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PTE Academic SpeakingYour English may be fine. Your PTE task handling may not be.
A low PTE Speaking score does not automatically mean you cannot speak English. PTE Speaking is a set of short, timed tasks, and each one is scored in its own way. Maybe you have taken PTE and your Speaking came back lower than you expected. Maybe your first test is coming and you are not sure how the tasks are marked. Either way, it helps to know what each task is actually asking you to do.
The Diagnostic is $60. The roadmap is free.
Same chart. Two responses.
Describe Image: you get 25 seconds to look and 40 seconds to speak. Here are two responses to a bar chart showing how people in one city travel to work.
The given image describes the information about the topic. There are many colourful bars in the image. The highest value is important and the lowest value is also important. It is an interesting image and it gives a lot of information. In conclusion, this image is very informative and useful for the audience.
It fills the time and sounds smooth. But almost none of it is about this chart. Pearson's own score guide says responses that contain pre-prepared or memorised material are treated as irrelevant, which can take the Content score for this task to zero. Filling the time is not the same as handling the task.
This bar chart shows how people in one city travel to work. The car is by far the most common choice, at about 42 percent. Buses come second with a quarter of workers, and 18 percent take the train. Walking is the least common, at only 6 percent, just below cycling at 9. Overall, more than four in ten people drive, while fewer than one in six walk or cycle.
It says what the chart shows, picks out the biggest and the smallest figures, makes one comparison and ends with a short conclusion. Plain words and a steady pace, and every sentence is about this image.
Which traits score which task
Most PTE Speaking tasks are scored on Content, Oral Fluency and Pronunciation, but what counts as Content depends on the task. Answer Short Question is different: it is scored on Vocabulary only, so the right word is what counts.
| Task | Scored on |
|---|---|
| Read Aloud | Content, Oral Fluency, Pronunciation |
| Repeat Sentence | Content, Oral Fluency, Pronunciation |
| Describe Image | Content, Oral Fluency, Pronunciation |
| Retell Lecture | Content, Oral Fluency, Pronunciation |
| Summarize Group Discussion | Content, Oral Fluency, Pronunciation |
| Respond to a Situation | Content, Oral Fluency, Pronunciation |
| Answer Short Question | Vocabulary |
Source: Pearson, PTE Academic Test Taker Score Guide (July 2025).
The three main Speaking traits, in plain words
Content
Did you do what the task asked? In Read Aloud and Repeat Sentence, that means the right words. In Describe Image, Retell Lecture, Summarize Group Discussion and Respond to a Situation, it means the key information, in your own words.
Oral Fluency
A smooth, even pace with natural phrasing. Long pauses, restarts and repeated words pull it down. Speaking very fast does not push it up.
Pronunciation
How easy you are to understand: clear sounds, word stress and sentence stress. You do not need a particular accent.
Where are you starting from?
You already have a PTE result
You know the score. The useful question is which tasks and which traits keep producing it. It is often a few task types rather than your English as a whole: hesitation in Read Aloud, missed words in Repeat Sentence, or templates in Describe Image and Retell Lecture. If the preparation does not change, the result may not change either.
This is your first PTE
Practice apps and AI scoring can help. Use them. But your first paid attempt should not be your first proper check. Find out how you handle each task under time before the fee is on the line.
How Teacher J works on it with you
Listen
She listens to your responses task by task and notes which traits are losing you marks.
Work on it
In class, you practise how to handle that task on new prompts. No scripts to memorise.
Check it
A new image, a new lecture, a new situation, under time. If you can still handle it, the skill is yours.
We are not selling you another mock test
Free and paid mock tests already exist, and they are useful. A mock tells you how you did on that mock. The Diagnostic gives Teacher J evidence of how you actually work, so she can tell you what deserves attention first, before you spend weeks practising the wrong thing.
First attempt? The aim is to find the gaps before the official test does.
Taking it again? The aim is to understand what needs to change before you pay another exam fee.
How it works
- You choose your exam and skills and pay $60.
- Straight after you pay, a private link and an 8 digit password arrive by email. Take the test whenever you are ready in the next 14 days.
- The timed test itself is 40 minutes. Refreshing or closing the page does not add time.
- Teacher J reviews your work herself and sends your feedback within 48 hours.
To be clear: this is not an official IELTS or PTE score, and it does not guarantee a result. It shows you what to fix first.
Not ready to book? Start with the free roadmap
Tell us your exam, your target and how much time you have. You get a week by week study plan on screen straight away, and a copy by email. It takes about 2 minutes. No card needed.
Build my free roadmapShort answers
Should I use a Describe Image template?
No. A memorised template that is not about the image is treated as irrelevant content. A simple approach you can adapt to any image works better: what it shows, the main features, one comparison and a short conclusion.
Do I need a native speaker accent for PTE Speaking?
No. Pronunciation is about how easy you are to understand. Speakers with many different accents score well.
How does the Diagnostic check my PTE Speaking?
You record your answers to PTE style Speaking tasks inside the timed test. Teacher J listens to your recordings herself and tells you what to work on first. It is not an official PTE score.
How long will it take to raise my Speaking score?
There is no honest fixed timeline from a score alone. It depends on which tasks and traits are weak, how much practice time you have and whether your improvement becomes consistent. After the Diagnostic, we can give you a clearer idea of what the work involves.
Read more in the Knowledge base
Find out which PTE tasks are holding you back
Book the Diagnostic so Teacher J can hear your Speaking, or build your free roadmap to plan your weeks.
The Diagnostic is $60. The roadmap is free.