Hi guys!
I would like to please seek for any advice regarding my case.
Just a background, I have lodged my Expression of Interest (EOI) in Skill Select last 05 May 2017.
This is for my Skilled - Independent (subclass 189) (Permanent Resident) application to Australia.
I was able to meet the points test pass mark at 65 total points.
Age: 30 points
English Language Ability: 10 points
Education: 15 Points
Work Experience: 10 points
Total: 65 points
Unfortunately, I don’t think this is enough for me to be invited to apply for a visa given the highly competitive domain for our field.
As most of us know, Australia’s Department of Immigration and Border Protection already tagged our occupation for pro-rata arrangements due to increasing levels of demand.
Please see my scores both in IELTS and PTE that only qualified me for Proficient English (10 points).
Test: IELTS General Training (Thru British Council)
Date: November 3, 2016
Listening: 8.0
Reading: 8.5
Writing: 7.0
Speaking: 9.0
Test: PTE Academic
Date: September 11, 2017
Listening: 75
Reading: 87
Writing: 83
Speaking: 90
Given the tough competition, I believe the only way for me to secure the invite to apply for visa is to increase my over-all points.
As all other parameters in the eligibility points are more or less fixed in my case for the time period (e.g. age, education, work experience, etc.), I can only enhance my score by improving my level of English proficiency from Proficient to Superior and gain 20 maximum points.
When I realized that the scores being invited to apply for a visa are already ranging from 70 to 75 points, I took the PTE Academic exam to boost my over-all score as I just read in an online forum that it is supposedly easier to get higher scores in PTE against IELTS.
As you can see from my detailed scores above, I almost reached the superior mark except for a single module in both tests (for IELTS at 7.0 for Writing and for PTE at 75 for Listening).
Given the demands of my work, I had almost none to barely minimum preparation and review for both tests.
I remember that I wasn’t able to finish my writing test for IELTS due to miscalculations in time management.
As for PTE, I’m actually more comfortable with traditional pen and paper-based exam vs computer-based exam.
I was actually bit distracted with the arrangement and set-up of PTE exam.
With all the aforementioned details,
1) Would you recommend that I consider taking IELTS or PTE for my next attempt to get superior score?
2) Will there be a significant difference if I take my IELTS exam under IDP vs British Council? What do you recommend?
3) Or should I just wait and see (and save resources) if I will be invited in the next few months with total score of 65 trusting that the latest estimate / projection from Iscah as of 9 September 2017 will materialize such that I will be invited in 1-2 months’ time.
I know there are risks and implications involved in all options so I really need your help to guide me in this decision making process.
Thank you guys!!!