All test takers should prepare for PTE Academic, even if English is your first language.
Test takers who consider themselves to be fluent in English sometimes
score less well in English tests than they could have, because lack of
preparation affects their performance on the day.
Complete the preparation path to give yourself the best chance of performing well on the day!
The starting point for achieving a better score on PTE Academic is understanding your current English proficiency level.
You can use your previous Test Taker Score Report to determine the
enabling skills (grammar, oral fluency, pronunciation, spelling,
vocabulary, and written discourse) and communicative skills (listening,
reading, speaking and writing) that require further study to improve
your English language ability.
Remember that your overall score is based on your performance on all test questions, so focus on the weaker areas and plan how long you’ll need to study to increase your skills up to the desired level.
Your response for Highlight Correct Summary is judged on your ability
to comprehend, analyze and combine information from a recording and
identify the most accurate summary of the recording. Your response is
scored as either correct or incorrect. No credit is given for no
response or an incorrect response.
Note
This question type affects the scoring of listening and reading.
Your speaking and writing skills are not tested by this question type.
consists of questions that are based on audio or video clips which begin to play automatically. You hear each audio or video clip only once so listen carefully. You are allowed to take notes.
Task
After listening to a recording, select the paragraph that best summarizes the recording.
Skills assessed
listening and reading
Prompt length
30-90 seconds
For each question you have the opportunity to adjust the volume. While the audio clip is playing, move the control bar to the right to increase the volume or to the left to decrease the volume.
A text appears on screen with several gaps. Drag words from the box below to fill the gaps.
Skills assessed
reading
Prompt length
text up to 80 words
you will be tested on your reading skills. This single timed section contains 15-20 independent and integrated skills items, depending on the combination of items in a given test. Different response formats, including multiple-choice, re-order paragraphs, and fill in the blanks, are designed to test your ability to read, write and listen to information provided in English. Because PTE Academic is an integrated skill test, one item type in this part of the test also assesses writing skills.
Your response for Reading: Fill in the Blanks is judged on your
ability to use context and grammatical cues to identify words that
complete a reading text. If all blanks are filled correctly, you receive
the maximum score points for this question type. If one or more blanks
are filled incorrectly, partial credit scoring applies.
This question type affects the scoring of only reading.
Your listening, speaking and writing skills are not tested by this question type.
There is a passage with some missing words. Beside each gap, there is a button with a drop-down list. Left-click on this button to reveal the drop-down list of options for that gap. Select the option you think best fills the gap.
Understanding the meaning of the whole text helps you choose the correct word for each blank. For example, if you skim the passage below, you will find key ideas and words which point to a main topic of ‘change’.
When you click on the drop down arrows, you may find options that are also related to the main topic.
Four college students in a classroom surfing the net on digital tablet.
The choices in the drop-down menus may look quite similar but will have different meanings and usage. Looking at the surrounding context will help you choose the appropriate word. In the example below, only ‘access’ fits in the phrase ‘gained …………. to technologies’; pick words that match the meaning (gain access) and grammar (‘access to’). Reading either side of the blank will help you narrow down the choices you have to make .
The Word Count at the bottom of the screen counts the number of words you write. Make sure to write a minimum of 200 words, but no more than 300 words.
Development, structure and coherence: Does your response demonstrate good development of ideas and a logical structure?
Development, structure and coherence are scored according to the organization of your response. A well-developed response uses a logical organizational pattern, connects ideas and explains these connections. The best responses contain multiple paragraphs and have a clear introduction, body and conclusion that relate to the topic of the essay. Within paragraphs, ideas are clearly presented and supported with details, examples and/or explanations. Transitions between paragraphs are smooth.
Form: Does your response meet the length requirement of between 200 and 300 words?
Form is scored by counting the number of words in your response. You
will receive full credit if your essay is between 200 and 300 words.
Writing less than 200 words or more than 300 words will decrease your
score. If your essay contains less than 120 words or more than 380
words, you will not receive any score points for your essay on any of
the seven factors. Your essay will be scored zero.
General linguistic range is scored by determining if the language in
your response accurately communicates your ideas. This includes your
ability to provide clear descriptions, change emphasis, eliminate
ambiguity, express subtleties in meaning, and use stylistic features to
communicate meaning. You are more likely to receive full credit if you
use complex sentence structures and vocabulary correctly, rather than
consistently using simple sentence structures and vocabulary. This is
because complex ideas are often expressed with complex sentence
structures and vocabulary. The best responses use language that
highlights key ideas, creatively expresses opinions and ensures clear
communication.
Grammar usage and mechanics: Does your response demonstrate correct grammatical usage and consistent control of standard written English?
Grammar usage and mechanics are scored by examining sentence
structure, punctuation and capitalization. The best responses contain
high proportions of grammatically correct complex sentences that clearly
communicate the intended meaning.
Vocabulary range is scored according to the variety of words in your
response and their appropriateness in an academic environment. Synonyms,
idiomatic expressions and academic terms are also assessed if
appropriate. The best responses use precise academic terms and avoid
repetition by using synonyms and idioms where appropriate.
Spelling: Does your response demonstrate correct and consistent use of a single spelling convention?
PTE Academic recognizes English spelling conventions from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. However, one spelling convention should be used consistently in a given response.
General linguistic range: Does your response use language that precisely conveys your ideas?
General linguistic range is scored by determining if the language in
your response accurately communicates your ideas. This includes your
ability to provide clear descriptions, change emphasis, eliminate
ambiguity, express subtleties in meaning, and use stylistic features to
communicate meaning. You are more likely to receive full credit if you
use complex sentence structures and vocabulary correctly, rather than
consistently using simple sentence structures and vocabulary. This is
because complex ideas are often expressed with complex sentence
structures and vocabulary. The best responses use language that
highlights key ideas, creatively expresses opinions and ensures clear
communication.
