IELTS score requirements for nurses in the UK and Australia

UK: Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)

The NMC accepts IELTS Academic, not General Training. You need 7 in listening, reading and speaking and 6.5 in writing. The alternative is OET with B in listening, reading and speaking and C+ in writing.

You can combine results from two sittings if you took all four parts both times, the tests were within 12 months of each other, and both were no more than two years before the NMC assesses your application. Scores are valid for two years.

Australia: Ahpra and the Nursing and Midwifery Board

Ahpra accepts IELTS Academic taken on paper or computer at a test centre. You need an overall 7, with 7 in listening, reading and speaking and 6.5 in writing. The minimum scores for some tests changed on 23 April 2026, but the IELTS Academic scores stayed the same.

You can use up to two sittings within 12 months if you score an overall 7 in each sitting, reach the required score in each skill across the two, and no skill in either sitting is below 6.5.

What about the visa?

Registration and the visa are separate. In the UK, nurses who passed the NMC English assessment do not need to prove their English again for the Skilled Worker (Health and Care) visa. In Australia, your visa has its own English level, and 7 in each skill already meets proficient English.