Pearson’s Test of English is an English proficiency exam like the IELTS. Initially, PTE was exclusively used for study and migration purposes to Australia and New Zealand. However, many nations throughout the world now accept this examination for study and migration purposes.
The PTE is a comprehensive computer-based test that assesses a candidate’s communicative and enabling skills in a reliable, equitable, and convenient manner. The exam can be scheduled up to 48 hours in advance, done as many times as desired, and the results are available in 5 days.
Let us delve deeper into this first-of-its-kind computer-based English proficiency test.
What are PTE Academic and PTE General?
The PTE Academic is widely used by students to gain entry into world-renowned universities around the world. Most students’ desired international education destinations, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, accept PTE for academic purposes. For Australia and New Zealand, the PTE scores can be used for work as well as permanent residency purposes too.
The PTE General unlike PTE Academic is an offline test with two sections, a spoken interview and a written discourse. The test has to be booked well in advance as it is available only in the months of May, June and December. The PTE General is accepted as an official English proficiency certificate for study as well as work purposes, however, it is largely recognised by Non-European English Speaking countries like Mexico. Poland, Spain, Estonia and et al.
Recommended Blog: Difference between PTE Academic and PTE General
Who should take the PTE?
The PTE exam
can be taken by any candidate who wishes to study or migrate abroad. For study purposes, the PTE is equally accepted as IELTS in almost all reputed universities and colleges. Even so, it is critical to double-check with your specific university to ensure that they accept valid PTE scores. Keep in mind that PTE results are accepted for job or migration purposes in Australia and New Zealand, but there may be some restrictions or variances in laws in other countries, so it is vital to examine the immigration requirements before making your move.
Another factor to keep in mind before choosing PTE is to realise that this is a completely computer-based examination. So candidates who experience difficulty or lack experience in using a system should gain ample practice and even take enough mock tests to get inducted to the exam pattern.
The structure of the PTE examination
The PTE examination encompasses 20 question types that primarily analyse 2 skill types. The enabling skills include grammar, oral fluency, pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary and written discourse. Then there are the communicative skills that include listening, reading, writing and speaking. Each task is designed in such a way that these skills are comprehensively assessed in an effective manner. There are single-skill assessment questions, such as Describe Image, which measure a candidate’s speaking skills as well as questions like Repeat Sentence and Retell lecture that assess multiple skills ( integrated skill tasks), such as listening and speaking. The examination is divided into three parts and the duration of the exam is two hours without break.
Observe the table to get an overall idea about the parts of the exam and the duration:
| Part | Content | Test timings |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | Personal introduction | One minute |
| Part 1 | Speaking and writing | Approximately 54-67 minutes |
| Part 2 | Reading | Approximately 29-30 minutes |
| Part 3 | Listening | Approximately 30-43 minutes |
It is important to understand each of the 20 question types, the time limit and the number of questions asked in each type, as some questions have more score weightage than others. For instance, integrated tasks gain more scores than single-skill assessment tasks. Thus to get your required score it is critical to formulating a clear-cut idea regarding how many right answers in each question type is required to achieve your desired score.
Let us look at the 20 question types in the PTE examination:
Speaking
| Topic | Skills assessed | Timing | Number of questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Read aloud | Speaking and Reading | 30-second prep and40 seconds of speaking time | 6-7 |
| Repeat sentence | Listening and Speaking | Repeat the sentence that you hear as soon as the beep sound after the audio | 10-12 |
| Describe image | Speaking | 25 seconds to prep and 40 seconds to speak | 3-4 |
| Retell lecture | Listening and Speaking | 10 seconds to prep and 40 seconds to speak | 1-2 |
| Answer short question | Listening and Speaking | Answer in a word or phrase as soon as the beep sound after the question | 5-6 |
Writing
| Topic | Skills assessed | Timing | Number of questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summarise written text | Reading and Writing | 10 minutes for one question | 1-2 |
| Essay | Writing | 20 minutes for one question | 1-2 |
Reading
| Topic | Skills assessed | Timing | Number of questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and writing: Fill in the Blanks | Reading and Writing | 29- 30 minutes for the entire reading module | 5-6 |
| Reading: Multiple Choice choose Multiple answers | Reading | 29- 30 minutes for the entire reading module | 1-2 |
| Reorder paragraph | Reading | 29- 30 minutes for the entire reading module | 2-3 |
| Reading : Fill in the Blanks | Reading | 29- 30 minutes for the entire reading module | 4-5 |
| Reading: Multiple choice choose Single answer | Reading | 29- 30 minutes for the entire reading module | 1-2 |
Listening
| Topic | Skills assessed | Timing | Number of questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summarise Spoken Text | Listening and writing | 10 minutes for each question | 1-2 |
| Listening: Multiple choice Choose Multiple answer | Listening | 20 to 30 minutes ( For All) | 1-2 |
| Listening: Fill in the Blanks | Listening and writing | 20 to 30 minutes( For All) | 2-3 |
| Highlight incorrect summary | Listening and writing | 20 to 30 minutes( For All) | 1-2 |
| Listening: Multiple choice choose Single answer | Listening | 20 to 30 minutes( For All) | 1-2 |
| Select Missing Word | Listening | 20 to 30 minutes( For All) | 1-2 |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | Listening and writing | 20 to 30 minutes( For All) | 2-3 |
| Write from Dictation | Listening and writing | 20 to 30 minutes( For All) | 3-4 |
Before looking in detail into each of these question types, it is important to understand the scoring system of PTE.
