Part 1: Speaking & Writing

You have 30–40 seconds to look at the text before the microphone opens, so use this time to break the text up into meaningful chunks, using the punctuation as a guide. This will show you the places where you can make a tiny pause and alter your intonation – going up when you begin reading a chunk and falling a little when you end a chunk.

Using appropriate pausing helps you to read more fluently and give the full meaning of the text. This will improve your score. Look at where the pauses / are indicated in the example:

Photography’s gaze widened during the early years of the twentieth century / and, / as the snapshot camera became increasingly popular, / the making of photographs became increasingly available / to a wide cross-section of the public. / The British people grew accustomed to, / and were hungry for, / the photographic image.

When you read the text, stress the words that help to convey meaning, by reading them in a slightly louder voice and adding emphasis to key syllables, e.g., development. Also, use rising and falling intonation patterns to show how the ideas are linked or are coming to an end. Look at the patterns in this text; the stressed words are underlined, and the rising and falling intonation is marked by up ⬆️ and down ⬇️ arrows:

The development of easy-to-use statistical software ⬇️ has changed the way statistics is being taught and learned ⬇️ . Students can make transformations of variables ⬆️, create graphs of distributions of variables⬆️, and select among statistical analyses ⬇️ all at the click of a button ⬇️. However⬆️, even with these advancements ⬇️, students sometimes find statistics to be an arduous task ⬇️️.

Your score on Read Aloud is based on three factors:

Content: Does your response include all the words in the reading text and only these words?

Content is scored by counting the number of correct words in your response. Replacements insertions and omissions of words will negatively affect your score.

Pronunciation: Does your response demonstrate your ability to produce speech sounds in a similar way to most regular speakers of the language?

Pronunciation is scored by determining if your speech is easily understandable to most regular speakers of the language. The best responses contain vowels and consonants pronounced in a native-like way, and stress words and phrases correctly. Responses should also be immediately understandable to a regular speaker of the language.

PTE Academic recognizes regional and national varieties of English pronunciation to the degree that they are understandable to most regular speakers of the language.

Oral fluency: Does your response demonstrate a smooth, effortless and natural rate of speech?

Oral fluency is scored by determining if your rhythm, phrasing and stress are smooth. The best responses are spoken at a constant and natural rate of speech with appropriate phrasing. Hesitations, repetitions and false starts will negatively affect your score.

Notes

• This item type affects the scoring of the following: reading, speaking, pronunciation and oral fluency.
• Your reading, listening and writing skills are not tested by this question type.
• For more information visit our PTE Academic scoring page where you can download the Score Guide.

You will be scored on the correct word sequences that you produce for this item type, so the more phrases you understand, the better your reproduction of the sentence will be. For example, there are three phrases in this sentence, separated by /, and each one carries a separate message that has its own meaning:

Next week’s tutorial / on Tuesday / has been cancelled.

If you listen for meaningful phrases in the sentence, you will have a better chance of repeating what you hear accurately.

Make a mental note of the way the speaker uses stress and intonation on the recording. These patterns help to convey the meaning. Speak calmly and clearly, copying this stress and intonation. For example, look at the pattern in the example: the stressed words or syllables are underlined, and the falling intonation is marked by down ⬇️ arrows:

I’m going to attend the briefing ⬇️ for students ⬇️.

Your score on Repeat Sentence is based on three factors:

Content: Does your response include all the words in the sentence, and only these words?

Content is scored by counting the number of correct word sequences in your response. Having almost nothing from the prompt in your response will negatively affect your score.

Pronunciation: Does your response demonstrate your ability to produce speech sounds in a similar way to most regular speakers of the language?

Pronunciation is scored by determining if your speech is easily understandable to most regular speakers of the language. The best responses contain vowels and consonants pronounced in a native-like way, as well as words and phrases stressed correctly. Responses should also be immediately understandable to a regular speaker of the language.

PTE Academic recognizes regional and national varieties of English pronunciation to the degree that they are understandable to most regular speakers of the language.

Oral fluency: Does your response demonstrate a smooth, effortless and natural rate of speech?

Oral fluency is scored by determining if your rhythm, phrasing and stress are smooth. The best responses are spoken at a constant and natural rate of speech with appropriate phrasing. Hesitations, repetitions and false starts will negatively affect your score.

Notes

• Partial credit scoring applies to Repeat Sentence. No credit is given for no response or an irrelevant response. This question type affects the scoring of the following: listening, speaking, pronunciation and oral fluency.

• Your writing skills are not tested by this question type, and your reading skills are only used to read the instructions.

• For more information visit our PTE Academic scoring page where you can download the Score Guide.

When you look at the image ask yourself ‘‘What is the main idea being shown by the image?’’ and ‘‘What are the details relating to the main ideas?’’.

