PTE Speaking Section: format, task types and scoring
Speaking is the first part of the test. Here is the format, the three scoring traits, and the mechanics that quietly cost marks. To rehearse out loud with instant scoring, use the practice hub linked below.
Speaking section format
| Position in test | Part 1 of 3 (first), within the Speaking & Writing part |
| Section time | 76 to 84 minutes (shared Speaking & Writing part) |
| Scored speaking tasks | 7, plus an unscored Personal Introduction |
| Recording | Plays once. More than about 3 seconds of silence auto-stops the recording. |
| Personal Introduction | Unscored, for familiarisation only |
Ready to rehearse out loud? Use PTE Speaking practice and scoring strategy for scored attempts with instant feedback.
Speaking practice tests
Each test mirrors the speaking section on the current PTE Academic format: 7 tasks, about 20 min, scored on the official 10 to 90 scale. All 5 tests are free.
Speaking Test 1
Mixed academic topics across every item, like the real exam.
7 tasks · ~20 min · scored 10–90
Speaking Test 2
Mixed academic topics across every item, like the real exam.
7 tasks · ~20 min · scored 10–90
Speaking Test 3
Mixed academic topics across every item, like the real exam.
7 tasks · ~20 min · scored 10–90
Speaking Test 4
Mixed academic topics across every item, like the real exam.
7 tasks · ~20 min · scored 10–90
Speaking Test 5
Mixed academic topics across every item, like the real exam.
7 tasks · ~20 min · scored 10–90
PTE Academic Speaking task types
Every speaking task on the current Academic format. Click any one to start practising it.
Read Aloud
Pronunciation + oral fluency from a ~60-word text.
Repeat Sentence
Listening and speaking: repeat exactly what you hear.
Describe Image
25s to prepare, 40s to describe a chart, graph or image.
Retell Lecture
Listen to a short lecture, then re-tell the key points.
Answer Short Question
A one-word or short-phrase answer to a simple question.
How Speaking is scored
Spoken answers are judged on three traits: Content (relevance), Oral Fluency (smooth, even delivery) and Pronunciation (clear, intelligible sounds). Oral fluency and pronunciation are always scored by AI. On the more open tasks, a human examiner also reviews content. If content scores zero, for example a memorised template with nothing relevant, the whole item scores zero.
Watch the cross-feed and one trap. Repeat Sentence, Retell Lecture and Summarize Group Discussion all score Listening and Speaking, so they build your Listening score too. And although Answer Short Question sits in the Speaking part, since the 2025 update it scores Listening only, not Speaking. Read Aloud is now Speaking-only.
Top tip: Never stop or restart mid-recording: a fluent near-miss beats a perfect sentence with a long pause. More Speaking tips →
Browse all Speaking questions
Practise any speaking task type one question at a time, untimed.
Speaking task deep dives
One page per task with a definition, a worked example, the score bands, and free practice.
Speaking templates
40-second spoken frameworks with worked examples on real charts and real lecture audio.
Section strategy
Fluency over accent
Pronunciation scores how clearly and intelligibly you speak, not whether you sound native. Faking an accent usually hurts. Speak clearly in your natural voice at a natural pace.
Never stop talking mid-answer
Oral fluency is killed by hesitations, false starts and long pauses, and more than about 3 seconds of silence auto-stops the recording. If you blank, approximate and keep going.
Do not pause to self-correct on Read Aloud
The cost of stopping exceeds the cost of the slip. Read in meaning chunks at a conversational pace, because it is 6 to 7 items and Speaking-only, so it carries real weight.
Never use a memorised template as your whole answer
Content zero-gates the item. A template can scaffold, but the response must be relevant to the actual prompt or image.
Common mistakes
- Forcing a foreign accent instead of speaking clearly in a natural voice.
- Going silent when stuck, which drops fluency and auto-stops the recording after about 3 seconds.
- Pausing to self-correct on Read Aloud and breaking fluency.
- Submitting a generic memorised template, where zero content zeroes the item.
- Speaking too fast and mistaking speed for fluency.
- Assuming everything in the Speaking part scores Speaking, when Answer Short Question scores Listening only.
Speaking section FAQ
It is part of the Speaking and Writing part, which runs 76 to 84 minutes, and the speaking tasks come first.
Seven scored speaking tasks, plus an unscored Personal Introduction.
No. Pronunciation is scored on clarity and intelligibility, not on sounding native. Faking an accent usually lowers your score.
Both are scored. Staying fluent, with no hesitations, pauses or self-correcting, is the highest-leverage habit. There is no published ratio between the two traits.
No. Since the 2025 update it scores Listening only, even though it appears in the Speaking part.
No. It is for familiarisation and is sent to institutions, but it does not affect your score.
Practice the other sections
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