PTE Read Aloud: how it works, how it is scored and how to practise
In PTE Academic Read Aloud you see up to 60 words of text and read them aloud into the microphone. You get 30–40 seconds to prepare, then a tone, then you speak. Pearson, the test owner, scores content (every word, and only those words), pronunciation and oral fluency.
Read Aloud looks easy, and it is one of the tasks where careful practice pays off fastest. This page gives Pearson's own description of the task and its scoring, then a routine, eight original practice texts and a way to mark yourself. It is not advice on any visa. Pearson's pages decide the rules.
What Read Aloud is
The task, in Pearson's words.
Read Aloud comes in the first part of the test, after a personal introduction that does not count towards your score. Pearson describes that part like this.
"This part of the test contains nine different question types."
"This question does not contribute to your score and is for familiarization purposes only."
| Question | What Pearson says |
|---|---|
| How long is the text? | Text up to 60 words |
| How long do I get to prepare? | You have 30–40 seconds to read the text and prepare. |
| When do I start speaking? | After the tone, start speaking immediately. Do not start speaking before the microphone opens because your voice will not be recorded. |
| How should I speak? | You should speak clearly. There is no need to rush. |
| When must I finish? | Finish speaking before the progress bar reaches the end. |
| Can I try again? | You are only able to record your response once |
Pearson's test page gives the whole speaking and writing part as 76–84 minutes (its pages also call the full test a 2-hour test, so treat the part time as a guide), and Read Aloud is a small slice of it. Do it well and move on.
"Part 1: Speaking & Writing Duration 76–84 minutes Question types 9 question types"
PTE Core, which Pearson describes as "For IRCC permanent residency (PR) and citizenship applications in Canada", also has a Read Aloud task, and Pearson's PTE Core page gives the same 60-word limit. See our PTE Read Aloud in Canada page.
How Read Aloud is scored
Three things, and one of them is easy to lose.
Pearson says your score is based on three factors.
| Factor | What Pearson says |
|---|---|
| Content | Does your response include all the words in the reading text and only these words? Content is scored by counting the number of correct words in your response. |
| Content, what costs you | Replacements insertions and omissions of words will negatively affect your score. |
| Pronunciation | Pronunciation is scored by determining if your speech is easily understandable to most regular speakers of the language. |
| Oral fluency | Does your response demonstrate a smooth, effortless and natural rate of speech? Hesitations, repetitions and false starts will negatively affect your score. |
Pearson's Score Guide puts the content rule more simply.
"Each replacement, omission or insertion of a word counts as one error."
On accents, Pearson says this.
"PTE Academic recognizes regional and national varieties of English pronunciation to the degree that they are understandable to most regular speakers of the language."
Our reading: you are not marked for a particular national accent, but you are marked on whether most regular speakers of English would understand you at once, and Pearson's top description says vowels and consonants "pronounced in a native-like way". Clear vowels and consonants, and stress in the right place, matter more than the accent itself.
One more fact worth knowing: Pearson's format page says in one line that Read Aloud affects the scoring of reading as well as speaking (quote below) and in the next line that your reading skills are not tested by this question type, and the Academic Score Guide table lists Read Aloud under Speaking only. Pearson's pages do not agree, so do not count on Read Aloud adding to your Reading score.
"This item type affects the scoring of the following: reading, speaking, pronunciation and oral fluency."
Pearson's own tips
Two tips, both about chunking and stress.
"You have 30–40 seconds to look at the text before the microphone opens, so use this time to break the text up into meaningful chunks, using the punctuation as a guide."
"Using appropriate pausing helps you to read more fluently and give the full meaning of the text. This will improve your score."
"When you read the text, stress the words that help to convey meaning, by reading them in a slightly louder voice and adding emphasis to key syllables, e.g., development."
Pearson's page shows a worked example, with the pauses marked by slashes and the stressed words underlined. It is worth looking at the original before you start. Our model markings below follow the same idea but use our own texts.
A preparation routine for the 30 to 40 seconds
Our method, built on what Pearson says the time is for.
| When | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Seconds 0 to 5 | Read the whole text silently once, only for meaning. | You cannot chunk a text you do not understand. |
| Seconds 5 to 20 | Mark chunks with slashes at commas and full stops, and at natural breaks in meaning such as before and, but, which or a long phrase. Circle two or three words you might trip on. | Chunks give you places to breathe and keep your voice natural. |
| Seconds 20 to 30 | Decide how you will say any number, name or long word. Mouth the hardest phrase silently. | A decision made now cannot cause a stumble later. |
| Any seconds left | Look at the final sentence and plan a falling tone at the very end. | A clear ending sounds finished and avoids a trailing hesitation. |
| When the tone sounds | Start straight away, at a steady pace, and read what is written, not what you expect. | Speaking before the microphone opens is lost, and expecting a word often replaces it. |
Model marking for our text 2, with pauses shown as slashes: Although the museum had planned to open the new wing in spring, / delays in the delivery of materials / meant that the opening was postponed / until the end of the year.