Use your erasable noteboard booklet to note down key ideas and phrases that relate to the main information and the explanatory details. These can be put into sentences when you start to speak:

If you organize what you say, you will get a better score. This is because a well-organized answer is more likely to cover the main information as well as the additional details, and also talk about implications or conclusions based on the information. Look at how this sample description is organized:

Your score on Describe Image is based on three factors:

Content: Does your response accurately and thoroughly describe the image?

Content is scored by determining if all aspects and elements of the image have been addressed in your response. Your description of relationships, possible developments and conclusions or implications based on details from the image is also scored. The best responses deal with all parts of the image, contain logical and specific information and include possible developments, conclusions or implications. Mentioning just a few disjointed ideas will negatively affect your score.

Pronunciation: Does your response demonstrate your ability to produce speech sounds in a similar way to most regular speakers of the language?

Pronunciation is scored by determining if your speech is easily understandable to most regular speakers of the language. The best responses contain vowels and consonants pronounced in a native-like way, and stress words and phrases correctly. Responses should also be immediately understandable to a regular speaker of the language.

PTE Academic recognizes regional and national varieties of English pronunciation to the degree that they are understandable to most regular speakers of the language.

Oral fluency: Does your response demonstrate a smooth, effortless and natural rate of speech? Oral fluency is scored by determining if your rhythm, phrasing and stress are smooth. The best responses are spoken at a constant and natural rate of speech with appropriate phrasing. Hesitations, repetitions and false starts will negatively affect your score.

Notes

• This question type uses partial credit scoring. No credit is given for no response, an irrelevant response or an unoriginal response. You must use your own words.
• The task assesses speaking, pronunciation and oral fluency. Your reading skills are only used to understand the instructions. Your listening and writing skills are not assessed.
• Content, Pronunciation and Oral Fluency are all AI-scored traits. A human expert will also review Content before your final score for the task is confirmed.
• For more information visit our PTE Academic scoring page where you can download the score guide.

You hear a short question and then the recording status box will change to recording.

Start your answer as soon as this happens. If you wait for more than three seconds, the recording will stop and the item status will change to ‘completed’, which means that you have lost your chance to give your answer.

When you have started talking, don’t stop for more than a second or two until you have finished. If you stop for three seconds whilst speaking, the recording status will change to ‘completed’ even if you haven’t finished, and you won’t be able to continue answering.

If the status changes to ‘completed’, you have to click ‘Next’ to move on to the next item. This also applies to speaking item types Read aloud, Repeat Sentence, Describe Image and Re-tell Lecture.

Your response for Answer Short Question is judged on your ability to understand a question presented in a recording and provide a brief and accurate response. Your response is scored as either correct or incorrect based on how appropriate the words in your response are. No credit is given for no response or an incorrect response.

Notes

• This question type affects your listening score.
• Your speaking and writing skills are not tested by this question type.
• For more information visit our PTE Academic scoring page where you can download the score guide.

You have 10 seconds to prepare, so examine the prompt to decide what main points you will need to convey, and whether you will need to use a formal or informal register.

You only have 40 seconds to speak so make sure you are able to cover everything required by the prompt within the time allotted. Try to speak for the whole 40 seconds if you can. If you repeat ideas, correct yourself, or hesitate, you will use up valuable time and also lose score points. So, keep talking and ignore any mistakes that you make.

Your score is based on three factors:

Content: Is your response relevant to the prompt and does it convey prompt information accurately?

Content is scored based on whether you deal with the situation effectively and whether you communicate in a clear manner using appropriate expressions.

Be careful to respond to the situation using the information in the prompt. Do not miss out any key information or misinterpret the situation (e.g., if the situation says you need the slides by Friday but you say by Sunday – this is a misinterpretation). You should deliver your response using appropriate formal or informal language depending on the situation and who you are talking to.

Pronunciation: Does your response show you can produce speech sounds in a similar way to most regular English speakers?

Pronunciation is scored by assessing if your speech is easily understandable to most regular English speakers. The best responses contain vowels and consonants pronounced in a fluent-like way, and stress words and phrases correctly. Your answer should also be immediately understandable to a regular English speaker.

PTE recognizes regional and national varieties of English pronunciation to the degree that they are understandable to most regular English speakers.

Oral fluency: Does your response show a smooth, effortless and natural flow of speech?

Oral fluency is scored by assessing if your rhythm, phrasing and stress are smooth. The best responses are spoken at a constant and natural rate of speech with appropriate phrasing. Hesitations, repetitions and false starts will negatively affect your score.

Notes

• Partial credit scoring applies. No credit is given for no answer or an irrelevant answer.
• Your reading and listening skills are only used to read the instructions and to read and listen to the prompt.
• Content, Pronunciation and Oral Fluency are all AI-scored traits. A human expert will also review Content before your final score for the task is confirmed.
• For more information visit our PTE Academic scoring page where you can download the score guide.

