PTE Academic uses automated scoring for all 22 question types, but seven also receive human expert review. These include four Speaking tasks and three tasks involving written responses. Human reviewers assess Content, while Write Essay receives additional review of Development, Structure and Coherence, and General Linguistic Range.
On This Page
- Which PTE Question Types Receive Human Review?
- How Human and AI Scoring Work Together
- Human Review in PTE Speaking
- 1. Describe Image
- 2. Retell Lecture
- 3. Respond to a Situation
- 4. Summarize Group Discussion
- Human Review in PTE Writing
- Summarize Written Text
- 1. Write Essay
- 2. Summarize Spoken Text
- Which PTE Scoring Traits Are Automated?
- Does Human Marking Make Memorised Templates Less Effective?
- How the Scoring Assessment Criteria Affect Preparation
- Does Human Review Affect Your Final PTE Score?
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
Understanding the PTE human marking question types helps students recognise which parts of their responses are assessed by AI and which receive additional expert evaluation. The distinction matters most in tasks where accurately communicating information is just as important as speaking fluently or writing correctly.
Which PTE Question Types Receive Human Review?
Since the August 2025 PTE Academic update, Pearson has included human expert review alongside automated scoring for seven question types.
| Question type | Human-reviewed traits |
|---|---|
| Describe Image | Content |
| Retell Lecture | Content |
| Respond to a Situation | Content |
| Summarize Group Discussion | Content |
| Summarize Written Text | Content |
| Write Essay | Content; Development, Structure and Coherence; General Linguistic Range |
| Summarize Spoken Text | Content |
These PTE human marking question types are still scored by AI. Human reviewers provide an additional assessment of selected traits rather than marking every aspect of the response. The other 15 question types use automated scoring under Pearson's standard assessment system.
How Human and AI Scoring Work Together
Pearson uses automated scoring technology developed and evaluated with input from language experts. The system assesses responses according to criteria specific to each question type.
For the seven tasks listed above, human experts independently review certain response characteristics, particularly Content. If the automated Content assessment differs from the human review, Pearson's scoring process allows another expert to make the final judgement.
Reviewers do not receive the candidate's identifying information, such as their name, photograph or nationality. This human review of PTE Speaking and Writing is not a separate examination. It forms part of the normal scoring process.
Students can learn more about how their final results are presented in the PTE Score Report guide.
Human Review in PTE Speaking
Four Speaking question types receive human Content review:
- Describe Image
- Retell Lecture
- Respond to a Situation
- Summarize Group Discussion
For these questions, Content is assessed by AI and human experts. Pronunciation and Oral Fluency remain AI-scored.
| Scoring trait | Assessment method |
|---|---|
| Content | AI and human review |
| Pronunciation | AI only |
| Oral Fluency | AI only |
The scoring assessment criteria vary according to the purpose of each question.
1. Describe Image
In Describe Image, candidates must explain the information shown in a visual. Suppose the image shows a bar chart comparing student enrolments over five years. A response such as "The image provides information about students and education" tells the listener very little about the chart.
A more useful answer would identify the main trend, important comparisons and relevant figures. Content assessment considers how effectively the response describes the information presented. A memorised introduction cannot replace the actual description.
2. Retell Lecture
Retell Lecture requires candidates to communicate the main information from a spoken presentation. If a lecture explains how urban development contributes to rising temperatures, the response should reflect that explanation.
Discussing climate change generally without referring to the lecture's key points may not adequately address the task. A successful response selects important information and communicates it accurately. Repeating every word from the recording is neither necessary nor practical.
3. Respond to a Situation
Respond to a Situation measures how appropriately candidates communicate in a given context. A student asked to request an assignment extension should address the lecturer directly, explain the problem and ask for additional time.
Simply describing the student's circumstances would not fulfil the communication task. Pearson's Content assessment considers whether the response is relevant and appropriate to the situation. The PTE Respond to a Situation guide provides further information about the question type and its response requirements.
4. Summarize Group Discussion
In this task, candidates listen to a discussion involving several speakers and explain the main ideas. The response needs to capture the topic, significant viewpoints and relevant connections between the speakers' contributions.
For example, if participants discuss different solutions to a university transport problem, the summary should reflect their suggestions and any important disagreements. Repeating a few disconnected phrases from the recording does not necessarily demonstrate an understanding of the discussion.
Human Review in PTE Writing
The human review of PTE Speaking and Writing also covers three tasks involving written responses: Summarize Written Text, Write Essay and Summarize Spoken Text. These tasks receive human Content review, but Write Essay has additional human-reviewed traits.
| Question type | Human-reviewed traits | Other automated traits |
|---|---|---|
| Summarize Written Text | Content | Form, Grammar, Vocabulary |
| Write Essay | Content; Development, Structure and Coherence; General Linguistic Range | Form, Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling |
| Summarize Spoken Text | Content | Form, Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling |
Summarize Written Text
Candidates must condense a passage into one sentence while retaining its essential meaning. Content assessment considers whether the summary represents the passage accurately.