Grammar usage and mechanics: Does your response demonstrate correct grammatical usage and consistent control of standard written English?
Grammar usage and mechanics are scored by examining sentence structure, punctuation and capitalization. The best responses contain high proportions of grammatically correct complex sentences that clearly communicate the intended meaning.
Vocabulary range: Does your response demonstrate command of a broad vocabulary range?
Vocabulary range is scored according to the variety of words in your
response and their appropriateness in an academic environment. Synonyms,
idiomatic expressions and academic terms are also assessed if
appropriate. The best responses use precise academic terms and avoid
repetition by using synonyms and idioms where appropriate.
Spelling: Does your response demonstrate correct and consistent use of a single spelling convention?
PTE Academic recognizes English spelling conventions from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. However, one spelling convention should be used consistently in a given response.
All test takers should prepare for PTE Academic, even if English is your first language.
Test takers who consider themselves to be fluent in English sometimes
score less well in English tests than they could have, because lack of
preparation affects their performance on the day.
our response on Write Essay is judged on our ability to write a persuasive or argumentative essay on a given topic. Your score is based on seven factors
Content is scored by determining if all aspects of the topic have
been addressed in your response. The appropriateness of the details,
examples and explanations used to support your point of view is also
scored. If your essay does not address the topic, you will not receive
any score points for your essay on any of the seven factors. Your essay
will be scored zero. The best responses are on topic, contain logical
and specific information and answer any questions asked. They also
support any arguments with details, examples and/or explanations.
Development, structure and coherence: Does your response demonstrate good development of ideas and a logical structure?
Development, structure and coherence are scored according to the
organization of your response. A well-developed response uses a logical
organizational pattern, connects ideas and explains these connections.
The best responses contain multiple paragraphs and have a clear
introduction, body and conclusion that relate to the topic of the essay.
Within paragraphs, ideas are clearly presented and supported with
details, examples and/or explanations. Transitions between paragraphs
are smooth.
Form: Does your response meet the length requirement of between 200 and 300 words?
Form is scored by counting the number of words in your response. You will receive full credit if your essay is between 200 and 300 words. Writing less than 200 words or more than 300 words will decrease your score. If your essay contains less than 120 words or more than 380 words, you will not receive any score points for your essay on any of the seven factors. Your essay will be scored zero.
In all part of the IELTS test, you will encounter numbers in different forms. There are different strategies to use when dealing with numbers. Today we will break down the variety of numbers you might see in each part of your IELTS test and how to structure them.
Numbers in the Listening test
In
IELTS Listening, you are tested on your ability to listen for and write
the numbers you hear in the recordings. You are most likely to
encounter numbers in the first part of the Listening test, but they can
appear in any of the 40 questions.
You might hear numbers in the following forms
Age
Currency
Measurement
Dates
Times
Telephone numbers
Credit card numbers
Numbers in the Writing test
You
might need to use numbers when presenting data in Academic Writing Task
1. You can either write the number in word form or as presented in the
visual diagram. For example:
10,000 OR ten thousand
25% OR twenty-five percent
75% OR ¾
Along
with writing exact numbers, it is also beneficial to write
approximations when the exact numbers are not presented. For example:
Just above 65%
Under 70%
Over half
Almost 25%
Numbers
can be presented in tens, hundreds, thousands, millions and billions.
It is important to note which number is being referred to in the Y-axis
of the diagram.
When referring to a general number, you can
write ‘millions’, however, when it’s a specific number, you have to
write ‘million’. For example:
Visualisation is a great way to learn things. Some of the
world’s top university students and the world’s best Olympic athletes
say that it really helps them succeed.
But what
is visualisation? Visualisation is using your imagination to see
yourself completing an action. For example, before a game, a soccer
player will close her eyes and imagine scoring a goal.
In their imagination, they see themselves playing well and putting the
ball in the net.
So how can this be applied to pronunciation? How can you visualise speaking? Well, need to use specific muscles to speak a language. Every time you make a sound, you are using specific muscular actions.
Concentrated young people reading information from laptop. Cheerful students working with laptop at library. Education concept
To apply this to speaking, you will need a
diagram, or an animation that shows which muscle makes which sound. For
instance, to make the ‘s’ sound, the muscle diagram will show your
tongue behind your upper teeth while air flows out between your teeth.
There
are many pronunciation apps that show how sounds are made, and they
encourage you to see and say the sound at the same time.
You can
search for pronunciation; speech diagram; ESL articulation; English
pronunciation muscles, mouth muscles and similar terms in your engine.
If you put these five pronunciation tips into action, they can help you improve your pronunciation and speak more clearly in your IELTS Speaking test. And improving your pronunciation will get you one step closer to the band score you need to achieve your work, study or migration goals.
Pronunciation can be difficult as it relies on multiple factors,
including word stress, sentence stress, short vowels, long vowels,
and many more factors. Learning accurate and clear English pronunciation
requires a lot of practice but is key to the Speaking test. You will
see in the public band descriptors that 25% of your Speaking test score
is based on pronunciation.
Considering this, we will look at five things you can do to practice and improve your pronunciation in time for your Speaking test.
If you work out at a gym, you will know that repeating the same
exercises again and again can makes your muscles more coordinated and
improves their strength. The same thing can be said
of practicing English. The more you speak, the stronger and more
coordinated your spoken English will be.
You may think this is
repetitive and boring but adding some repetition drills to your study
plan can really help you improve your pronunciation.
Find a pronunciation app where you can practice sounds in a fun way and a quiet room to practice in so you repeat, repeat, repeat as loudly as you want. You can call it your “pronunciation workout”.
