PTE

Test Center: http://www.relc.org.sg/eb/ptea/

http://www.ieltswritingessays.com/category/pte/

PTE Exam pattern

Pte test is conducted to evaluate the candidates reading, writing, speaking and listening skills and
apart from it candidates overall proficiency in the language.
Pte format is comprised of three parts
Part 1: It is consists of speaking and writing together of 77-93 minutes which includes:

Personal introduction

Read aloud

Repeat sentence

Describe image

Re-tell lecture

Answer short question

Summarize written text

Paragraph

Essay

Part 2: It is consists of Reading of 32-41 minutes which includes:

Multiple choice , choose multiple answers

Multiple choice, choose single answer

Re order paragraphs

Fill in the blanks

Reading and writing :fill in the blanks

Part 3: It consists of Listening of 45-57 minutes which includes:

Summarize spoken text

Multiple choice, choose multiple answers

Multiple choice, choose single answer

Fill in the blanks

Highlight correct summary

Select missing word

Highlight incorrect words

Write from dictation

Pte pattern questions are in relation with real life events; candidate might hear extracts from lectures
and study through pie charts and graphs. Candidate will hear different accents ranging from British
and American to non innate speakers, every kind of accent will be made acquaint to the candidate
which he might be able to encounter in everyday life. Pte test format is designed to assess the
candidates expertise in English language, his overall adeptness of the language. Pte test format is
somewhat similar to other English proficiency test like IELTS which is also comprised of reading,
writing, speaking and listening sections.
The candidate has to answer all the questions asked in part 1, 2 and 3 and in an expected time slot.
The pte format for both academic and general varies. In order to score well in pte test, candidate
should get himself familiarize with pte pattern through solving different pte sample papers.

PTE Sample Paper -6

The PTE test comprises of 3 parts:

Speaking and writing.

Reading.

Listening.

Speaking and writing comprises of the following:

1. Personal introduction. Time allowed is 1 minute.
2. Read aloud. Time allowed is 30-35 minutes for this section.
2.1. Repeat sentence.
2.2. Describe image.
2.3. Re-tell lecture.
2.4. Answer short questions.
3. Summarize written test.
3.1 Write essay.
Section 1: (Personal Introduction)
A candidate is not judged merely on the performance in the personal introduction section but
candidate need to answer one or more of the following:

His/her hobbies.

Ideas for future study.

Why he/she is willing to study abroad?

Why the candidate needs to learn English?

Why the candidate has chosen PTE academic?

A candidate will have 1 minute to respond the personal introduction section.

Section 2: (Read aloud)
Candidate will have a couple of sentences on his/her computer screen. The candidate has 40
seconds to read the sentences loudly and clearly and the candidates response will be recorded.
For example:
In the past, a motor car was considered an item of luxury and social status, but now it has become a
source of necessity and is found in many households. The prices of motor cars have also gone up
heavily in recent decades.
2.1 (Repeat section):
A candidate will listen to a few sentences and he /she has to repeat each sentence the same way as
heard by them. A candidate is allowed to hear a sentence only once. The candidate is required to
play the CD and listen to the recordings and repeat the sentence and record the response.
For example:
Sports can provide great enjoyment and career. But there are those who argue that it is not possible
for everyone to become a successful sportsperson.
2.2 (Describe Image):
A candidate is required to see the graph or picture chart shown on computer screen. He/she is
required to explain what the graph or picture is showing.
For example:

Explain this image.

What is the image mainly focussing on?

The candidate is allotted 40 seconds to describe the image and record his/her response.
For example:
2.3 (Re-tell lecture):
A candidate is required to listen to a lecture and after that he/she has to re-tell what they just heard
in their own words.
For example:
What does the lecture focus on?
The candidate will be given 40 seconds to make the response and record the same.
2.4 (Answer short question)
A candidate is required to listen to a question and in turn is required to give a simple and short
answer for the same.
Write short answers comprises of the following:

Comprehend the text. Time allowed is 20 minutes. The candidate has to read the passage
and summarise it.

