 as of October 2026.
• Every skill in one test. The minimum applies "in each of the 4 test components". An overall score doesn't help if one skill is under its line.
• Time limit. The test generally has to be within three years before your visa application, depending on the subclass. Check your visa page.

LanguageCert says official results are issued in three working days, so leave room before any visa deadline.

Why is Speaking usually the problem?

A Speaking score of 70 sits in the B2 range on LanguageCert's scale, which runs B2 from 60 to 74. It isn't a C1 requirement. But it is higher than the other three, and Speaking is the skill people practise least, because it is hard to practise alone.

The four Speaking parts each test something slightly different: short answers about yourself, two role plays, reading a text aloud, and a two-minute presentation after a minute of preparation. If one part is weak, it pulls the whole score down. See the Speaking test guide for how each part runs.

Writing at 64 is the next most common gap. Two tasks in 50 minutes: a report on an infographic of 150 to 200 words, and an essay of about 250 words. Most candidates can write enough words. The marks go on accuracy, organisation and answering the exact question.

A plan for each skill

Speaking (target 70)

• Record every answer. Use your phone. Listening back is the only way to hear your own hesitation, filler words and unclear sounds.
• Read aloud for ten minutes a day. Pick a short paragraph from a news or science article. Read it once silently, mark where you will pause, then record it. The read-aloud task in the real test is where pronunciation problems are most obvious.
• Practise role plays with both openings. In one of the two role plays, you speak first. Learn two or three ways to start ("Hi, I'm calling about…", "Sorry to bother you, I wanted to ask…") and two ways to close.
• Time your presentation. Two minutes. Use the minute of preparation to write four or five words, not sentences: a point, a reason, an example, a second point, a conclusion.

Writing (target 64)

• Part 1 report: always give an overview of the main trend or comparison, then select two or three key figures. Don't list every number. Finish with the recommendation or conclusion the task asks for. Our Writing Part 1 guide has a full sample.
• Part 2 essay: state your position in the first paragraph and keep it. Two body paragraphs, each with one main idea, a reason and a specific example.
• Keep an error list. Collect your own repeated mistakes from every practice essay: articles, verb tenses, plurals, sentence fragments. Check each new essay against the list before you finish. This is usually the fastest way to gain points.

Reading (target 60)

• Practise each part separately at first, then do a full 50-minute section.
• If you run out of time, the fix is usually Part 1b (gapped text) and Part 3 (four short texts), which reward fast scanning. Don't read every word.
• Note which part you lose most marks on. Many candidates find the missing-sentences task is the slowest.

Listening (target 57)

• Every recording is played twice. Use the first play for the main idea and the second to check the answers you're unsure of.
• In the lecture notes task, check spelling and the three-word limit.
• In the three-speaker discussion, write each speaker's initial next to their opinion as you listen.

If Listening is already above 57 in practice, keep it there with one practice section a week and move your time to Speaking and Writing. Our Listening tips cover each part.

Example: dividing six weeks of study

Here is the kind of profile we see often. Priya needs Competent English for a skilled visa and sat a timed practice test.

The overall average is 62.5, which looks fine. It doesn't matter. Two skills are under the line, and one is only just over.

A sensible split of about eight hours a week:

At week three, sit another full timed practice test. If Speaking hasn't moved, change what you're doing: practise with a partner or teacher, or focus on one weak part, such as the presentation. Doing more of the same rarely fixes it.

A Writing example: 60 to 64

Here's a body paragraph from an essay answering: Should employers let staff choose their own working hours?

Version A (around 60)

Flexible hours is good for workers because they can do many things. For example they can take children to school and also they will be more happy. So companies should let workers choose there hours and this will make better results.

Version B (around 64 to 70)

Letting staff choose their hours can make them more productive. A parent who starts at 7 am can leave in time for school pick-up, and is likely to be less distracted at work because of it. Some employers also find that people who choose their own schedule take fewer sick days. Flexible hours will not suit every role, such as shift work in a hospital, but for office jobs the benefits are clear.

What changed: Version A has errors in agreement ("hours is"), spelling ("there"), comparison ("more happy") and a vague result ("better results"). Version B makes one clear point, supports it with a specific example, and limits the claim with a counterexample. It is also only slightly longer. Clearer ideas and fewer errors moved the score, not difficult vocabulary.

Common mistakes

Looking at the overall score. Home Affairs doesn't use it. A 75 average with 68 in Speaking is not Competent English.

Booking the online version. It costs less, but Home Affairs doesn't accept it. Book a test centre.

Booking on the minimum. If your practice scores are exactly 70 in Speaking, test-day nerves can easily cost you two or three points. Aim to be a few points above every line before you book.

Practising Speaking silently. Reading model answers is not practice. You need to say things out loud and listen back.

Writing long instead of accurate. Going far over the word guide doesn't help. A 260-word essay with few errors usually beats a 350-word essay with many.

Checklist before you book

• I've sat a full timed practice test in the last two weeks.
• Every skill is a few points above 57, 60, 64 and 70.
• I've recorded and listened to myself in all four Speaking parts.
• I have an error list for Writing and I check it on every essay.
• I'm booking a test-centre session, not the online test.
• My visa timeline allows three working days for results.

The free LanguageCert Academic-style practice on the AIL site includes sections in every skill, with estimated scores out of 100. The full practice tests show each skill against all four visa levels. These are practice tests written by AIL, not produced or endorsed by PeopleCert or LanguageCert, and scores are estimates. AIL is also an official LanguageCert test centre, with the test delivered in Box Hill; details are on the AIL LanguageCert page.