To register as a nurse or midwife in Australia you have to prove your English. With IELTS, the rule is IELTS Academic with 7.0 overall, 7.0 in Listening, Reading and Speaking, and at least 6.5 in Writing. The Board changed the score rules for other English tests on 23 April 2026, but the IELTS scores did not change. This guide explains what that means for your plan.
Nurses and midwives registering through AHPRA need IELTS Academic 7.0 overall, 7.0 in Listening, Reading and Speaking and at least 6.5 in Writing; the One Skill Retake is accepted. Other tests' scores changed on 23.04.2026, IELTS did not.
Source: ahpra.gov.au ·
AHPRA, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, handles registration for health professionals. For nurses and midwives, the rules are written by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, and English is one of them. If English was not the language of your training, you will usually meet this rule with a test result. With IELTS, the Board looks for 7.0 overall, 7.0 in Listening, Reading and Speaking, and no less than 6.5 in Writing.
IELTS comes in two versions. The Board names IELTS Academic. A General Training result does not meet the rule, even with a high score, so check the version before you book.
An overall 7.0 is not enough on its own. Listening, Reading and Speaking each need 7.0 and Writing needs 6.5, so a 6.5 in Reading fails the rule even with 7.0 overall.
On 23 April 2026 the Board changed the score rules for the other English tests it accepts. The IELTS scores stayed the same. For you, this has two practical effects.
If you were already preparing for IELTS Academic 7.0 in Listening, Reading and Speaking with 6.5 in Writing, nothing in your plan has to change. The target you set before April 2026 is still the target today.
Forums and agency leaflets written before the change may quote old scores for the other tests. Take the numbers from the Board's current standard.
Registration as a nurse and a visa to live in Australia are separate decisions made by separate offices, and each has its own English rule. The Department of Home Affairs uses named levels such as Competent and Proficient English. The table puts the numbers side by side so you can see which score does which job.
| Purpose | Who sets it | IELTS score |
|---|---|---|
| Registration as a nurse or midwife | Nursing and Midwifery Board, through AHPRA | IELTS Academic 7.0 overall and in L/R/S, at least 6.5 in Writing |
| Competent English (visa) | Department of Home Affairs | 6.0 in each of the four skills |
| Proficient English (visa) | Department of Home Affairs | 7.0 |
| Superior English (visa) | Department of Home Affairs | 8.0 |
For most nurses the registration score is the harder one to reach, because it needs an Academic result and a floor per skill. Plan your preparation around 7.0 in Listening, Reading and Speaking with 6.5 in Writing, then check which visa level your own route asks for. Our IELTS for Australia guide covers the visa side in more detail.
The whole test takes 2 hours 45 minutes and gives a band from 0 to 9, in steps of 0.5, for each skill and overall. Listening and Speaking are the same in both IELTS versions. Reading and the first Writing task are where Academic is different, and these are the parts that surprise nurses who have only seen General Training practice material.
You describe a chart, graph or diagram in formal English. Clinical English does not help much here: you need the language of trends, comparisons and processes.
An essay that gives and supports a position. It is the same task type in both versions, so essay practice you have already done still counts. Plan, argue, give examples, and check.
Three long academic passages instead of everyday and work texts. Speed matters as much as vocabulary, so practise under the real time limit.
Paper-based IELTS was discontinued from mid-2026, so plan to type your essays. Speaking is still face to face with an examiner. British Council and IDP run the same test.
If you reach 7.0 overall but miss one skill's floor by half a band, you do not always have to sit the whole test again. IELTS offers One Skill Retake. You repeat one of the four skills, only on the computer test, within 60 days of the original test and in the same country, and only once per test. Results come in 3 to 5 days. It is not offered in the USA.
You get a new Test Report Form, and the retake score replaces the original score on it, even if it is lower. Your original report stays valid on its own, so a bad retake does not cancel a good first result.
Before you plan your registration around a retake result, confirm with AHPRA that it accepts it for your application. A full test is the safe option if you are unsure.
The details are in our One Skill Retake guide.
Read the Board's current English language skills standard and make sure you book IELTS Academic, not General Training.
Take a full mock under real timing. Look at Writing on its own, not just the overall band, because each skill has its own floor (6.5 in Writing, 7.0 in the others).
Book when your practice results reach the target more than once. Fees are set locally by the test centre, so check the price list in your country.
Follow AHPRA's instructions for how the result has to reach them, and keep a copy of your Test Report Form.
With IELTS, nurses and midwives registering through AHPRA need IELTS Academic with 7.0 overall, at least 7.0 in Listening, Reading and Speaking, and at least 6.5 in Writing. Every one of these must be met. Check the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia's current English language skills standard for the full detail.
Yes, but not for IELTS. On 23 April 2026 the Board changed the score rules for the other English tests it accepts. The IELTS scores stayed the same: Academic 7.0 overall, 7.0 in Listening, Reading and Speaking, and 6.5 in Writing.
No. The requirement names IELTS Academic. Listening and Speaking are the same in both versions, but Reading and the first Writing task are different, so prepare with Academic material from the start.
No. The Writing band must be at least 6.5 on its own, whatever your overall score. You can sit the full test again, or look at One Skill Retake, which lets you repeat Writing alone on the computer test within 60 days. Confirm with AHPRA that a retake result is accepted for your application before you rely on it.
No, they are separate rules. Registration needs IELTS Academic 7.0 overall and in Listening, Reading and Speaking, with 6.5 in Writing. The Department of Home Affairs sets its own levels for visas: Competent English is 6.0 in each skill, Proficient English is 7.0 and Superior English is 8.0. Check which level your visa route asks for.
Fees are set locally by each test centre and differ from country to country, so check the price list of the centre where you plan to sit the test. British Council and IDP run the same test.