For example:

From centuries, we have managed to maintain a strong religious identity for ourselves. This identity
preservation has helped to keep us united and this process is going on and on and will continue for
the times to come. We can easily remember religious values being taught to us at school and a lot of
precious learning would take place. Religious identity is a sensitive issue and this involves being
very knowledgeable regarding our religious history.
Here, the candidate needs to summarize the above example in 50-75 word count in his/her own
words.
As far as write essay section is concerned the candidate will have 20 minutes time duration to plan,
write and revise an essay regarding the topic asked in 200-300 words. The response of the
candidate will be judged on the basis of how well the candidate has presented his/her ideas and the
accuracy of English.
For example:
Good defence capability is a vital feature for wellness and dignity of any nation. The better the
defence is, more protected and prosperous the nation becomes.
Now, the candidate has to discuss to which extent he/she agrees with the statement. The candidate
needs to explain the reasons from his/her own experience and observations.
Section 3: Writing test comprises of the following:
3.1 Summarize written text.
As far as summarize written text is concerned, a candidate has to read the passage and summarize
it. For this he/she will get 10-20 minutes to finish the task and the candidates performance will be
judged by the quality of his/ her writing skills.
For Example:
Rich and famous include public figures like politicians, film-stars and sports-person. Such people are
in the kind of jobs which leads them to be tested by the public and the press. Media is legally free to
investigate and publish details of rich and famous. There are a few countries which are stricter than
other countries in protecting privacy.

Now, a candidate needs to summarize the above example in his/her own words in 50-75 word count
in 20 minutes duration.
3.2 Write essay
In the write essay section the candidate will get 20 minutes duration to plan, revise and write an
essay in about 200-300 words. Their performance will be judged on how well a candidate has
expressed his/ her ideas in Standard English.
For Example:
The claim that poor have all rights has been a subject of debate since decades. Are we helping or
hurting the poor people? Should poor be financially aided? Do you agree or disagree?
Now a candidate needs to express his or her view point in detail for essay in 20 minutes duration.
Reading test comprises of:
a)

Multiple-choice, choose single answer.

b)

Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers.

c)

Re-order paragraphs

d)

Reading: fill in the blanks.

e)

Reading & writing: fill in the blanks.

The time allowed for reading section is 32-41 minutes and comprises of 5 parts.
a)

In multiple-choice, choose single answer- the candidate has to select one single correct

response for the question asked. There are multiple choices but they need to select only one option.
For example:
Sportsperson were not very famous people in the past, but without a doubt they were very talented.
They possessed a combination of skills. They were the guys with deep emotion for the sport they
played. These days sports are played with same emotion and passion as in the past.

The candidate needs to select one option:

Sportsperson were very famous in the past.

They did not have enough skills.

They were the guys with deep emotion for the sport they played.

b)

In multiple-choice, choose multiple answers; a candidate has to select all correct responses

from the options provided for the given question.

For example:
American troops invaded Vietnam with full military might. They fought Vietnamese for 15 long years.
This operation had serious consequences as many American soldiers got killed. Vietnam finally won
the war and emerged victorious.
The candidate requires selecting more than one correct option:

American troops invaded Vietnam.

They fought Vietnamese for 15 years.

America finally won the war.

This operation had serious consequences.

c)

In re-order paragraph part, the candidate will see the text boxes in random order and the

candidate has to re-order the text boxes and allot the numbering 1-5 to each box.
For example:

An economically poor student was asked to submit information regarding his fathers income.

A direct link was established between his tuition fee and fathers income.

He was convinced by the teachers that he will be assisted economically.

It was established that he was poor.

Now, the candidate needs to put them in correct order to make a complete sense.
d)

In the fill in the blanks part, a candidate is required to fill the missing words from the drop box; a

text will appear on the screen with a few gaps. A candidate has to select a right answer for each
blank.
For example:

Industrial revolution has added to.prosperity.

Human, social, basic, individual

e)

In the reading and writing: fill in the blanks part, candidate will see a text appearing on the

screen with few gaps. Candidate needs to fill in the gap from a list of options.
For example:
20% of the worlds total population lives in Europe. They have . to basic facilities like food,
shelter and water.

Excess, access, recess

The listening test comprises of the following:

i.

