CELPIP for Australian skilled visas: the score for 0, 10 or 20 English points
Aman Batth · 7 min read ·
For the points-tested 189, 190 and 491 visas, CELPIP General 7 in every skill is Competent English and earns 0 points, 9/8/10/8 is Proficient and earns 10, and 10/10/12/10 is Superior and earns 20. Writing decides which one you get, and CELPIP can only be sat in four Australian cities.
Short answer. For Australia's points-tested skilled visas (subclasses 189, 190 and 491), English is worth 0, 10 or 20 points, and CELPIP General reaches each step at these scores:
| English level | CELPIP General (each of the four skills, at least) | Points (189, 190, 491) |
|---|---|---|
| Competent | 7 listening, 7 reading, 7 writing, 7 speaking | 0 (the minimum to apply) |
| Proficient | 9 listening, 8 reading, 10 writing, 8 speaking | 10 |
| Superior | 10 listening, 10 reading, 12 writing, 10 speaking | 20 |
The scores are from the Department of Home Affairs' Competent, Proficient and Superior English pages, for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025. The points are from the official points tables for the 189, 190 and 491 visas (checked on 23 October 2026). Rules change. Confirm both pages before you book a test.
Whether CELPIP is accepted at all, and which version, is covered in Is CELPIP accepted in Australia?. This page is about the number you need.
How English points work in the points test
To be invited to apply for a 189, 190 or 491 visa you need at least 65 points, made up of age, English, work experience, qualifications and a few smaller items. English is one of the few factors you can still change after you have finished your degree and your years of work, which is why it is usually where people look for the last 10 or 20 points.
Three rules decide what you can claim:
- Competent English is the floor, and it scores nothing. It lets you apply. It does not move you up the queue.
- Every level is "at least X in each skill". Your weakest skill decides the level. Three Superior scores and one Proficient score is a Proficient result: 10 points, not 20.
- Points are counted at the time you are invited. The result has to be in hand, and still accepted, when the invitation is issued. A better score that arrives afterwards does not add points to that invitation.
A worked example
Here is a common profile, using only the values in the official points table:
| Factor | Claim | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 25 to 32 | 30 |
| Qualification | Bachelor degree | 15 |
| Overseas skilled work | 3 to 4 years | 5 |
| Partner | Single | 10 |
| English | Competent (CELPIP 7 in each) | 0 |
| Total | 60 |
Sixty is below the 65 needed to be invited. Move English to Proficient and the same person has 70. Move it to Superior and they have 80, and on a 190 visa a state nomination adds another 5.
Nothing else on that list can change in a few months. The English score can, which is why the next section matters more than any other on this page.
Writing is the skill that decides it
Look at the writing column in the first table: 10 for Proficient, 12 for Superior. Listening, reading and speaking ask for 8 to 10. On CELPIP's scale, which runs up to 12, Superior English asks for the top score in writing.
IELTS sets the same steps at 7 in each skill for Proficient and 8 in each for Superior. If you are choosing a test only for Australian points, compare honestly:
- If your writing is your strongest skill, CELPIP is a reasonable route to 10 points.
- If you are chasing 20 points, CELPIP needs a perfect writing score. Ask yourself whether that is more likely than an IELTS 8 in every skill, and choose on that, not on which test feels friendlier.
- If you are also keeping Canada open, CELPIP General is one of only two tests accepted by both countries, with IELTS General Training the other. That can outweigh the writing problem. The trade-off is explained in Is CELPIP accepted in Australia?.
CELPIP writing is marked on several things at once: content and coherence, vocabulary, readability and task fulfilment. A single level number hides which one cost you. Finding out which, before you pay for another sitting, is most of the work. See CELPIP Writing Task 1 and Task 2 for what each task is marked on.
