PTE Read Aloud: Format, Scoring and Tips

How the task works

Preparation

30–40 seconds to read the text silently (depends on its length)

Response

Up to 40 seconds of recording, starting after a short tone

Scored on

Content, pronunciation and oral fluency

Counts for

Speaking and Reading

Strategies that help

• Use the preparation time to read the text silently once, marking where you will pause — at commas, full stops and between long phrases.
• Start speaking within a second or two of the tone. A long silence at the start can end the recording.
• Aim for a steady, natural pace. Rushing makes words blur together; slowing down too much breaks your fluency.
• Say the endings of words clearly — plurals, past tenses (-ed) and words ending in -t or -d are easy to drop.
• If you stumble on a word, keep going. Stopping to correct yourself costs more fluency than the single word costs content.

Common mistakes

• Re-reading a sentence after a mistake.
• Pausing for a long time on an unfamiliar word instead of making your best attempt and moving on.
• Speaking in a flat, rushed voice to “fit everything in”.
• Leaving long silences — the microphone stops after about three seconds of silence.

Example

Urban gardens are becoming common in many cities. / Besides providing fresh food, / they give neighbours a reason to meet / and help reduce summer temperatures.

The slashes show natural places to pause briefly. Notice the endings to say clearly: gardens, cities, providing, neighbours, temperatures.

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