Summarize spoken text.

ii.

Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers.

iii.

Fill in the blanks.

iv.

Highlight correct summary.

v.

Multiple-choice, choose single answer.

vi.

Select missing word.

vii.

Highlight incorrect words.

1. Write from dictation.

i.

In summarize spoken text part, a candidate will hear a short report and has to write 50-70

words within the time duration of 10 minute.

ii.

In the multiple-choice, choose multiple answers part; a candidate will hear a recording and

answer the question by selecting all the correct answers.

As far as the fill in the blanks part is concerned, a candidate will listen to a recording and type the
missing word in each blank
For example:
Nature is full of ., who knows what will happen next moment. It is very toughpredict the
nature.

Miracles, gifts, are, in, to

iii.

In the highlight correct summary part, a candidate will see a video and click on the

paragraph that best describes the video.

iv.

In the multiple-choice, choose single answer, a candidate will hear the recording and

answer the multiple choice question by selecting one correct response.

For example:
Russia is the largest country in the world. It is 6 times larger than India.
Now, a candidate has to select the real answer.

v.

Russia is a small country.

It is 6 times larger than India.

It is a poor country.

In select missing word part, a candidate will listen to a recording and at the end of

recording; the last word or the group of words will be replaced by a beep. The candidate has to
replace the beep by selecting a correct option to complete the recording.

PTE Speaking Tips Speak up

At the start of the test, a Pearson representative informed all of us that because we would be
writing the test in close proximity to one another, we must keep our voices down so as not to
distract others. This resulted in me cowering in my corner and whispering out of the side of my
mouth into the microphone because I was afraid I was going to get in trouble for unleashing my
booming voice upon my fellow test-takers. However, when I think back on it I realize that
nobody else taking the PTE let a fear of distracting others undermine their resolve to be as loud
and clear as possible, and they certainly didnt get into any trouble for speaking at this volume.
Its important to understand that the PTE online test is assessed entirely by a computer. This
means that a human being is NOT sitting there listening to your audio files and realizing that you
are whispering like a terrified mouse because you are a polite Canadian who doesnt want to
throw anybody off! With this in mind, its your responsibility to speak as loudly and clearly as
you need to in order to best demonstrate your language skill. If you are being too loud,
somebody will come in and let you know. DO NOT be afraid to be a little selfish when youre
paying 330 AUD to be there!
Along the same lines; at the beginning of the PTE test, you must speak into the microphone and
listen to yourself to make sure the microphone is working. When I did this, I noticed there was a
bit of background noise interfering with the sound quality of my recording, but I figured it
wasnt that big of a deal and I didnt raise my hand and notify anyone about it. Its very possible
that this issue (in conjunction with all that whispering) is a large part of why I failed the PTE
speaking section. If you think something is wrong, let someone know.
An accurate representation of me during the PTE speaking section.

PTE Speaking Tips Dont be fazed

Ok, Ill admit it. Sitting in a small, enclosed cubicle and listening to nine other terrified people
talk at their computers and click furiously on their keyboards is not the most relaxing way Ive
ever spent a Friday afternoon. Neither is staring blankly at your own screen as an unforgiving
clock counts down and you struggle to think of what to say. Its not an easy or natural setting in
the least, but there are some ways you can make the experience it a little easier on yourself:
First off, I would highly recommend doing some breathing exercises before you begin the test.
One way to do this is to close your eyes for a minute and become aware of your breath and try
to slow it down until its slow, deep and even. It must be noted that the hyperventilate as your
sweaty fingers click to the next page before youre even ready to deal with it method
probably didnt do me any favours.
DO NOT drink coffee, tea, soft drinks etc. anytime before beginning the test if caffeine has
any sort of stimulating effect on you. I literally chugged some delicious Melbourne espresso