Points for your partner's English
If your partner applies with you, their English can earn points too. The official tables give:
- 10 points if your partner also meets the age, English (Competent) and skills-assessment criteria
- 5 points if your partner has Competent English only, which on CELPIP General is 7 in each of the four skills
- 10 points if you are single, or your partner is an Australian citizen or permanent resident
So a partner's CELPIP 7 in every skill is worth 5 points on its own. That is often an easier 5 than anything else left on the list.
Other visas: same levels, no points
Many other visas (employer-sponsored, graduate and student visas among them) use the same English levels (Functional, Vocational, Competent, Proficient, Superior) but award no points. You simply have to meet the level your subclass names.
Home Affairs sets that level on each visa's own eligibility page, and for some visas, including the Student (500) visa, the scores are set in a separate legal instrument. We have not repeated those numbers here, because they are the ones most likely to change. Open your own subclass's page, find the level it names, and read across to the CELPIP score in the first table, or the Functional and Vocational rows in Is CELPIP accepted in Australia?.
Which CELPIP results count
- CELPIP General only, taken at a test centre on or after 7 August 2025. CELPIP results from before that date cannot be used for Australia, because CELPIP was not on the approved list then.
- CELPIP Online is not accepted. Home Affairs refuses tests delivered fully online.
- CELPIP General LS is not accepted. It tests listening and speaking only, and Australia needs all four skills.
- Check the time limit for your visa. Home Affairs allows English results up to 3 years old, depending on the visa subclass. Canada allows less than 2 years, so the same result can still count for Australia after it has expired for Canada.
Where you can sit CELPIP in Australia
The official CELPIP site lists test sittings in four Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane (CELPIP current testing locations, checked on 23 October 2026).
People search for CELPIP in Adelaide, Canberra and other cities, but none is listed today. If you live elsewhere, plan the travel into your timeline, and check the official page for new centres before you book.
Practising for the score you need
We build our own scoring engine, so this is the part we can speak to directly.
On the Australian points path the bottleneck is almost always writing, and the score report gives you one number for it. Hilingo marks CELPIP writing and speaking per criterion, so a shortfall points at one thing, such as organisation, vocabulary or task fulfilment, instead of at "writing". Every listening and reading answer comes back with the reason it was wrong and the sentence from the audio or passage that proves it.
The first full scored CELPIP mock is free and needs no card.
Take a free scored CELPIP mock
- Is CELPIP accepted in Australia?: which version counts, the score for every English level, and the Canada overlap
- CELPIP score converter: your CELPIP levels as CLB, IELTS and PTE Core, if you are keeping Canada open
- How CELPIP is scored: how the level scale works
- CELPIP Writing Task 1: the skill that decides Proficient and Superior
Frequently asked questions
How many points does CELPIP give for an Australian PR visa?
For the points-tested 189, 190 and 491 visas: 0 points for Competent English (CELPIP General 7 in each skill), 10 points for Proficient (9 listening, 8 reading, 10 writing, 8 speaking) and 20 points for Superior (10 listening, 10 reading, 12 writing, 10 speaking). Confirm on the Home Affairs points table for your visa before you rely on it.
What CELPIP score is Superior English in Australia?
At least 10 in listening, 10 in reading, 12 in writing and 10 in speaking in CELPIP General, for tests taken on or after 7 August 2025. Writing 12 is the top of the CELPIP scale, so Superior English on CELPIP needs a perfect writing score.
Is CELPIP 9 in every skill enough for 20 points?
No. Nine in every skill is Proficient (10 points), not Superior, because Superior needs 10 in listening, reading and speaking and 12 in writing. Nine in every skill does not even reach Proficient, because Proficient needs 10 in writing. With 9 in writing, the result is Competent English: 0 points.
Can my partner's CELPIP score give me points?
Yes. If your partner applies with you and has Competent English (CELPIP General 7 in each skill), you can claim 5 points. If they also meet the age and skills-assessment criteria, it is 10 points.
Where can I take CELPIP in Australia?
The official CELPIP site lists test sittings in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane (checked on 23 October 2026). Only CELPIP General taken at a test centre counts for Australian visas; CELPIP Online does not.