PTE Academic is a computer-based academic English language test aimed at non-native English speakers wanting to study abroad. It tests Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking.
PTE Academic is a computer-based academic English language test aimed at non-native English speakers wanting to study abroad. It tests Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking.
All questions in PTE Academic are 100% machine scored. Scores for some questions are based on correctness alone, while others are based on correctness, formal aspects and the quality of the response.
Formal aspects refer to the form of the response: for example, whether it is over or under the word limit for a particular question type.
The quality of the response is represented in the enabling skills: for example, in the question type Re-tell lecture, the response is scored on skills such as oral fluency and pronunciation.
Speaking and Writting
Question type | Scoring | Communicative skills | Enabling skills and other traits scored |
Strategies |
Read aloud | Partial credit | Reading and speaking | Oral fluency, Pronunciation, Content | Make an attempt at unknown words. |
Repeat sentence | Partial credit | Listening and speaking | Oral fluency, Pronunciation, Content | Do not go back to correct yourself or hesitate. |
Describe image | Partial credit | Speaking | Oral fluency, Pronunciation, Content | Describe the general content of the image, then summarize the most significant points, referring to details for support. |
Re-tell lecture | Partial credit | Listening and speaking | Oral fluency, Pronunciation, Content | Pay attention to the lecture and take notes. |
Answer short question | Correct/ incorrect | Listening and speaking | Vocabulary | Respond with a single word or short phrase. |
Summarize written text | Partial credit | Reading and writing | Grammar, Vocabulary, Content, Form | Check the content and length of the summary. |
Write essay | Partial credit | Writing | Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling, Written discourse, Content; development, structure and coherence; form, general linguistic range |
Plan, draft, check and finalize |
Reading
Question type | Scoring | Communicative skills | Enabling skills and other traits scored |
Strategies |
Multiple-choice, choose single answer | Correct/ incorrect | Reading | N/A | While reading do not focus too much on unfamiliar words. |
Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers | Partial credit (for each correct response. Points deducted for incorrect options chosen) | Reading | N/A | Check the responses if you are not sure. |
Re-order paragraphs | Partial credit (for each correctly ordered, adjacent pair) | Reading | N/A | It is better to attempt an item than to leave any text boxes unordered. |
Reading: Fill in the blanks | Partial credit (for each correctly completed blank) | Reading | N/A | Fill in the blanks one by one. |
Reading and writing: Fill in the blanks | Partial credit (for each correctly completed blank) | Reading and writing | N/A | Use language clues as well as word knowledge to fill in the blanks. |
Listening
Question type | Scoring | Communicative skills | Enabling skills and other traits scored |
Strategies |
Summarize spoken text | Partial credit | Listening and writing | Grammar, vocabulary, Spelling, Content, Form | Summarize the lecture in your own words. |
Multiple–choice, choose multiple answers | Partial credit (for each correct response. Points deducted for incorrect options chosen) | Listening | N/A | Continue listening until the end of the recording. |
Fill in the blanks | Partial credit (each correct word spelled correctly) | Listening and writing | N/A | Do not stop to re-read what you have typed until the recording have finished. |
Highlight correct summary | Correct/ incorrect | Listening and writing | N/A | Concentrate on what you hear and take notes. |
Multiple-choice, choose single answer | Correct/ incorrect | Listening | N/A | Continue listening until the end of the recording. |
Select missing word | Correct/ incorrect | Listening | N/A | Focus on the general content of the recording. |
Highlight incorrect words | Partial credit (for each word. Points deducted for incorrect options chosen) | Listening and reading | N/A | Move the cursor along the text while listening and be ready to click on any word that doesn’t match. |
Write from dictation | Partial credit (for each word spelled correctly) | Listening and writing | N/A | Write the sentence immediately and after finishing correct any mistakes. |
Source: PearsonPTE