Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) Speaking Syllabus

Speaking syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Speaking in Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Personal Introduction and Read Aloud

   4 topics

   • Personal Introduction (Unscored)
     • Self-presentation for institutions
     • Preparation and recording time
   • Read Aloud Mechanics
     • Preparation time before the microphone opens
     • Reading a text of up to 60 words aloud
   • Skills Assessed in Read Aloud
     • Content accuracy and completeness
     • Oral fluency and natural pacing
     • Pronunciation and stress placement
   • Common Pitfalls
     • Long pauses, repetitions and false starts
     • Mispronouncing academic vocabulary
2. 2

   Repeat Sentence and Re-tell Lecture

   3 topics

   • Repeat Sentence Technique
     • Active listening and short-term memory retention
     • Chunking and reproducing intonation
   • Re-tell Lecture Process
     • Note-taking from audio or video (up to 90 seconds)
     • Reconstructing main points in 40 seconds
   • Content Selection and Structure
     • Identifying the key idea and supporting details
     • Using a clear opening, body and closing
3. 3

   Describe Image and Answer Short Question

   4 topics

   • Describe Image Visual Types
     • Bar charts, line graphs and pie charts
     • Tables, maps, flow charts and process diagrams
   • Describing Trends and Data
     • Vocabulary for increase, decrease and comparison
     • Highlighting the most significant feature
   • Describe Image Template Approach
     • Introduction, key features, conclusion in 40 seconds
   • Answer Short Question
     • One-word or short-phrase factual answers
     • General knowledge and vocabulary range
4. 4

   Speaking Performance Skills

   3 topics

   • Oral Fluency
     • Smooth, effortless rhythm and phrasing
     • Avoiding hesitation and self-correction
   • Pronunciation
     • Vowel and consonant accuracy
     • Word and sentence stress, intonation
   • Microphone and Recording Strategy
     • Starting promptly to avoid silence cut-off
     • Consistent volume and clarity

Speaking flashcards for Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic)

25 of 51 cards from the Speaking deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the purpose of the Personal Introduction task in the PTE Academic Speaking section, and how is it scored?

   It lets you introduce yourself (interests, study plans, why you took the test) so institutions can verify your identity. It is unscored and does not count toward your final result.

2. How much preparation and recording time do you typically get for the Personal Introduction?

   About 25 seconds to read the prompt and prepare, then 30 seconds to record your spoken introduction (one attempt only).

3. In the Read Aloud task, how long is the preparation time before the microphone opens?

   You get about 30 to 40 seconds to read the text silently and prepare before the recording begins (varies with text length).

4. What triggers the end of recording in Read Aloud, and what should you avoid?

   Recording stops after a long pause (about 3 seconds of silence) or when the status bar finishes. Avoid pausing too long mid-task, as it ends the recording prematurely.

5. Which two PTE scoring traits does the Read Aloud task contribute to besides Reading and Speaking?

   It contributes to the enabling skills of Oral Fluency and Pronunciation, and also feeds the Reading score (because you must read accurately).

6. What are the three core skills assessed in Read Aloud?

   Content (reading every word correctly without omissions, insertions, or substitutions), Oral Fluency (smooth rhythm and pace), and Pronunciation (clear, native-like sounds and stress).

7. How is Content scored in Read Aloud relative to the words in the prompt?

   Each correctly read word earns credit; errors such as omissions, insertions, substitutions, or misread words reduce the content score. Content is essentially a count of words rendered correctly.

8. List three common pitfalls students make in Read Aloud.

   Reading too fast or too slow, frequent hesitations/false starts (repeating words), and ignoring punctuation so phrasing and intonation sound flat or rushed.

9. Why is it a mistake to stop and restart a word you mispronounce in Read Aloud?

   Repetitions and self-corrections lower the Oral Fluency score, which rewards smooth, uninterrupted speech. It is better to keep going than to correct one word.

10. In the Repeat Sentence task, what exactly are you required to do?

    Listen to a single spoken sentence (3 to 9 seconds long) once, then repeat it exactly, reproducing as many words in the correct order as possible.

11. How long after the audio finishes does recording begin in Repeat Sentence, and how long do you have?

    Recording starts almost immediately (within about 3 seconds), and you have up to roughly 15 seconds to repeat the sentence.

12. What scoring traits does Repeat Sentence contribute to?

    It contributes to Speaking and Listening overall scores, and to the enabling skills of Content, Oral Fluency, and Pronunciation.

13. What is the best memory strategy for the Repeat Sentence task?

    Focus on understanding the meaning (chunking into phrases) rather than memorizing isolated words, and repeat immediately while the sentence is fresh, mirroring the original intonation.

14. What are the three stages of the Re-tell Lecture process from start to recording?

    1) Listen to the lecture (up to about 90 seconds) while taking notes, 2) take about 10 seconds to organize your notes, and 3) re-tell the lecture in your own words within 40 seconds.

15. In Re-tell Lecture, what should your notes focus on capturing?

    Key points: the main topic, supporting details, examples, names/numbers, and the relationship between ideas (cause/effect, comparison) rather than every word.

16. What recording time limit applies to Re-tell Lecture and Describe Image?

    Both give you 40 seconds to record your response.

17. For Re-tell Lecture content selection, what makes a high-scoring response?

    Including the main theme plus several relevant supporting points and an example, with correct relationships between ideas, rather than a single point repeated.

18. What is a recommended structure (template) for re-telling a lecture?

    Opening (The lecture was about...), body (The speaker discussed... and pointed out... for example...), and conclusion (In conclusion, the lecture explained...).

19. Why should you keep speaking for the full duration in Re-tell Lecture even if you forget details?

    Oral Fluency rewards continuous speech; stopping early or leaving long pauses lowers fluency and content scores, so paraphrase or generalize to fill the time smoothly.

20. Name five common visual types you may encounter in Describe Image.

    Bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, tables, and maps (also process diagrams, flow charts, and images/photographs).

21. In Describe Image, how much time do you get to study the image before recording?

    About 25 seconds to view and prepare, then 40 seconds to describe it.

22. When describing a line graph, what key features should you mention?

    The axes (what each represents and units), the overall trend, highest and lowest points, any turning points, and a comparison or notable change over time.

23. What vocabulary describes an upward trend in data?

    Increased, rose, climbed, grew, surged, went up; for sharp rises use 'rose sharply/dramatically', for slow rises use 'rose gradually/steadily'.

24. What vocabulary describes a downward trend in data?

    Decreased, fell, dropped, declined, plummeted, went down; modify with 'sharply', 'steadily', 'gradually', or 'slightly' to indicate degree.

25. What words describe data that stays the same or fluctuates?

    Remained stable/constant/steady/unchanged/plateaued for no change; fluctuated, varied, or was volatile for irregular up-and-down movement.

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