PTE Guide – Know all about the PTE-Academic test

From recent years, it has been seen that the popularity of the PTE Academic test has increased as many aspirants appear for this exam in order to study or settle abroad. This test is accepted by the majority of educational institutes in Australia, Canada, UK, and New Zealand.

This article will provide you all the required information about the PTE-Academic test and guide you with tips to clear PTE, which leads you to success. Basically, the Pearson Test of English is an English language proficiency test designed especially for non-native speakers. This test mainly assesses your speaking, writing, reading, and listening skills in that order. It is a computer-based examination and comprises four major tasks or sections.

✅ Speaking

✅ Writing

✅ Reading

✅ Listening

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Here are the details about the pattern of the PTE-Academic test.

Section 1: Speaking and Writing

This is the first section of the examination, which is approximately 77 – 93 minutes of duration. The speaking section has been recorded as the hardest part of the examination for most of the first-time test takers, and this section includes five different tasks that assess your speaking abilities. Before the speaking test, a student needs to introduce themselves, which is not scored by Pearson.

1.1 Read Aloud

This is the first task of your speaking test, which tests your ability to read a paragraph or a short text aloud. Mainly, you require to read the text aloud using correct pronunciation and oral fluency. You shall get 5 to 7 questions for this task.

1.2 Repeat Sentence

This task type accesses your speaking as well as listening skills. Mainly, a short or a lengthy sentence will be played once, and then you are required to repeat the sentence you heard in the same sequence. You shall get 7 to 11 questions for this task.

1.3 Describe Image

In this task type, an image is displayed on your screen for 25 seconds, and you need to verbally describe the image in your own words using correct pronunciation and oral fluency. You have to speak for about 40 seconds to describe the image. You shall get 5 to 7 questions for this task.

1.4 Re-tell Lecture

This task requires you to listen to a lecture, take notes quickly, and then you need to describe it in your own words. You have to speak for about 40 seconds. You shall get a marker pen and plastic sheets to take notes. You can’t carry your own stationery to the test center. You shall get 3 or 4 questions for this task.

1.5 Answer Short Question

This task type is based on short answers where you need to answer the question mostly in one of few words. The questions check the vocabulary mainly. The questions may be based on common sense, general awareness, and sometimes also on general knowledge. You shall ask about 10 questions for this task.

1.6 Summarize written test

The first task type of writing section is Summarize Written Text. This task assesses your skills to paraphrase and summarize the main points which are given in a passage. You are graded on both – reading and writing skills.

NOTE: Your summary should be a single sentence of 5-75 words. You can get 2 or 3 questions for this task and an independent timer of 10 minutes per question.

1.7 Essay

This is the second task of the writing section, based on the long answer type and assesses your skills for writing an essay on a given topic using an argumentative or persuasive approach.

Note: Your essay should be between 200-300 words and be written using correct spelling, grammar, academic vocabulary, and should have coherence and cohesion.  You will get 1 or 2 questions for this task and an interdependent timer of 20 minutes per question.

Section 2: Reading

Normally, the Reading section will come with an overall timer of 32 to 41 minutes and includes five major tasks altogether, with 15 to 21 questions. As PTE is an integrated skill examination, all sections depend on each other. Hence, this section will assess your ability to read the given information based on your responses.

2.1 Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer

This is the short task that assesses your ability to analyze and evaluate information among different options and choose a single correct answer. You can get 2 or 3 questions for this task.

2.2 Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers

In this task type, you require to analyze and interpret in order to get more than one correct answer for the presented information. You can get 2 or 3 questions for this task.

2.3 Re-order Paragraphs

This task tests your ability to identify by analyzing the correct order for the given information in the reading text. You will be given a passage with 4 or 5 paragraphs in a random sequence, and you need to arrange the paragraphs in a correct logical sequence. You get points for correct adjacent pairs. You can generally get 2 or 3 questions for this task.

2.4 Reading Fill in the Blanks

Reading-FIBs is the most important task which tests your vocabulary and collocations, and in which you are required to provide a single accurate answer for each blank in the reading text. You can get 3 to 5 questions for this task.

2.5 Reading 7 Writing: Fill in the Blanks

Reading & Writing FIBs is another task which tests your ability to identify the information which completes the missing reading text. You can get 3 to 6 questions for this task. You will be given marks for the correct answers in both Reading & Writing scores.

Section 3: Listening

This is a very important section and is generally of 45 – 57 minutes duration, and consists of eight tasks with 15 to 22 questions. This section tests your listening abilities where an audio/video clip will play automatically, and you need to listen to that carefully and make the correct responses.

3.1 Summarize Spoken Text

This is the first task that comes in the listening section and is almost 10 minutes long. This task will test your abilities to listen carefully and create a 50 to 70 word summary on the given topic. You will get 2 or 3 questions for this task. You will be scored in both – Listening and Writing.

3.2 Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers

This task type will require you to choose multiple correct answers after listening to an audio recording. You will get 2 or 3 questions for this task.

3.3 Listening Fill in the Blanks

In this task type, an audio clip will be played, and you need to write the missing words within the given transcript. You will be scored in both – Listening and Writing. You will get 2 or 3 questions for this task.

3.4 Highlight Correct Summary

This task type will test your abilities to listen to the audio properly and then choose an option that best summarizes the audio. You will be getting marks in Listening and Reading from this task. You will get 2 or 3 questions for this task.

3.5 Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer

This task type you need to listen to carefully requires you to choose a single correct answer from different options. You will get 2 or 3 questions for this task.

3.6 Select Missing Word

This task type requires you to choose the most appropriate response to complete the beeped-out words at the end of an audio recording. You will get 2 or 3 questions for this task.

3.7 Highlight Incorrect Words

This task is very crucial for scoring high marks and accesses your skills to highlight the errors given in the written content with respect to the original audio. You will be getting marks in Listening and Reading from this task. You will get 2 or 3 questions for this task.

3.8 Write from Dictation

This is the most high-scoring task in PTE in which a sentence is played only once, and you need to write the exact sentence accurately in the same sequence. You will be getting marks in Listening and Writing from this task. Generally, the number of questions in this task is 3 or 4.

That’s all, folks! Total Modules in PTE = 4 : Total tasks = 20: Total Questions: Around 70: Total Duration: 150-180 minutes! I hope our in-depth blog helped you in clearing your understanding of all the 20 tasks in PTE. 

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