moments before I entered the testing centre, and about 5 minutes into the PTE speaking section I
became a terrifyingly scattered and hyper version of myself that I like to refer to as Caffeine
Kaia. Needless to say, my concentration was quite difficult to maintain and I found it
very challenging to focus on the test information or stay on track when I was speaking about
each topic.
The Pearson Academic representatives will tell you to pretend you are on a busy tram talking to a
friend in order to make you feel better about the fact that there will be loud voices all around
you. Im not sure this is the best way to conceptualize the situation. On a busy tram with your
friend, you are not in a stressful, high-stakes situation where your entire academic future or
residency depends on how well you are able to communicate. Also, the computer doesnt tell you
how nice you look today or nod knowingly at you as you delve into the complexities of a bar
graph. If I could re-do the PTE speaking section, I would pretend that I were in a busy public
place recording a brief overview of a topic for a friend who hadnt been present in class that day.
I would just think about the basic points my friend missed and outline them as concisely as
possible without trying to over-explain, keeping in mind that because they were not present to
ask me for clarification, I would need to be as clear as possible on the first try. In short, dont
pretend the computer is a person that is having a conversation with you; see it for the tool that
it is and use it that way.

PTE Speaking Tips Be organized

Anyone who knows me knows that I am probably the least organized person who has ever
roamed the earth. Worse, Im one of those procrastinator types who spent most of my university
days pulling caffeine-fueled all-nighters the day before the big term project was due. If you are
one of my kind, let me warn you right now: the PTE format will not be kind to you. Instead of
taking notes in the 7-10 second countdown you get before you are recorded, I was busy staring
out the window at the breathtaking Melbourne skyline! You dont get a lot of time, but there is
certainly enough to jot down some quick notes about what you are seeing or hearing in order
to organize your thoughts while you speak. My inner procrastinator told me I would be able to
assess and analyze the information in the moment and this was a spectacular miscalculation.
What happened instead was that I ended up giving information in the wrong order and coming
back to things I had already said to add further detail. The result was most likely a disjointed
mess of information instead of a methodical explanation of a relatively simple topic. The best
advice I can give to anyone doing PTE training before the test is topractice pinpointing
important information and organizing it in a simple way in sequential order.

Im still not 100% sure why I failed the PTE speaking test, but I do suspect that it may have been
a combination of all the things Ive listed above. I hope it helps at least one person to know that

the Pearson Academic test is challenging for native speakers too, and that I got to learn this
lesson the hard way! And hey, whoever you are- make sure prepare yourself sufficiently!!!

Written by Kaia Myers-Stewart.

July 13, 2016PTE, PTE Academic Test Tips, PTE Speaking, PTE Speaking Tips13
Comments
PREPARING FOR THE TEST

One-on-One Teaching Trumps Classroom Learning Every Time

Ive been a classroom teacher and I am guilty of neglecting most of my students needs. The time
I spent in the classroom was by and large a waste for my students. Each class that I taught would
have very little relevance for the bottom third, very little relevance for the top third, and only be
generally of interest to the middle third. I had to aim for the middle so as to not completely bore
everybody.
Im not a bad teacher. Quite the contrary, I loved my classroom teaching days and I tried my very
best. But no matter how good my preparation and delivery was, it was never relevant for all.
Scientists have long known that no two learners are the same because no two brains absorb
information the same way, at the same time. Perception and things like what you ate for breakfast
determine what you cognize. Language learning exemplifies this rule.
If you gave a class of intermediate language learners an identical IELTS, PTE, TOEFL or OET
test, the questions they would get right and wrong would be almost completely random. The
average level would be the same, but the specific errors would be individual. What one person
understands, another doesnt. What one person says, another cant.
The only influence that may mitigate the randomness of the errors would be the first language
background of our imagined class. Indonesian speakers would generally struggle using gender
pronouns, Korean speakers would generally struggle to use articles, Telegu speakers would
generally struggle distinguishing v and w.
In most language classrooms the language backgrounds are mixed. And even if they were the
same, most teachers would not know how to direct lessons to improve general influences of
first language.
If I were to take a language test like the IELTS, TOEFL, PTE or OET, theres no way I would
prepare in a busy classroom. My second language is individualised. Its mine. I know a certain
amount of vocabulary. I have a certain grasp of the grammar. I can only write so well, in a
particular way. I would need one-on-one tutorials rather than a generalised, broadcast lecture.