Content: Does your response summarize the main points in the passage?

Content is scored by determining if all key points of the passage have been addressed without misrepresenting the purpose or topic. If your summary misinterprets the topic or the purpose of the passage, you will not receive any score points for your summary on any of the four factors. Your summary will be scored zero. The best responses clearly summarize the main idea and condense essential supporting points. They focus on the topic, including only key information and essential supporting points.

Form: Does your response meet the requirements of a one-sentence summary? If your summary contains fewer than five words or more than 75 words, you will not receive any score points for your summary on any of the four factors. Your summary will be scored zero.

Grammar: Does your response demonstrate correct grammatical usage?

Grammar is scored by determining if the basic structure of the sentence is correct. The best responses usually consist of a main clause and subordinate clause.

Vocabulary: Does your response demonstrate correct and appropriate word choice and usage?

Vocabulary is scored according to its relevance to the passage and its appropriateness in an academic environment. The appropriate use of synonyms is also scored. The best responses use words from the passage appropriately, demonstrate an understanding of the context and use synonyms effectively to show variety in language use.

Notes

• Your response is scored as either correct or incorrect based on the appropriateness of the words in your response. No credit is given for no response or an incorrect response.
• Your listening and speaking skills are not tested by this question type.
• For more information visit our PTE Academic scoring page where you can download the score guide.

Your response on Write Essay is judged on our ability to write a persuasive or argumentative essay on a given topic. Your score is based on seven factors:

Content: Does your response address the topic?

Content is scored by determining if all aspects of the topic have been addressed in your response. The appropriateness of the details, examples and explanations used to support your point of view is also scored. If your essay does not address the topic, you will not receive any score points for your essay on any of the seven factors. Your essay will be scored zero. The best responses are on topic, contain logical and specific information and answer any questions asked. They also support any arguments with details, examples and/or explanations.

Development, structure and coherence: Does your response demonstrate good development of ideas and a logical structure?

Development, structure and coherence are scored according to the organization of your response. A well-developed response uses a logical organizational pattern, connects ideas and explains these connections. The best responses contain multiple paragraphs and have a clear introduction, body and conclusion that relate to the topic of the essay. Within paragraphs, ideas are clearly presented and supported with details, examples and/or explanations. Transitions between paragraphs are smooth.

Form: Does your response meet the length requirement of between 200 and 300 words?

Form is scored by counting the number of words in your response. You will receive full credit if your essay is between 200 and 300 words. Writing less than 200 words or more than 300 words will decrease your score. If your essay contains less than 120 words or more than 380 words, you will not receive any score points for your essay on any of the seven factors. Your essay will be scored zero.

General linguistic range: Does your response use language that precisely conveys your ideas?

General linguistic range is scored by determining if the language in your response accurately communicates your ideas. This includes your ability to provide clear descriptions, change emphasis, eliminate ambiguity, express subtleties in meaning, and use stylistic features to communicate meaning. You are more likely to receive full credit if you use complex sentence structures and vocabulary correctly, rather than consistently using simple sentence structures and vocabulary. This is because complex ideas are often expressed with complex sentence structures and vocabulary. The best responses use language that highlights key ideas, creatively expresses opinions and ensures clear communication.

Grammar usage and mechanics: Does your response demonstrate correct grammatical usage and consistent control of standard written English?

Grammar usage and mechanics are scored by examining sentence structure, punctuation and capitalization. The best responses contain high proportions of grammatically correct complex sentences that clearly communicate the intended meaning.

Vocabulary range: Does your response demonstrate command of a broad vocabulary range?

Vocabulary range is scored according to the variety of words in your response and their appropriateness in an academic environment. Synonyms, idiomatic expressions and academic terms are also assessed if appropriate. The best responses use precise academic terms and avoid repetition by using synonyms and idioms where appropriate.

Spelling: Does your response demonstrate correct and consistent use of a single spelling convention?

PTE Academic recognizes English spelling conventions from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. However, one spelling convention should be used consistently in a given response.

Notes

• This question type uses partial credit scoring. No credit is given for no response, an irrelevant response or an unoriginal response. You must use your own words.
• This question type affects the scoring of the following: writing, grammar, spelling, vocabulary and written discourse.
• Your listening and speaking skills are not tested by this question type, and your reading skills are only used to read the instructions and the prompt.
• All of the following traits are AI-scored: Content, Form, DSC (Development, Structure & Coherence), Grammar, GLR (General Linguistic Range), Vocabulary, and Spelling. A human expert will also review Content, DSC and GLR before your final score for the task is confirmed.
• For more information visit our PTE Academic scoring page where you can download the score guide.