Model marking for text 1: The new community garden has beds for tomatoes, / beans, / spinach and herbs, / a shaded seating area, / and a small shed for tools. / Volunteers meet every Saturday morning, / and anyone in the neighbourhood is welcome to join.
Eight original practice texts
Our own writing. Each is under 50 words and trains one skill.
| No. | Text to read aloud | What it trains |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The new community garden has beds for tomatoes, beans, spinach and herbs, a shaded seating area, and a small shed for tools. Volunteers meet every Saturday morning, and anyone in the neighbourhood is welcome to join. | Lists and commas. Pause after each comma, let your voice lift a little on each item, and fall on the last one. |
| 2 | Although the museum had planned to open the new wing in spring, delays in the delivery of materials meant that the opening was postponed until the end of the year. | A long sentence with one clause in front. Hold the opening clause, pause at the comma, then finish in one run. |
| 3 | The committee met on 14 March to review the budget. It approved spending of 2.5 million dollars on road repairs, and a further 300 thousand on cycle lanes. | Numbers and dates. Decide how you will say each one during preparation, then say it the same way. |
| 4 | Researchers have found that regular sleep improves memory, concentration and mood, and that irregular sleep patterns may reduce the benefits of exercise. | Academic vocabulary and stress on content words such as researchers, memory and irregular. |
| 5 | The government's environmental policy emphasises renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and the responsible management of natural resources. | Long words. Stress the right syllable in environmental, sustainable and agriculture. |
| 6 | Some people argue that online lectures are more convenient. Others prefer the discussion that only a classroom can offer. Both views have merit, but the choice often depends on the subject. | Contrast. Let your voice rise on the first view and fall at the end of the last sentence. |
| 7 | Dr Okonkwo presented the findings at a conference in Melbourne last month. Her team had spent three years studying how coastal wetlands store carbon. | Names and places. Say a name you do not know clearly and confidently, and move on. |
| 8 | Please remember that library books must be returned by the due date. Late items may incur a small fine, which can be paid at the front desk. | Short and plain. A good text to read at a steady pace, with no hurry and no stumbles. |
These are not copied from Pearson or any book. They are all shorter than the real task's text limit, so once these feel easy, join two of the shorter ones into one text that stays under the limit and read that. They are only practice material. Do not memorise them. Read each one cold, with the clock running.
How to mark yourself
A simple sheet you can use after every recording.
| Check | How to do it | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Words | Play the recording against the text. Count each word you changed, left out or added. Each counts as one error. | Zero errors. |
| Pauses | Mark any pause longer than a normal breath, or in the middle of a phrase. | Pauses only at commas, full stops and the chunk breaks you marked, each one short. |
| Restarts | Count each time you stopped and started a word or phrase again. | Zero restarts. Carry on and fix nothing. |
| Pronunciation | List the words you were unsure of. Look each up in a dictionary with audio and say it aloud five times. | Fewer unsure words each week. |
| Pace | Time yourself against the text length. Compare with a native speaker reading the same text. | A steady pace, not a race. |
Pearson's own guided practice tests build in this habit of self-review and sample answers. Its November 2024 article on them says this.
"Click on the sample answer button to listen to and read the sample response."
"Stick to the time limits (e.g., 30-40 seconds for Read Aloud)."
You can reach them from a free myPTE account. See our PTE practice test and free mock test page for how.
The five mistakes we would fix first
From the scoring rules above.
- Reading what you expect, not what is written. A small word such as "the" or "a" swapped for another counts as an error.
- Racing. Speed raises the chance of dropped endings and swallowed words, and Pearson's own advice is that there is no need to rush.
- Restarting after a slip. Pearson says repetitions and false starts hurt fluency, so keep going.
- Pausing in the middle of a phrase. Pause only where the punctuation or the meaning lets you.
- Flat reading. Read for meaning, with stress on the words that carry it and a falling tone at the end of a sentence.
Other test takers sit nearby when you take the test. Pearson says this will not affect your recording.
"Don’t worry – our microphones won’t pick up what they are saying, and you will be responding to different questions, so this won’t affect your test result."
Common questions
A speaking task. Pearson says: "Text appears on the screen. Read the text aloud." The text can be up to 60 words, and you get 30–40 seconds to prepare.
Pearson says "Text up to 60 words".
After your preparation time of 30–40 seconds, you hear a short tone. Pearson says: "After the tone, start speaking immediately. Do not start speaking before the microphone opens because your voice will not be recorded."
On three things. Content counts the correct words you say, and replacements, insertions and omissions hurt your score. Pronunciation is judged on whether most regular speakers would understand you. Oral fluency looks for smooth, natural speech, and hesitations, repetitions and false starts hurt.
Pearson says it recognises regional and national varieties of English pronunciation "to the degree that they are understandable to most regular speakers of the language".
No. Pearson says: "You are only able to record your response once".
Use free guided practice from Pearson with sample answers, and our own eight texts. Record yourself, play it back against the text, and count every word you changed, dropped or added. Our routine and marking sheet are above.