A sentence can be grammatically correct but still provide an incomplete summary if it overlooks the central argument. Copying an isolated sentence from the passage may also fail to capture the relationship between its main ideas.
1. Write Essay
The Write Essay has the broadest human review among the seven question types. Pearson includes expert assessment of three traits.
Content
The essay must address the assigned question. For example, a prompt asking whether university attendance should be compulsory requires an argument about attendance policies. A general discussion about the benefits of university education would not adequately answer that question.
Development, Structure and Coherence
This trait assesses how the essay's argument develops and how effectively its ideas connect. Having an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion does not automatically make an essay coherent. The reasoning should progress logically, with each paragraph contributing to the argument.
General Linguistic Range
This trait considers the range and flexibility of language used to express ideas. Candidates should demonstrate an ability to communicate different ideas accurately rather than repeatedly relying on the same sentence patterns. Unnecessarily complicated vocabulary is not an advantage if it makes the argument unclear.
2. Summarize Spoken Text
Summarize Spoken Text requires candidates to produce a written summary of a recording. Human Content review assesses whether the response accurately communicates the main information. The summary should include central ideas and relevant supporting points without adding unsupported claims. Grammar, vocabulary, spelling and form are assessed automatically.
Which PTE Scoring Traits Are Automated?
The automated PTE scoring traits depend on the question type. Pearson uses AI to assess Pronunciation and Oral Fluency in relevant Speaking tasks. Human experts do not score these two traits. Other automated assessments cover areas such as Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling and Form in the relevant tasks.
The distinction is important because human Content review does not replace the automated evaluation of language performance. For example, a candidate may accurately describe an image but lose marks because their pronunciation is difficult to understand.
Similarly, an essay may develop a relevant argument while still receiving lower scores for grammatical accuracy or spelling. Pearson explains the full assessment process in its official PTE Academic Score Guide, including the traits that receive human review and those assessed automatically.
Does Human Marking Make Memorised Templates Less Effective?
Human Content review places attention on whether a response genuinely addresses the question. This matters because students sometimes rely on prepared sentences that could be used for almost any topic.
Consider a Describe Image response:
"The given image illustrates important information and presents several significant trends."
Although the sentence is grammatically acceptable, it does not describe any specific feature of the image. A response that identifies the actual trend, comparison or numerical information is more relevant.
The same problem can occur in Write Essay when a candidate uses a prepared argument that barely relates to the question. Pearson's Content criteria can result in zero credit for responses that are irrelevant or substantially pre-prepared. Templates may help students understand the organisation of a response, but they should not replace original answers based on the task.
How the Scoring Assessment Criteria Affect Preparation
Knowing the PTE human marking question types allows students to prepare for the demands of each task instead of relying on one speaking or writing strategy. For Describe Image, practise identifying the main information before speaking.
For Retell Lecture and Summarize Group Discussion, focus on understanding and accurately communicating key ideas. Responding to a situation requires a different skill: communicating directly with the intended person in a way that suits the context.
In Writing, pay attention to whether your response addresses the question and develops the required information logically. Automated traits also deserve attention. Clear pronunciation, smooth speech, accurate grammar and appropriate vocabulary remain essential.
Students can practise these skills using PTE practice questions and review their performance across different tasks. Practice feedback can highlight weaknesses, but third-party automated scores should not be treated as exact predictions of Pearson's official results.
Does Human Review Affect Your Final PTE Score?
Human review contributes to the final scoring process for the relevant question types. However, Pearson does not issue a separate human-marking score.
Candidates receive an overall PTE Academic score and four communicative skill scores:
- Listening
- Reading
- Speaking
- Writing
The overall score reflects performance across the examination. It is not simply the average of the four communicative skills. A candidate cannot use the Score Report to determine exactly how much of their Speaking or Writing result came from human assessment. Understanding the scoring system is useful for preparation, but it does not provide a way to calculate a separate human-review contribution.
Conclusion
PTE Academic uses AI scoring across all 22 question types, with human experts reviewing selected traits in seven. Content receives additional attention, while Write Essay also undergoes expert review of structure, coherence and linguistic range. Effective preparation should reflect these differences without neglecting the language skills assessed automatically.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find clear answers to common questions about this topic.
Do human examiners assess pronunciation in PTE Academic?
No. Pearson uses automated scoring for Pronunciation and Oral Fluency. Human review in the relevant Speaking tasks focuses on Content.
Can a human reviewer see my personal information?
Pearson states that human reviewers do not receive identifying information such as the candidate's name, photograph or nationality.
Are only seven question types ever examined by human experts?
Seven question types have routine human review of specified traits. Pearson may also refer unusual responses for expert investigation when its automated systems cannot assess them reliably.
Does human review delay PTE Academic results?
Pearson continues to state that PTE Academic results are typically available within two days. It does not publish a separate result timeline for the seven question types receiving routine human review.
Can I request human marking after receiving my PTE score?
Candidates cannot select individual questions for a new human assessment. Pearson offers a separate rescore process with its own eligibility conditions, fees and possible outcomes.
