Summary of PTE Question Types

Posted on Edited on In Word count in article: 992 Reading time ≈ 4 mins.
I've been frustrated with the IELTS (~~stuck at 5.5 in speaking for years~~), so I'm switching to PTE. I'm starting this thread to document the different question types in the PTE exam, arranged in the order they appear during the test. Additionally, here's the [official PTE website](https://pearsonpte.com/) where you can check if the schools you're interested in accept PTE scores [here](https://pearsonpte.com/the-test/who-accepts-it/). You can also visit the school's official website to check. For example, the UCD program I want to apply for requires a total score of 63 with no section below 59 in PTE, which corresponds to an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with no section below 6.0. PTE, being entirely machine-scored, eliminates the subjective factors, making it more objective. AI is indeed the future~~

This post was translated from my Chinese blog post with the aid of ChatGpt.

Speaking

The Speaking section consists of 5 question types.

Read Aloud

  • Read a short text consisting of three to four lines.
  • 40 seconds of preparation time.
  • 40 seconds for reading aloud.

Scoring Criteria

  • Content
  • Pronunciation
  • Fluency

Cross-Scoring

  • Reading
  • Speaking

Repeat Sentence

  • Listen to an audio recording.
  • Immediately repeat it.
  • Contains 10-12 words.

Scoring Criteria

  • Content (3 points)
  • Pronunciation (5 points)
  • Fluency (5 points)

Cross-Scoring

  • Listening
  • Speaking

Describe Image

  • Presented with an image or chart.
  • 40 seconds of preparation.
  • Describe the image.

Scoring Criteria

  • Content (5 points)
  • Pronunciation (5 points)
  • Fluency (5 points)

Cross-Scoring

  • Speaking

Retell Lecture

  • Play an audio recording of a lecture.
  • May include background noise.
  • Various accents may be present.
  • 10 seconds of preparation.
  • Summarize and retell the lecture within 40 seconds.

Scoring Criteria

  • Content (5 points)
  • Pronunciation (5 points)
  • Fluency (5 points)

Cross-Scoring

  • Speaking
  • Listening

Answer Short Question

  • A brief question is provided.
  • Provide a short answer in a few words.

Scoring Criteria

  • 1 point for each correct answer.

Cross-Scoring

  • Speaking
  • Listening

Writing

The Writing section consists of 2 question types.

Summarize Written Text

  • Three to four questions.
  • Each question has three to four paragraphs of text.
  • Summarize the main idea.
  • Provide a one-sentence summary.
  • 5-75 words.

Scoring Criteria

  • Content (2 points)
  • Form (1 point)
  • Grammar (2 points)
  • Vocabulary (2 points)

Cross-Scoring

  • Reading
  • Writing

Write Essay

  • Extended essay.
  • Usually one essay, but test-takers may receive two (brace yourself).
  • 200-300 words.

Scoring Criteria

  • Content (3 points)
  • Form (2 points)
  • Structure and Coherence (2 points)
  • Grammar (2 points)
  • Range of Language (5 points)
  • Vocabulary (2 points)
  • Spelling (2 points)

Cross-Scoring

  • Writing

Reading

The Reading section consists of 5 question types.

Multiple-choice, choose single answer

  • Presented with a text passage.
  • Choose the correct answer.
  • Single choice.

Scoring Criteria

  • 1 point for each correct answer.

Cross-Scoring

  • Reading

Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers

  • Multiple choice questions.
  • Treat them as single-choice if unsure.

Scoring Criteria

  • 1 point for each correct answer, but a deduction of 1 point for each incorrect choice.

Cross-Scoring

  • Reading

Re-order paragraphs

  • Sorting questions.
  • Disordered paragraphs.
  • Sort them based on logic.

Scoring Criteria

  • 1 point for each correct answer.

Cross-Scoring

  • Reading

Fill in the blanks (word bank)

  • Similar to fill-in-the-blank questions.
  • Given a word bank for selection.
  • Each word can only be selected once.

Scoring Criteria

  • 1 point for each correct answer.

Cross-Scoring

  • Reading

Fill in the blanks (four options)

  • Similar to fill-in-the-blank questions.
  • Four word options for each blank.

Scoring Criteria

  • 1 point for each correct answer.

Cross-Scoring

  • Reading
  • Writing

There is a ten-minute break after the Reading section.

Listening

The Listening section consists of 8 question types.

Summarize Spoken Text

  • Play an audio clip.
  • May include background noise.
  • Diverse accents.
  • Summarize the content.
  • Take notes when hearing keywords or key sentences.
  • 50-70 words.
  • Timed separately.

Scoring Criteria

  • Content: 2 points
  • Form: 2 points
  • Grammar: 2 points
  • Vocabulary: 2 points
  • Spelling: 2 points

Cross-Scoring

  • Listening
  • Writing

Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers

  • Multiple-choice questions.
  • Treat them as single-choice if unsure.

Scoring Criteria

  • 1 point for each correct answer, but a deduction of 1 point for each incorrect choice.

Cross-Scoring

  • Listening

Fill in the blanks (word bank)

  • Similar to fill-in-the-blank questions.
  • Some blanks to be filled.
  • Given a text passage.
  • Play audio.

Scoring Criteria

  • 1 point for each correct blank.

Cross-Scoring

  • Listening
  • Writing

Highlight correct summary

  • Play audio.
  • Choose one from four options.

Scoring Criteria

  • 1 point for each correct answer.

Cross-Scoring

  • Listening
  • Reading

Multiple-choice, choose single answer

  • Single-choice questions.

Scoring Criteria

  • 1 point for each correct answer.

Cross-Scoring

  • Listening

Select missing word

  • Play an audio clip.
  • A beep sound before the options.
  • Choose the correct word.

Scoring Criteria

  • 1 point for each correct answer.

Cross-Scoring

  • Listening

Highlight incorrect words

  • Given a text passage.
  • Play an audio clip.
  • Some words in the text differ from those in the audio.
  • Select the words that are different.
  • If uncertain, it’s better not to choose.

Scoring Criteria

  • 1 point for each correct incorrect word, but a deduction of 1 point for each incorrect choice.

Cross-Scoring

  • Listening
  • Reading

Write from dictation

  • Play a sentence in the audio.
  • Write down the sentence heard.

Scoring Criteria

  • 1 point for each correct word.

Cross-Scoring

  • Listening
  • Writing

Score Comparison Table

PTE score compared to IELTS, for reference only.

PTEIELTS
86-909.0
83-858.5
79-828.0
73-787.5
65-727.0
58-646.5
50-576.0
42-495.5
36-415.0
29-354.5
10-28No Data

Conclusion

Here, I’d like to recommend a young lady on Bilibili, @久酱贩卖机. She has created several informative videos about PTE, which are extremely useful. Bilibili is indeed a learning sanctuary for the younger generation. Additionally, it’s worth noting that the PTE section on Zhihu has been taken over by several institutional accounts. Feel free to take a look, but exercise discretion.