PTE Academic: how the exam works and how it's scored
2 November 2026·6 min
Short answer: PTE Academic is Pearson's English test, taken entirely on a computer in a single session of about two hours. It assesses all four skills through tasks that combine several at once, marking is automated, and results usually arrive in about two days. It's scored from 10 to 90 and accepted by universities worldwide and by several visa programmes. Our school is an official Pearson centre (No. 81111): you can prepare and sit the exam in the same place.
The three parts
| Part | Approximate time | Typical tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Speaking & Writing | 55–70 min | Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence, Describe Image, Re-tell Lecture, Summarize Written Text, Essay |
| Reading | 30 min | Multiple choice, re-order paragraphs, fill in the blanks |
| Listening | 30–45 min | Summarise a recording, multiple choice, Highlight Incorrect Words, Write from Dictation |
You speak into a microphone and type on a keyboard; there's no examiner in front of you. If talking to strangers makes you freeze, this format takes a lot of the pressure off.
How it's marked
An automated system scores content, form, fluency and pronunciation, with human review in some cases. The key point: many tasks score more than one skill at once. Repeat Sentence counts towards Speaking and Listening; Write from Dictation towards Listening and Writing. That's why some tasks are worth far more than others.
What score do you need?
There's no overall "pass": each university, employer or visa sets its own minimum on the 10–90 scale. As a rough guide, many undergraduate programmes ask for around 55–65 and many master's for 60–70. Always check the exact minimum for your destination before booking a date.
Where the marks are
- Read Aloud. Fluency counts, not accent: read at a natural pace, without correcting yourself or going back.
- Repeat Sentence and Write from Dictation. Among the highest-value tasks. Practise them daily: five minutes a day shows within three weeks.
- Don't go silent. If the microphone detects a long silence, it stops recording. A simple sentence beats a pause.
- No memorised templates. The system spots generic answers that don't address the task and penalises them. Use a structure, but talk about the actual content.
How we prepare it
Classes with task-by-task strategies, computer-based mock tests with a score report, and practice on the same kind of setup you'll use on the day. Start with the free level test and we'll tell you what score is realistic, and in how many weeks.