The PTE scoring system
The PTE scoring system is an automated scoring system based on complex algorithms that were taught by testing a data sample of over 10,000 students speaking more than 120 different languages. The PTE claims about the accuracy of its scoring after feeding thousands of human marks into the system is that the standard error measurement between the system and a human rater is smaller than that between two human raters.
Check out the table below for a clear picture of the score comparisons between PTE Academic and IELTS Academic and TOEFL
IELTS Comparison
| PTE Academic | 23 | 29 | 36 | 46 | 56 | 66 | 76 | 84 | 89 | NA |
| IELTS | 4.5 | 5 | 5.5 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 |
TOEFL Comparison
| PTE Academic | 38 | 42 | 46 | 50 | 53 | 59 | 64 | 68 | 72 | 78 | 84 |
| TOEFL iBT | 40-44 | 54-56 | 65-66 | 74-75 | 79-80 | 87-88 | 94 | 99-100 | 105 | 113 | 120 |
iBT:
With PTE Academic, students receive a detailed picture of their language proficiency, covering their overall English score, as well as scores for individual sub-skills.
Each report includes the following information:
1. An overall score (from 10–90 based on the 52 to 64 tasks in any given test on a range of 20 different task types)
2. Communicative skills scores (for Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing)
3.Skills profile ( accessible only to the candidate and need not be shared with an institution or authority unless asked )
Each item of the 20 question types are scored differently. However common elements for speaking include content, fluency and pronunciation along with vocabulary, grammatical range and accuracy and so on for the other communicative skills. Each individual element, such as content, is scored on a scale of 0 to 5 where 5 indicates native like fluency on a C1-C2 of the CERF framework.
Question types:
1. Read aloud
In the read-aloud section you will see a 2 or 3-sentence paragraph about a topic and get a preparation time of 30 seconds after which you have to read the paragraph with appropriate intonation, stress, pause and pronunciation. It is critical to begin speaking as soon as the buzzer sounds because a pause of more than 3 seconds will result in the audio being automatically cut.
Scoring
| Content | 5 |
| Fluency | 5 |
| Pronunciation | 5 |
| Total | 15 |
2. Repeat sentence
You will hear a statement and should speak precisely what you hear after the beep. The more words you get right, the higher your score. Among the 20 task kinds, repeat sentence is one of the high score weightage questions. Don’t stress about replicating the same accent you hear, but getting the pronunciation right is crucial.
Scoring
| Content | 5 |
| Fluency | 5 |
| Pronunciation | 5 |
| Total | 15 |
3. Describe image
You will be given an image of a graph, map, process diagram or a picture about which you have to describe within 40 seconds time. It is mandatory to do timed practice for this question type as the time limit plays a key role here due to the limited preparation time of 30 seconds. It is important to practise all types of questions that usually appear in described images.
Scoring
| Content | 5 |
| Fluency | 5 |
| Pronunciation | 5 |
| Total | 15 |
4. Retell Lecture
You will hear an approximately 90 seconds lecture and you should retell it after the 10 seconds preparation time. The duration of your answer should be limited to 40 seconds. Timed practice, effective note taking and the use of different templates will help you get a good score in this question type.
Scoring
| Content | 5 |
| Fluency | 5 |
| Pronunciation | 5 |
| Total | 15 |
5. Answer short question
You will be asked a question where you have to give a one word, two word or a short phrase as an answer. Listen to the question carefully as there is no time to think, as soon as you see ‘recording’ right after the question you should say the answer. The key here is to understand what is being asked and the questions are quite simple as they test your general knowledge about day to day things in life. The best way to practise is to read expected as well as previous question answers.
Scoring
| One point | Right answer |
|---|---|
| Zero point | Wrong answer |
6. Summarise written text
You will get a 150 to 200 words long passage which you should read, analyse and summarise in a concise manner ranging from 50 to 70 words; in a single sentence. You will get 10 minutes exclusively for each summarise written text question so utilising the whole 10 minutes is highly recommended.
Scoring
| Content | 2 |
| Form | 1 |
| Grammar | 2 |
| Vocabulary | 2 |
7. Essay
You will be given an essay question that can be a direct essay question, an argumentative type or a cause effect solution essay. The word limit is 200- 300 words and the time limit is 20 minutes. It is important to include relevant points in par with the question in your essay and follow a logical and lucid order while arranging the paragraphs for obtaining the highest score.
