LanguageCert Proficient and Superior English for skilled visa points

LanguageCert Academic gives you 10 points on the skilled migration points test if you score at least 67 in Listening, 71 in Reading, 78 in Writing and 82 in Speaking. That is Proficient English. For 20 points, Superior English, you need 80, 83, 89 and 89. Competent English, the minimum for most skilled visas, earns no points at all.

These are the Department of Home Affairs figures for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, checked in October 2026. This guide explains how the points work, what the scores mean in practice, and how to plan for them. For the basic visa rules, start with our LanguageCert for Australian visas guide.

How many points is English worth?

On the points table for the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189), English is scored like this:

Source: Home Affairs points table and English language pages, as of October 2026.

The pass mark for subclass 189 is 65 points, and Home Affairs says you need at least Competent English at the time of invitation. In practice, many occupations are invited well above 65, which is why candidates look at English first. Unlike age, English is a part of your score you can still change.

Four rules decide whether a score counts:

• Every skill. The minimum applies in each of the four components. A Speaking score of 90 doesn't make up for 76 in Writing.
• One test. All four scores must be in the same test result.
• Test centre only. Home Affairs doesn't accept tests delivered completely online, and it names LanguageCert Academic Online. On languagecert.org, the test-centre version is listed at AU$399 as of October 2026, and it is the only option LanguageCert itself marks as acceptable for Australian visas.
• Timing. Points are assessed at the time you are invited, so the score needs to be in your hands, and in your expression of interest, before the invitation. The test generally has to be within three years before your visa application, depending on the subclass.

LanguageCert says official results are issued in three working days, as of October 2026.

What do the scores mean in practice?

LanguageCert reports each skill on a 0–100 scale. Its CEFR bands are B1 from 40 to 59, B2 from 60 to 74, C1 from 75 to 89 and C2 from 90.

Look at where the Proficient minimums fall:

• Listening 67 and Reading 71 are B2.
• Writing 78 and Speaking 82 are C1.

So Proficient English isn't an even step up. The receptive skills need upper B2. The productive skills need C1. Almost everyone who misses Proficient misses it in Writing or Speaking.

Superior is different again. Every skill is C1, and Writing and Speaking need 89, one point below C2. There is very little margin. Candidates who reach Superior usually have strong Listening and Reading already and have spent months on accuracy in the other two.

Example: from 0 to 10 points

Here is a typical profile. Arun has Competent English from an earlier test and wants 10 more points. His recent timed practice test:

His average is 73, which feels close to Proficient. It isn't. He needs about seven more points in two skills, and Reading is only one point over.

A sensible plan for eight weeks at about ten hours a week:

He re-tests with a full practice test every two weeks. If Writing or Speaking hasn't moved after four weeks, he changes the method rather than doing more of the same.

What separates 75 from 82 in Speaking?

Most people at 75 speak fluently. What holds them back is range and control: they use the same simple structures, hesitate when the topic gets abstract, and lose accuracy in longer sentences.

Here is the opening of a two-minute presentation on an original topic, Should people take regular breaks from social media?

Around 75

I think yes, people should take breaks from social media. Because social media is very addictive and people use it too much. For example, my friend uses Instagram maybe five hours every day and she is always tired. So I think if people take a break they will feel better and sleep better also.

Around 82 or above

I'd say yes, although I don't think a break needs to be dramatic. What seems to help most people is a short, regular pause, say one evening a week without any apps. A friend of mine tried this last year. For the first few weeks she kept reaching for her phone, but after a month she was sleeping better and, interestingly, she said she enjoyed social media more when she went back to it.

What changed: the second answer qualifies the opinion ("although I don't think..."), gives a specific example with a time frame and a result, and uses a wider range of structures ("What seems to help...", "after a month"). The grammar stays accurate across long sentences. Both are fluent. Only one shows C1 control. See the Speaking test guide for how each part runs.

What separates 71 from 78 in Writing?

The pattern is similar. At 71, essays usually answer the question and are organised, but ideas are general and errors appear in most paragraphs. At 78 and above:

• each body paragraph develops one idea with a reason and a specific example;
• the position is clear in the introduction and consistent to the end;
• most sentences have no errors, including articles and plurals;
• vocabulary is precise rather than impressive ("reduces" instead of "has a detrimental impact upon").

The quickest gain is usually accuracy. Collect your own repeated errors from every marked essay and check each new one against that list before you finish. Our Writing Part 2 guide has a full essay structure.

Is Superior English realistic?

For some candidates, yes. If your practice scores are already comfortably above 80 in Listening and 83 in Reading, and your Writing and Speaking are in the mid 80s, Superior is a reasonable target with a few months of work. If you're still below Proficient in any skill, aim for Proficient first. Ten points you can get this year are often worth more than twenty you might get next year, especially if your age points are about to drop.

Common mistakes

Looking at the average. Home Affairs doesn't use an overall score for points. One skill one point short means no points.

Booking the online test to save money. It isn't accepted for visas. Book a test centre.

Testing too early. If your practice Speaking is exactly 82, nerves can easily take two or three points away. Aim to be a few points above each line.

Sitting the test after the invitation. Points are assessed at invitation. A better result that arrives afterwards doesn't help that invitation.

Studying vocabulary lists for Speaking. Range comes from structures and precise words used naturally, not from rare words added to a simple answer.

Checklist before you book

• My last full timed practice test was within two weeks.
• Every skill is a few points above 67, 71, 78 and 82 (or 80, 83, 89 and 89).
• I've recorded all four Speaking parts and listened back.
• My last three essays were marked, and errors are falling.
• I'm booking a test-centre session.
• My timeline allows for results before I update my expression of interest.

The free LanguageCert Academic-style practice on the AIL site has sections in every skill with estimated scores out of 100, and the full practice tests show each skill against all four visa levels, so you can see exactly which line you are under. These practice tests are written by AIL and are not produced or endorsed by PeopleCert or LanguageCert; 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. If you're still working towards the visa minimum, see our Competent English plan.