In the initial part of the exam, your Speaking and Writing abilities will undergo evaluation, taking up approximately 54-67 minutes. This assessment aims to gauge your English language proficiency within an academic context.
Within the PTE exam, the speaking module will assess your proficiency in listening, speaking, and writing. Therefore, it’s crucial to maintain the utmost focus while reading, listening, writing, and delivering responses to the presented questions.
Your speaking skills will be evaluated across five distinct categories of questions. These tasks vary from repeating provided sentences to responding to questions and summarizing passages that you have heard.
The speaking segment of the test commences with a Personal Introduction, where you are expected to introduce yourself. However, it’s important to note that this part is not taken into consideration for scoring.
A significant alert: Ensure your response is recorded before the “progress bar” reaches its conclusion. A silence lasting more than three seconds will result in an automatic recording stoppage, leading to a deduction of points.
Section overview
Items | Task | Number of Items | Prompt length | Scoring | Skills assessed | Time to answer |
Read aloud | You need to read aloud the text there on the screen. | 6 – 7 | text up to 60 | Partial | reading and | vary |
Repeat | After listening to the sentence played, you need to | 10 – 12 | 3 – 9 seconds | Partial | listening and | 15 seconds |
Describe | You need to describe an image that is displayed. | 3 – 4 | N/A | Partial | speaking | 40 seconds |
Re-tell lecture | You need to memorize what all is told in the lecture. | 1 – 2 | up to 90 | Partial | listening and | 40 seconds |
Answer short | You need to answer the question in one word or | 5 – 6 | 3-9 seconds | Correct / | listening and | 10 seconds |
Personal Introduction
This opportunity allows you to provide selected institutions with some information about yourself. It’s important to note that this particular task does not carry a score.
When should you start?
There will be a countdown before the microphone becomes active and starts recording. You’ll have 25 seconds to prepare your content. Once you hear a beep, it’s time to start speaking about yourself.
A few important points to remember:
- Avoid speaking before the microphone becomes active to ensure your voice is recorded.
- Speak clearly and at a comfortable pace; there’s no need to rush.
- You only get one chance to record your response.
- Finish speaking before the progress bar reaches its end; it will change from ‘Recording’ to ‘Completed.’
Here’s the recommended approach:
- Maintain a calm and clear speaking manner.
- You don’t need to rush; you have half a minute to record your response.
- Ensure you conclude your introduction before the progress bar reaches its end, at which point ‘Recording’ will become ‘Completed.’
Read Aloud
When should you commence?
The countdown is visibly presented within the recording status box, lasting between 30 to 40 seconds for content preparation. Following a brief tone signal, it’s essential to begin speaking promptly.
A critical reminder:
- Avoid speaking before the microphone activates to ensure your voice is captured.
- Maintain clarity in your speech and refrain from rushing.
- Keep in mind that you only have one opportunity to record your response.
- Ensure your speaking is completed before the progress bar reaches its conclusion; at that point, ‘Recording’ will transition to ‘Completed.’
Scoring: Partial credit
How are your performance and skills assessed? Evaluation criteria include reading, speaking, oral fluency, pronunciation, and content quality.
Repeat sentence
What is it?
Your task is to replicate the sentence precisely as you hear it in the audio clip, word for word.
When should you start?
The audio clip will automatically begin playing within a few seconds. Once the clip concludes, the microphone activates, and recording commences.
Here’s the recommended approach:
- Maintain clear and articulate speech.
- Avoid rushing; there’s no need to hurry.
- Ensure you finish speaking before the progress bar reaches its end, at which point ‘Recording’ changes to ‘Completed.’
A crucial alert:
- Unlike other items, there won’t be a short tone or beep to signal the start, so begin speaking directly into the microphone.
Scoring: Partial credit
How is your performance assessed? Evaluation criteria encompass listening, speaking, oral fluency, pronunciation, and content quality.
Describe image
What is it?
Your task is to provide a description of an image displayed on your screen.
When should you start?
You’ll have 25 seconds to examine the image and prepare your content. Once these 25 seconds elapse, a short tone or beep will signal the beginning of the speaking phase. Start speaking immediately.
Here’s the recommended approach:
- Do not initiate your description before hearing the tone/beep to ensure your voice is recorded.
- Maintain clear speech and avoid rushing; there’s no need to hurry.
- Ensure you conclude your description before the progress bar reaches its end, at which point ‘Recording’ changes to ‘Completed.’
A crucial alert:
– Unlike other tasks, there is no tone or beep before you can begin speaking, so wait for it.
Scoring: Partial credit
How is your performance evaluated? Assessment criteria include speaking, oral fluency, pronunciation, and content quality.
Here’s a suggested method:
- Avoid hesitation and refrain from using filler words like ‘hhmm’ or ‘a….’
- Emphasize fluency, as it is more vital than providing a detailed description of every aspect of the image. If the image contains extensive data, focus on highlighting the most important elements.
Re-tell lecture
What is it?
As indicated, your task is to re-tell an academic lecture in your own words. You will listen to the lecture in an audio clip and then provide your rendition of it.
When should you start?
The lecture will commence automatically. Occasionally, it may be accompanied by an image to aid comprehension. Once the audio clip concludes, you’ll have 10 seconds to prepare. After this brief preparation time, a short tone or beep will signal you to start speaking immediately.
Here’s an important reminder:
– Do not commence speaking before you hear the sound or beep, as your voice won’t be recorded.
– Maintain clear and deliberate speech; there’s no need to rush to complete the lecture.
Scoring: Partial credit
How is your performance assessed? Evaluation criteria encompass listening, speaking, oral fluency, pronunciation, and the quality of your content.
Here’s a recommended approach:
– It’s advisable to jot down keywords or phrases on the provided notepad. These notes will aid in recalling the lecture and presenting it in your own words.
Answer short question
In this task, you are required to respond to a question with either one word or a brief phrase. These questions typically pertain to everyday life.
When should you start?
The audio clip will automatically begin playing. Occasionally, this task may include an accompanying image. After the clip concludes, the microphone activates to record your response. The status box will display ‘Recording,’ which will change to ‘Completed’ once you finish.
A crucial note:
- Unlike other tasks, there won’t be a short tone or beep to signal the start of your response.
- Keep your answer concise, using just one word or a few words; there’s no need to elaborate.
Scoring: Either correct or incorrect
How is your performance assessed? Evaluation criteria include listening, speaking, and your vocabulary usage.