Scoring
| Content | 3 |
| Form | 2 |
| Development , structure and coherence | 2 |
| Grammar | 2 |
| General linguistic range | 2 |
| Vocabulary | 2 |
| Spelling | 2 |
| Total | 15 |
8. Reading : multiple choice choose single answer
You will be given a short passage and one MCQ question related to the passage. There will be probably 4 to 5 options from which you have to mark only one option.
Scoring
| One point | Right answer |
|---|---|
| Zero point | Wrong answer |
9. Reading : multiple choice choose multiple answer
You will be given a short passage and one MCQ question related to the passage. There will be probably 4 to 5 options from which you have to choose two or three options that you think are right. Only mark the options if you are sure about it as there is negative marking for this question type and you may lose the score for the one right answer you marked due to the partial credit system.
Scoring
| One point | One right answer |
|---|---|
| Negative one | Wrong answer |
10. Reorder paragraph
5 to 6 sentences of a single paragraph will be given in a jumbled manner. You should arrange them in the appropriate order and you get one point for each correct pair.
Scoring
| One point | For each correct pair |
|---|---|
| Zero point | For wrong pair |
11. Reading: fill in the blanks
You will be given a short comprehension with gaps which you have to fill with appropriate words from a text box given below. Similar types of words will appear in the box but only one word will be the right answer for each blank both grammatically as well as contextually.
Scoring
| One point | Right answer |
|---|---|
| Zero point | Wrong answer |
12. Reading and writing: fill in the blanks
A short passage will be given with blanks and while clicking on each blank a list of words will appear as a drop down from which you have to choose the most appropriate word ( both grammatically and contextually) as your answer. As this is an integrated skills question type, there is more score weightage to it.
Scoring
| One point | Right answer |
|---|---|
| Zero point | Wrong answer |
13. Summarise spoken text
The summarize spoken text activity is designed to assess your ability to comprehend, analyse, and synthesise information from a lecture and then describe the essential elements in two or three sentences. You will have 10 minutes to answer one question and should write a summary of 50 to 70 words that covers all of the essential ideas from the audio. The ability to take effective and organised notes is essential for obtaining a high score on this question type.
Scoring
| Content | 2 |
| Form | 1 |
| Grammar | 2 |
| Vocabulary | 2 |
| Spelling | 2 |
14. Listening: multiple choice choose a single answer
You should listen to a 30 to 90 seconds prompt and answer an MCQ based on it. There will usually be 4 to 5 options from which only one will be the right answer. The option you chose would be highlighted in yellow.
Scoring
| One point | Right answer |
|---|---|
| Zero point | Wrong answer |
15. Listening: multiple choice choose multiple answer
After listening to a 40 to 90 seconds recording you should select all the options ( more than one) that you think are correct from the list of options. Keep in mind that this question has a negative marking, so choose an answer only if you are sure about it.
Scoring
| One point | One right answer |
|---|---|
| Negative one | Wrong answer |
16. Listening fill in the blanks
For this question you will be provided a transcript for the audio that will be played but with some words missing. You have to fill in the missing words by carefully listening to the audio and reading through the transcript simultaneously. It is best to note down the words in the erasable notepad provided and later fill in the gaps without spelling mistakes. Even if your answer is right and the spelling is wrong , you will lose your score.
Scoring
| One point | right answer |
|---|---|
| Zero point | Wrong answer |
17. Highlight correct summary
After listening to a recording you have to choose the right summary from the 4 summaries provided. It is a tough task to listen and read simultaneously thus the best method is to listen to the audio and take notes and after referring to your notes decide to pick the apt summary option.
Scoring
| One point | right answer |
|---|---|
| Zero point | Wrong answer |
18. Select the missing word
You will be played a 20 to 70 seconds recording and you have to select the missing word/s that complete the recording from a list of options. For this question type, the last word or group of words will be replaced by a beep sound. Your ability to predict what a speaker will say based on the contextual clues from the recording is tested here.
Scoring
| One point | right answer |
|---|---|
| Zero point | Wrong answer |
19. Highlight incorrect words
A transcript for the recording that you hear will appear on the screen. However, some words in the transcript will differ to the words spoken in the audio and you are supposed to click on these words to highlight them. It is easy to identify the words you highlighted as it turns yellow. The best way to ensure a high score for this item type is to move the cursor along with the text simultaneously as you listen. Be careful while choosing your answers as this question has negative marking.
Scoring
| One point | One right answer |
|---|---|
| Negative one point | Wrong answer |
20. Write from dictation
After you listen to a sentence from the recording, write the sentence as such without making any changes and also using the right punctuation. The best strategy is to write down what you hear quickly into your erasable notepad and later type it into the dialogue box. Since there is no negative marking, type as many words as you can into the box; don’t miss a word if you are unsure because it may be correct.
Scoring
| One point | If the content is met accurately with right spellings |
|---|---|
| Partial credit | For incomplete, wrongly organised answers. |
Conclusion
The PTE contains more question types than the IELTS or TOEFL, and learning the pattern and methods for each item type takes time and effort. However, once you are familiar with the exam structure, it is a crackable English proficiency test that will provide you with a one-of-a-kind exam-taking experience.
