4 Sections in PTE Academic – Explained in Detail

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The PTE (Pearson Test of English) is a computer-based English language test and it evaluates your language skill through various modes. It is divided into four sections: Speaking, Writing, Reading, and Listening. The exam format consists of 20 unique questions which test Speaking & Writing skills (77-93 minutes), Reading skills (32-40 minutes), and Listening skills (45-57 minutes).

The Speaking and Writing Section tests your Speaking & Writing Ability in the English language. You have to do questions like, Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence, Describe Image, Re-tell lecture, Answer Short Question, summarize a written text, and Essay writing as explained by https://ptemocktests.com/real-pte.

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In the Read Aloud, you will first read and understand the text and then read it out.  In Repeat Sentence, you will listen to short audio. Repeat what you have heard. You have to do this exercise 10-12 times without any break. In the Describe image questions types, you have to basically record the information which you are seeing in the image. In the Re-tell lecture, you will hear a lecture and after listening to the lecture, in 10 seconds you have to speak in the microphone and retell what you have just heard from the lecture in your own words. In answer short question you will hear a question and give an answer in a word or a few words.

To summarize the written text & Essay writing: There can be up to 2 questions of each type in your exam. In summarizing the text section, you have to read the paragraph and write the summary from 5 to 75 words in a single sentence explaining the main theme and key ideas of the text.

In essay writing, you have to write on the given topic in 20 minutes. The word limit should be between 200 to 300 words.

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The Reading section is divided into 5 segments that include:

Multiple Fill in the blanks: you have to identify the right word from the given words and fill the correct word in the blanks.  In the Read and Write fill in the blanks: You have to select the correct word given in the drop-down menu in each blank. Multiple Choice Single Answer, and Multiple-choice Multiple answers: You have to select one correct answer or select more than one answer as per the question type. In the Re-order paragraphs: You have to re-arrange sentences as per the correct order.

This section tests your ability to read and understand the English language, Vocabulary, and grammar.

The Listening section tests the ability of candidates how well they listen and understand correctly to English. It has 8 segments Summarize spoken text: you have to summarize the listening text, Multiple Choice Single Answer, and Multiple-Choice multiple answers: you have to select correct one answer or select more than one correct answer, in select a missing word: you have to find the missing word from the given words, in highlight incorrect words and highlight the correct summary: you have to highlight the text or word.  Do fill in the blanks, and write from dictation according to the question type. Students should carefully listen to the audio and retain whatever they hear. You can improve all skills only by practice.

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I have given only a short review of all sections; hope you will understand the pattern of the test and it will help you in getting a good score. Out of these multiple-choice is most critical. Let’s spend more time on it.

The multiple-choice question in PTE is an important part of the reading and speaking section. Both sections have the same type of question, multiple-choice questions choose single answers and multiple-choice questions choose multiple answers. In a single answer, you have to choose only one answer, and there is no negative marking but in multiple-choice questions, you have to choose more than one correct answer and there is a negative marking. Negative marking means losing marks without any reason. You should be very careful while answering those questions in which negative marking is applicable.

In PTE Test, there are two types of multiple-choice questions “Choose a Single answer” and “Choose Multiple answers” in the reading section and also in the listening section. The only difference is that in the reading section, you have to read the paragraph and in the listening section, you have to listen to the paragraph.

You have to read the complete paragraph and select the one correct answer or select more than one correct answer according to the question. We suggest you read the question first, before reading the paragraph. So, that you can find the answer easily as you already know the question.

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You will select one correct answer in a single-answer question type. In multiple choice answers, you have to select all options which you feel are correct.  If you are fully confident about all answers select all options but if you are not sure then I suggest you select only one option. Whether you answer wrong or you don’t answer at all, you will get zero. So always make your best guess and pick at least one option.

You can improve your score with more reading practice. You can read the newspaper, novels, articles, etc. to improve your reading skills.

While finding the answer, you should follow the eliminating method, to eliminate those options that are not related to the question. You have to manage your time properly, so you cannot be stuck up for one question in one place.

In the Listening section, you have to “Choose Single answer” or “Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers”. Everything is the same as in the Reading section, the only difference is between reading and listening. I suggest you read the question first before the audio begins. Keep your attention on the audio. You can write down the important notes to remember the information you hear. After finishing the audio, eliminate those answers which are not relevant to the question. Select one correct answer or multiple answers as per the question you are attempting. If you are sure about all answers then select all options but if you are not sure about any option, tick only one answer. There is also negative marking for incorrect answers.

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You can improve your listening skills, to listen to the repeated questions and podcasts of your favorite presenters, and you can listen to the audio of some storybooks or some movies. With daily efforts, you will see an immense improvement in yourself and can minimize your mistakes.

For more development of your reading and listening skills, you can join a good online course. You can practice with repeated questions to become more expert in it.

Hope the above-mentioned tips will help to acquire a good score in the PTE test.