One-on-one time with a teacher is undoubtedly the fastest way to improve your second language
because the teacher can focus in on your errors. Your writing is visual evidence of your grammar
and vocabulary skills. Your speaking is audible evidence of your speaking skills.
Lets do some maths to make the comparison of classroom-based learning and one-on-one tuition
more evident.
Lets imagine 15 students in a language classroom. They are 15 students vying for the teachers
attention. So, we have to divide the amount of time of a class by the number of students in that
class. Lets say the class is one hour long.
60 minutes / 15 students = 4 minutes each. So, for every one hour spent in a classroom you will
receive just 4 minutes of one-to-one attention from the teacher barely enough to correct a few
sentences.
Put simply, what you can get in 40 minutes in a one-on-one tutorial would take you 10 hours in a
classroom. Put another way, one-on-one tutoring is 15 times more efficient than classroom
learning.
If you want to prepare efficiently, avoid busy classrooms and get focused, personalised attention
from an expert.
http://www.e2language.com offers live, private tutorials with a language expert to help you
build the skills youll need to succeed on the IELTS, PTE, TOEFL or OET. Sign up for free
today and book an online consultation with one of our experts!

Written by Jay Merlo.

July 6, 2016IELTS, OET, PTE, TOEFL2 Comments
Yeap! I am Canadian, and this is my journey to the PTE exam.
I knew from the beginning that moving from Canada to Australia would be one of the easiest
transitions of my life. I mean, the culture is similar (excluding the fact that Canadians
dont ever feel comfortable walking around in public with no shoes on!), the food and coffee is
actually better (I see you, strong skinny latte!), and of course the language spoken here is the
same as the one I speak at home (although often shortened down to two syllables for some
strange reason!) Australia also seemed like the ideal place for me to pursue graduate studies in
psychology, as the programs in Melbourne come highly recommended, but more importantly are
shorter than Canadian programs and thus ideal for lazy people like me who cant fathom the idea
of being chained to their university for nearly 7 years! And so it was that I left my life in Canada

to pursue the Australian dream (one hopefully filled with adorable kangaroos, fancy avocadobased brunches, and maybe even a handful of public shoeless adventures)!
Here I am living out a shoeless adventure with my roommates!

When I arrived in Australia, I applied for a masters program at several well-known Melbourne
universities and then immediately got to work hunting for scholarships to help offset the
inordinate amount you have to pay as an international student if you want to study in Australia
(for my program about 40,000 AUD a year). Within less than a month, I had gotten an email
back from a major Melbourne university notifying me that I had gained early acceptance for my
program! I was overjoyed, and spent about 30 minutes happy dancing around my living room
before returning to my laptop to actually read the full offer. When I could finally contain my joyfilled victory spasms, I read my university offer more closely and realized something strange. I
had been offered entry to my program yes but only on the condition that I sit an English
proficiency exam like the PTE (Pearson Test of English). I thought this had to be some sort of
mistake; I am a native English speaker from an English speaking country and it had never even
crossed my mind that I might need to take some academic English test to prove my proficiency!
Upon reviewing the full offer, I gave the university a call with the intention of explaining their
mistake and then happily accepting their offer. I thought it would be a 10-minute conversation in
which I explained the error, had a few laughs with the administration on the other end of the
phone, and then went on my merry way. Instead it was a 3 hour ordeal in which the
administration refused to withdraw the English proficiency condition and refused even further to
take our extensive conversation as proof of my English ability. It turns out that because I had
completed my high school and university courses partly in French (an excellent Canadian
initiative known as French immersion) I did not meet the English language criteria for the
program without taking a test. After my many and varied attempts at getting around this failed
spectacularly, I found myself grudgingly typing what is pte test into the google search bar.
It wasnt really the prospect of sitting a redundant English test that bothered me, I actually enjoy
the kinds of reading and writing activities found on the PTE; it was the fact that I would need to
shell out over 300 AUD in order to do so. It seemed vastly unfair and I pretty much complained
about it to anyone who would listen for weeks. Never once in my bilingual education did I think
that learning in French would be anything but a massive advantage in the academic world. I even
had to take an exam similar to the Pearson academic test in order to get bilingual certification,
and I still remember the pride I felt at being able to prove my ability in my second language.
Theres no pride in passing an language test presented to you in your mother tongue, and
certainly no incentive for paying for it!
After a few weeks of pointless self-pity, I pulled my head out of the sand for long enough to
realize how lucky I really am. Sure, Im not thrilled about the cost of proving I can speak my
own language, but in the end if I am willing to pay the exorbitant university fees (or at least
willingly incur that debt), taking the PTE shouldnt be more than an inconvenience for me. For

