PTE Academic
vs PTE Core

PTE Academic — Complete Guide

PTE Academic is the flagship Pearson English test and the most widely accepted of the two. It is designed to test real-world English as used in academic and professional environments — from lectures and seminars to essays and research discussions.

Test Format — PTE Academic

PTE Academic is approximately 2 hours long (with an optional 10-minute break). The entire test is completed in a single sitting at a Pearson-approved test centre on a computer. There is no separate Speaking test with a human examiner — Speaking tasks are integrated into the exam and recorded by the computer.

Part 1 — Speaking & Writing

The first and longest section combines Speaking and Writing tasks. Speaking responses are recorded through the computer microphone — there is no face-to-face examiner interaction.

• 1
  Read Aloud — Read a text of up to 60 words aloud into the microphone. Tests pronunciation, fluency, and oral reading.
• 2
  Repeat Sentence — Listen to a sentence and repeat it exactly. Tests listening and spoken production.
• 3
  Describe Image — Describe a graph, chart, map, or diagram in 40 seconds. Tests spoken academic language.
• 4
  Re-tell Lecture — Listen to a lecture excerpt and retell the key points. Tests integrated listening and speaking.
• 5
  Answer Short Question — Listen to a question and give a one-word or short answer. Tests vocabulary and comprehension.
• 6
  Summarise Written Text — Read a passage and write a one-sentence summary (75 words max). Tests reading and writing integration.
• 7
  Write Essay — Write a 200–300 word argumentative essay on an academic topic in 20 minutes. Tests extended written production.

Part 2 — Reading

A 30–40 minute section testing your ability to understand written academic English through a variety of task types — including fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, and re-ordering paragraphs.

• 1
  Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks — Choose the correct word from a drop-down list to complete an academic text.
• 2
  Multiple Choice (Multiple) — Read a passage and select all correct answers. Incorrect answers incur negative marking.
• 3
  Re-order Paragraphs — Arrange text boxes into a logical order. Tests discourse-level comprehension.
• 4
  Reading: Fill in the Blanks — Drag words into gaps in a passage from a word bank provided.
• 5
  Multiple Choice (Single) — Read a passage and select the single best answer to a question.

Part 3 — Listening

A 30–45 minute section with audio and video recordings of lectures, conversations, and interviews. Tasks test your ability to understand spoken academic English and take notes effectively.

• 1
  Summarise Spoken Text — Listen to a 60–90 second recording and write a 50–70 word summary. Tests integrated listening and writing.
• 2
  Multiple Choice (Multiple) — Select all correct responses to a question about an audio clip.
• 3
  Fill in the Blanks — Listen to a recording and type the missing words as you hear them.
• 4
  Highlight Correct Summary — Listen and choose which written summary best matches what you heard.
• 5
  Multiple Choice (Single) — Choose the best answer to a question about an audio clip.
• 6
  Select Missing Word — Listen to a recording with the final word replaced by a beep and choose the correct word.
• 7
  Highlight Incorrect Words — Listen to an audio and click on words in a transcript that differ from what was said.
• 8
  Write from Dictation — Listen to a sentence and type it exactly. Tests listening accuracy and spelling.

PTE Academic Scoring

Who Should Take PTE Academic?