Every year, more than 1 million people appear for the Pearson Test of English (PTE) exam to examine their language skills in speaking, reading, writing and listening. A good score on this test can help them get a work or study visa for top countries like Canada, Australia and many more. So, aspirants prepare hard for this exam.
However, most of them struggle to prepare for the PTE speaking section because of the tasks involved in them. Well, if you are also planning to appear for the PTE this year, then you are at the right place. Read and know the PTE exam pattern, scoring criteria and tips for the best preparation.
An Overview of the PTE Speaking Section
The speaking section is a very important part of the PTE exam. It helps the examiners to evaluate the speaking skills of the test takers through different tasks. A good score in this section can help the test takers to achieve a good score.
However, many test takers struggle a lot to prepare for this section because of its format. So, let’s understand the PTE exam pattern for the speaking section.
PTE Speaking Exam Pattern
Test takers must note that they need to prove their speaking and writing skills in this section. However, it consists of 15 to 20 questions of 8 different types. Aspirants get 54–67 minutes to answer all questions.
You must know all types of questions asked in the PTE speaking section. It will help you to know its difficulty level.
- Read Aloud-Â Read the text loudly that appears on the screen.
- Repeat Sentence-Â Listen to the audio and repeat the complete sentence.
- Describe Image-Â Describe the image that appears on the monitor.
- Re-tell Lecture-Â Listen to the lecture played and re-tell the lecture in your own words.
- Answer Short Question-Â Read the different worlds that appear on the screen and answer them in one word.
- Summarize Written Text-Â Read the complete paragraph and summarize that in your own words. It is the task of writing a section.
- Essay Writing-Â Write an essay of 200-300 words on the given topic.
This was all about the exam format of a speaking section. So, now, let’s understand its scoring criteria.
PTE Speaking- Scoring Criteria
Test takers must know that the PTE officials award speaking marks on a scale of 10-90 based on their performance. However, they look for some crucial skills mentioned below. You must know them. It will help you to make a proper study plan to prepare for your PTE speaking section.
Oral Fluency
Firstly, examiners look for the oral fluency of the test takers. So, you must practice speaking at an equal and regular pace. That means you should not be too fast or too slow. Also, it will help you to maintain oral fluency and increase your chances of getting a high score.
Pronunciation
Pronunciation of the words matters a lot while speaking. Test takers should be loud and clear while answering the questions in the speaking section of the PTE exam. It will help you showcase your confidence while speaking and it will ultimately impress the examiner.
Grammar
People from non-English speaking nations struggle to use correct grammar. They get confused in using correct tenses, punctuation and more. So, you must work to improve your grammar to boost your chances of getting a higher PTE score.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary is the range of words, idioms and phrases used by test takers while answering the questions in the speaking section of the PTE exam. You must learn new words and practice to use idioms and phrases daily. It will improve your English vocabulary and prepare you well for the speaking section.
Test takers must build the above skills to ace the speaking section, but now, the question is how? Let’s find the answer in this section of the article.
Tips to Excel in The PTE Speaking Section
There are n number of ways to prepare for the PTE speaking section. However, let’s highlight some of the best practices here.
- Understand the exam pattern for the speaking section well.
- Practice to keep a simple flow while speaking.
- Try to avoid pauses.
- Maintain a regular flow.
- Avoid repetition of words or sentences.
- Ensure your microphone works properly.Â
- Practice to manage time.
- Use connecting words to maintain connectivity between different sentences.
- Practice speaking tongue twisters to improve pronunciation.
- Solve mock test papers for the best exam preparation.
Conclusion
Scoring good marks in the PTE exam is very important for test takers because it can help them get a work or study visa. So, they must take regular classes from the best trainers in their city. They will help you understand the PTE score chart and exam pattern. In addition, they will take regular classes and provide personalized study material for the best preparation for every task in the exam. Hence, it helps the test takers build confidence for their exam and boost their chances of getting the desired score.
