PTE Speaking & Writing Practice Test: Question Types, Scoring & Preparation

Because most tasks here are integrated, they test two skills at once; this section influences all four communicative skill scores, not just Speaking and Writing. It's the single most important section to practice.

Start free question-wise practice for each task:

• Read Aloud: Read a short text clearly into the microphone. Practice now →
• Repeat Sentence: Listen to a sentence and repeat it exactly. Practice now →
• Describe Image: Describe a chart, graph, or picture in 40 seconds. Practice now →
• Re-tell Lecture: Summarize a lecture's audio in your own words. Practice now →
• Respond to a Situation: Give a spoken response to a real-life scenario. Practice now →
• Summarize Group Discussion: Summarize a 3-person discussion. Practice now →
• Answer Short Question: Answer a simple question in a word or two. Practice now →
• Summarize Written Text: condense a passage into one sentence. Practice now →
• Write Essay: Write a 200-300-word argumentative essay. Practice now →  
   

Read Aloud

A text of up to 60 words appears on screen; you get 30-40 seconds to prepare, then read it aloud. It's an integrated task, your performance counts toward both Reading and Speaking.

Repeat Sentence

You hear a sentence once and must repeat it exactly, at a natural pace. With 10-12 questions, it's one of the heaviest-weighted tasks in the whole exam.

Describe Image

A chart, graph, map, or picture appears; you get 25 seconds to prepare and 40 seconds to describe its key features and trends.
 

Re-tell Lecture

You hear a lecture of up to 90 seconds (sometimes with an image), then have 10 seconds to prepare and 40 seconds to summarize it in your own words.

Respond to a Situation

You hear and read a short real-life scenario, then get 10 seconds to prepare and 40 seconds to give an appropriate spoken response. This was added to PTE Academic in August 2025.

Summarize Group Discussion

You listen to a discussion between three speakers (up to 3 minutes) and summarize their viewpoints aloud. Also added in the August 2025 update.

Answer Short Question

You hear a short question and answer it in one or a few words, a vocabulary and general-knowledge check, not a fluency test.
 

Summarize Written Text

Read a passage of up to 300 words and condense it into a single sentence of 5-75 words within 10 minutes. It counts toward both Reading and Writing.
 

Write Essay

A 200-300 word argumentative essay on a given prompt, completed in 20 minutes. Structure and coherence matter as much as grammar.
 

Pearson's AI scores every response on multiple traits simultaneously. Speaking tasks are judged on content (did you cover what the prompt asked?), oral fluency (smooth, natural pace without fillers or restarts), and pronunciation (clear, intelligible speech; a native accent is not required). Writing tasks are scored on content, form (word limits!), grammar, vocabulary, and spelling. Two practical implications: responses outside the word/time limits can score zero on the form regardless of quality, and because most tasks are integrated, your Speaking performance directly moves your Listening and Reading scores too. Fluency and pronunciation are scored on what you say in the moment; hesitations and long pauses cost more than small content gaps.

1. Master the format before fluency. Know each task's prep time, response time, and word limits cold; form errors are the most avoidable score killers.
2. Drill the high-weight tasks daily. Repeat Sentence and Read Aloud carry outsized marks. 15 minutes of daily recorded practice on these moves will raise your score fastest.
3. Use templates for structured tasks. Describe Image, Re-tell Lecture, and Write Essay all reward a practiced structure that you can fill with prompt-specific content.
4. Record and review yourself. The AI penalizes hesitations, fillers, and flat intonation. Listening to your own recordings reveals habits you can't hear while speaking.
5. Practice under real conditions. Use a headset, keep the timer on, and never pause between tasks. Then validate progress with full-length PTE mock tests.
6. Fix weak traits, not just weak tasks. If pronunciation drags across tasks, targeted pronunciation work lifts every Speaking score at once.

LeapScholar's Speaking & Writing modules replicate the real exam experience, timed attempts, exam-style prompts, and feedback loops most platforms lock behind a paywall.

• Attempt every task under real exam timing. Click "Attempt This Question" on any Read Aloud, Describe Image, or Summarize Written Text question, and then respond using the actual prep and response windows: 25 seconds to study an image, 40 seconds to speak, and 10 minutes for a summary.
• See how a high-scoring answer sounds. Every question comes with a viewable sample answer, so you can compare your response against one that meets the scoring criteria for content, fluency, and structure.
• Learn from community answers. Each question has AI-scored responses from other test takers, a rare feature that shows you the realistic range of answers, not just one polished model. You see what a 65 sounds like versus a 79+.
• Templates and useful phrases on every page. Each module includes task-specific "How to approach it" strategies and ready-to-use phrase banks for describing images, essays, and summaries.
• 15 free exam-style questions per task, no sign-up wall. Practice covers the full current format, including the newer Respond to a Situation and Summarize Group Discussion tasks, and connects directly to full PTE mock tests when you're ready.