PTE Read Aloud Guide

About

This is the first question type in the Speaking Section. You get 40 seconds to prepare and another 40 seconds to read it out loud. Your answers are recorded only once. There are usually 6 or 7 questions for this type.

Tips

This type of question is the hardest in the Speaking Section, and it’s tough for test takers to get better at it. Doing well here will also help with other questions.

When your Speaking answers are graded, they look at how well you say words and how smoothly you speak. But here, pronunciation means more than just saying things correctly and smoothly.

Pearson pays attention to many small things when they grade, like stress, linking words together, how you say certain sounds, and how you divide your sentences.

Time Period

You have 40 seconds to speak, but you only need about 20 to 30 seconds for a good answer. If you take the full 40 seconds, it means you’re speaking too slowly, and you might get a low grade.

Practice Objective

Make sure to follow the tips from the introductory classes and speak smoothly with a good tone and voice.

50 points: It’s okay to make small mistakes with pronouncing words or stressing syllables incorrectly. Don’t worry too much about tiny details. Remember to speak smoothly, consistently, and calmly, with a moderate speed, and avoid speaking in a dull or overly stressed way.

65 points: It’s okay to make small mistakes with pronouncing words or stressing syllables incorrectly. Don’t worry too much about tiny details. Remember to speak smoothly, consistently, and calmly, with a moderate speed, and avoid speaking in a dull or overly stressed way.

79 points: It’s okay to make small mistakes with pronouncing words or stressing syllables incorrectly. Don’t worry too much about tiny details. Remember to speak smoothly, consistently, and calmly, with a moderate speed, and avoid speaking in a dull or overly stressed way.

Practice Task

Practice by listening to and repeating examples every day. Also, read out loud three RA passages you pick from the question bank for this type of question. This will help you reach the standards needed for a certain grade level. You can practice Read Aloud questions on the OnePTE app on Android or iOS, or on our website too.