Speaking
PTE-A Speaking Module
The first part of the test will evaluate your Speaking and Writing skills; this section is approximately of 54-67 minutes. It evaluates your English Language proficiency in an academic environment..
The speaking module of the PTE exam will test you on how well you can listen, speak and write. Thus you need to be focused with utmost attention while reading, listening, writing and speaking the answers for the questions asked.
Your speaking proficiency will be judged by 5 different categories of questions that range from repeating the sentence given to answers the questions asked to summarizing the passages you listen.
The speaking section begins with Personal Introduction, here you are expected to introduce yourself, but this part of the tests is not assessed.
Alert : You must ensure that your response is recorded before the "progress bar" reaches to the end. Please note that if you stay silent for more than three seconds of time, the recording automatically stops and you will end up losing 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
words |
Partial
Credit |
reading and
speaking |
vary |
|
Repeat
sentence |
After listening to the sentence played, you need to
repeat it verbatim. |
10 - 12 | 3 - 9 seconds |
Partial
Credit |
listening and
speaking |
15 seconds |
|
Describe
image |
You need to describe an image that is displayed. | 3 - 4 | N/A |
Partial
Credit |
speaking | 40 seconds |
| Re-tell lecture |
You need to memorize what all is told in the lecture.
Then, you need to describe it in your own words. |
1 - 2 |
up to 90
seconds |
Partial
Credit |
listening and
speaking |
40 seconds |
|
Answer short
question |
You need to answer the question in one word or
a few. |
5 - 6 | 3-9 seconds |
Correct /
Incorrect |
listening and
speaking |
10 seconds |
Personal Introduction
This section gives you a chance to let the selected institutes know something about you. Note that this item has no score.
When to begin?
There will be a countdown until microphone starts working and recording. You have 25 seconds to prepare the content. After you hear a beep sound, you should start speaking about you.
Alert:
Don't speak before the microphone starts because your voice won’t be recorded. Speak clearly, and do not hurry. You'll be able to record your response only once. You should be done with your speaking before the progress bar reaches the end. The word 'Recording' will then turn into 'Completed'.
Do it this way:
Speak calmly but clearly. You don’t need to be in hurry for this. You have half a minute to record the response. You should be done with your introduction before the progress bar reaches the end. There, the word 'Recording' changes to 'Completed'.
Read Aloud
As the heading suggests, you need to read aloud the text displayed on your screen.
When to begin?
The countdown is displayed on the recording status box. The countdown ranges from 30 to 40 seconds to prepare the content. You’ll then hear a short tone after which you should promptly start speaking.
Alert:
Don't speak before the microphone starts because your voice won’t be recorded. Speak clearly, and don’t make any hurry. You’ll be able to record your response only once. You should be done with your speaking before the progress bar reaches the end. The word ‘Recording’ will then turn into ‘Completed’.
Scoring:
Partial credit : How are you judged? Reading, speaking, oral fluency, pronunciation and content
Repeat sentence
What is it?
You need to repeat the sentence verbatim. This means you need to speak the sentence exactly what you hear in the audio clip.
When to begin?
The audio clip starts getting played automatically within a few seconds. When the clip is over, the microphone gets ‘on’ and the recording begins.
Do it this way:
You need to speak clearly. Don’t be in hurry. Finish speaking before the progress bar reaches to the end. The word ‘Recording’ will turn into ‘Completed’.
Alert:
Speak into the microphone immediately because unlike other items, you will NOT hear any short tone/beep.
Scoring:
Partial credit : How are you judged? Listening, speaking, oral fluency, pronunciation and content
Describe image
What is it?
You need to describe an image that will be displayed on your screen.
When to begin?
You have 25 seconds to study the image and prepare yourself with content. Once the given time (25 seconds) are over, you’ll hear a short tone/beep. Start speaking immediately.
Alert:
Don’t start speaking before you hear the tone/beep or else, your voice won’t get recorded. Speak clearly. No need to be in hurry. Finish speaking before the progress bar reaches the end. The word ‘Recording’ will turn into ‘Completed’.
Scoring:
Partial credit : How are you judged? Speaking, oral fluency, pronunciation and content
Do it this way:
Don’t hesitate. Avoid having ‘hhmm’ or ‘a….’ in your speech. Fluency should be maintained and is more important than describing everything that you see. If the image has too much data to cover in your speech, highlight only that are important.
Re-tell lecture
What is it?
As the label says, you need to re-tell the lecture in your own words. You’ll hear an academic lecture that you need to repeat once the audio clip is over.
When to begin?
The lecture will start automatically. At times, the lecture is accompanied by an image for better understanding. Once the audio clip is over, you’ll have 10 seconds to prepare yourself. After 10 seconds, you’ll hear a short tone or beep. Start speaking immediately after it.
Alert:
Don’t speak before you hear the sound/beep or else your voice won’t be recorded. Speak clearly and there is no need to rush to finish the lecture.
Scoring:
Partial credit :How are you judged? Listening, speaking, oral fluency, pronunciation and content
Do it this way:
It is better to write down the keywords or phrases in the notepad given to you. These keywords will help you recalling the lecture.
Answer short question
What is it?
In this item, you will have to answer the question in one or a few words. The question will be quite general related to our day-to-day life.
When to begin?
The audio clip will begin to play automatically. At times, this item also has an image. Once the clip if over, the microphone will start recording your voice. The status box will show ‘Recording’ and once you are finished with it, it’ll turn into ‘Completed’
Alert:
There is no short tone/beep. Also, you need to answer it in one word or a few. You shouldn’t stretch the answer explaining the stuff.
Scoring:
Either correct or incorrect :How are you judged? Listening, speaking and vocabulary