Speaking task
PTE Describe Image practice
Describe Image gives you a chart, graph, map, table or diagram and 40 seconds to describe it. It rewards a calm, structured answer that names the real features, and it punishes the memorised template that ignores the actual image.
Study
25 sec
Speak
40 sec
Scored
Speaking
Per test
5 to 6 items
Based on the current PTE Academic format (updated 7 August 2025). Last reviewed 14 June 2026.
The basics
What is PTE Describe Image?
You are shown an image, usually a bar chart, line graph, pie chart, map, table or process diagram. You get 25 seconds to study it, then a tone plays and you have 40 seconds to describe it aloud. A test typically has 5 to 6 Describe Image items.
It contributes to your Speaking score, and Content is reviewed by both the AI and a human examiner. That makes Describe Image one of the tasks where saying something true about the actual image, not just reciting a template, genuinely matters.
Scoring
How Describe Image is scored
- Content: whether you describe the key features accurately. Content is scored by the AI and confirmed by a human examiner.
- Oral Fluency: a smooth, continuous 40-second response with no long pauses or restarts.
- Pronunciation: clear, intelligible delivery of the words and numbers you say.
- If your Content scores 0, for example a fully memorised template that ignores the image, the whole item can score 0 with no further scoring.
Key insight: A light structure is fine, but fill it with this image's real data. A fluent answer that names the actual trend and two real features beats a polished template that could describe any chart.
The method
How to do well in Describe Image
A repeatable approach you can apply to every item of this type.
- 1
Read the image in 25 seconds
Identify the type (bar, line, pie, map, process), the title or axis labels, the highest and lowest points, and the overall trend or message. Pick two or three features you will actually mention.
- 2
Open with what it shows
Start immediately on the tone with one sentence naming the image and its topic, for example 'This bar chart compares X across Y.' This gives the engine clear, on-topic content from the first second.
- 3
Describe two or three real features
State specific, true details: the highest and lowest values, a notable comparison, or a clear trend. Use the actual labels and numbers rather than vague filler.
- 4
End with the overall trend
Close with a one-line conclusion about the main message, for example 'Overall, X rose steadily while Y stayed flat.' A clear ending shows comprehension and rounds out your content.
- 5
Keep speaking for the full 40 seconds
Maintain a steady pace and keep going. A confident, continuous answer scores far better on fluency than a detailed one full of pauses, and silence over a few seconds can cut you off early.
Avoid these
Common Describe Image mistakes
- Reciting a memorised template that ignores the image, which can score the item 0 on content.
- Trying to describe every detail and running out of time before the conclusion.
- Long silent pauses while hunting for the right word.
- Giving no overall trend or message, so the answer sounds like a list with no point.
- Misreading the numbers or axis labels and stating something the image does not show.
Practice Describe Image with instant scoring.
Speak, get an AI score on fluency and pronunciation, and compare with a model answer. Free, no signup.
FAQ
PTE Describe Image, answered
On Content (describing the key features accurately), Oral Fluency (a smooth 40-second response) and Pronunciation. Content is scored by the AI and confirmed by a human examiner, and a content score of 0 can zero the whole item.
25 seconds to study the image, then a tone, then 40 seconds to describe it aloud. There are usually 5 to 6 Describe Image items in a test.
A light structure (introduction, two or three features, conclusion) helps you stay fluent, but it must be filled with the real data from this image. A fully memorised template that ignores the picture can score 0 on content.
Bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, tables, maps and process diagrams are the most common. Each one always shows real data or a process you can describe with specific features.
Describe what you can see with confidence: the type of image, the highest and lowest points, and any obvious trend. A fluent answer covering a few accurate features beats a hesitant attempt at full detail.
No. Two or three accurate, specific features plus an overall trend is enough. Trying to cover everything usually means you run out of time and lose fluency to rushing.
No. It contributes to your Speaking score. The Content trait is human-reviewed, which is why describing the real image accurately matters more here than on some other tasks.
Usually because you are deciding what to say while speaking. Spend the 25-second study time choosing your two or three features and your conclusion, so the 40 seconds is delivery, not decision-making.
Use our free Describe Image drill: you describe a real image aloud, get an AI score on fluency and pronunciation, and can compare your answer with a model response. No signup needed.