many, its a lot more than an inconvenience; its a barrier that will stop them from reaching their
educational goals. For many, the time and money that will go into attempting an English
proficiency test like the PTE will wreak financial and emotional havoc on their lives. When I
started working for E2Language, this reality hit me like a ton of bricks. There are so many
people out there who have spent thousands of dollars trying to pass their English exam so they
can have the opportunities that I have by default. There are people that ace the PTE writing
section but fail the PTE speaking portion miserably because of their crippling anxiety. There are
people who make a PTE exam booking every single week in the hopes that next week something
will finally click for them. There are even people who give us their PTE login passwords because
they are too terrified to check their own test results. And then there are the people who just give
up on their dreams because they dont believe they will ever have the language tools to succeed.
This is something Ive never worried about, despite the minor inconvenience of writing the test.
Needless to say, I am incredibly proud to work for an organization that helps prepare people for
the Pearson Test of English and other proficiency exams. Its helped me understand the
incredible advantages I have been handed because I was lucky enough to grow up speaking the
worlds most commonly used language. Its humbling to watch people work as hard as they do to
get where theyre going, and Im thrilled to be a small part of their journey. I finally bit the bullet
and will be writing my PTE on July 1st, which is fittingly Canada day! Although Im not too
worried about my own PTE results, I can now appreciate how good it will feel to so many people
to walk out of the Pearson test center knowing that theyve achieved the next step in their own
versions of the Australian Dream, and I hope I can continue to play at least a small part in
making that dream a reality.
Why PTE may be right for YOU!

The Pearson Test of English (PTE) has been gaining popularity over the last few years and is
often referred to by test-takers as a friendlier test. Many individuals find it to be more intuitive
and less intimidating than other English Proficiency tests, and this is for a number of reasons. In
this PTE tips article, we shared why this test may be right for you.
So why you should take PTE?
PTE test is entirely computer based. This is helpful to test takers in a couple of ways. Firstly,
there is no interaction with another person for the speaking tasks, and many people find this less
stressful. It also may be easier for test-takers to focus on just the speaking, rather than on the
assessors body language, facial expressions and so on.
Its over in 3 hours. Unlike IELTS, you complete the PTE in one sitting (with breaks, of
course!). You do not need to wait in line for the speaking portion of the test, and this means you
get to go home all the earlier! In addition, you can use all of your energy and focus in one sitting,
rather than conserving energy for a task later in the day.
It has quick and easy scheduling. Unlike some English tests where you can only schedule a

sitting on specific dates, you can literally book a PTE sitting with only 24 hour notice. The
advantage to this is that you can pick and choose a test time that works around your schedule and
fits with any time constraints you may have. A further added bonus is that you will receive your
score within 5 business days of taking the PTE, which is the fastest response time out of all the
mainstream English Proficiency tests offered.

March 10, 2016PTE, PTE Academic Test Tips, PTE Tips1 Comment

PTE-A Exam Important Links

https://drive.google.com/folderview?...3lNSnRxc3NWcU0
https://pteacademicreview.wordpress.com
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...ERsUXOxXaocZnE
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/55pb4vg3a...0k9Eq29fbQTepa
IELTS pie charts - range of vocabulary
https://moodle.unitec.ac.nz/file.php...grams_2008.pdf
https://dylanaung.blogspot.ae/2015/0...and-ideas.html
EssayBuilder - BarCharts 1
PTE Academic Writing- information about the exam and links to free practice tests
Describing-graphs-vocabulary-worksheet
http://pearsonpte.com/wp-content/upl...core_Guide.pdf
https://dictation.io/
Vocaroo | Online voice recorder
Summarizing Worksheets | Learn How to Summarize | Ereading Worksheets