The first section of PTE Academic is Speaking & Writing. It consists of 7 types of questions. This story will explore those 7 questions with tips for each one.
Read Aloud
You need to read the given text on your screen loud and clear.
Read it as it is. Reading ‘Do not’ as ‘Don’t’ can cost marks. Same with singular and plural words.
Made a mistake? Just continue, there is no option of ‘correction’.
There is no preparation time, so brace yourself and pay full attention.
Speak as soon as the sentence ends, better chance to remember.
If you can’t remember the whole sentence, speak what you can remember.
Describe Image
An image will appear on the screen and you have to describe it in your own words.
The image can be a simple photograph, graphs like bar, pie, line, etc., or something like life cycles, maps or Venn diagram.
In the 25 seconds to prepare, write down the keywords you want to mention.
Your response should consist of Introduction, description, and conclusion.
Re-Tell Lecture
You will hear a recording which will consist of a lecture that you have to re-tell in your own words.
Remember this isn’t about repeating, so explore your own vocabulary.
Don’t deviate from the content and don’t introduce your own ideas into it.
Write down the keywords when the recording is playing.
Answer Short Questions
A recording of really short question will be played and your answer should be in one or two words.
Give your answer immediately as the microphone opens.
It’s going to be a simple question, all you have to do is answer in one word. Don’t formulate a sentence around it like ‘The answer is…’. That’s not needed.
Summarize Written Text
A text will be shown on your screen, you have to read it and summarize it in one sentence.
First, skim & scan the passage. Note down the keywords and read it again.
Ideally, keep your sentence around 35 words.
Using conjunctions wisely is really important here.