TIPS FOR PTE SPEAKING MODULE SECTION WISE

Read Aloud:

• Sub- skills tested: Identifying a writer’s purpose (to repeat, to inform, to explain, opinion or a question), style, tone or attitude; understanding academic vocabulary; reading a text under timed conditions; using correct intonation
• Scoring: Each replacement, omission or insertion of a word counts as one error.

Tips:

• Rising your tone on contrast words and falling tone at the end of the sentence can give you good score
• Keep speaking, you realized a mistake, don’t stop just keep speaking.

• • Pay attention to the articles and plurals in the sentence.
  • Practice speaking at least 100 tongue-twisters every day until the exam day.

Repeat Sentence:

• Sub- skills tested: Speaking for a purpose (to repeat, to inform, to explain); speaking at a natural rate; producing fluent speech; using correct intonation; using correct pronunciation; using correct stress; speaking under timed conditions; Understanding academic vocabulary; inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words;
• Scoring: Only replacements, omissions and insertions are considered as errors. Hesitations, filled or unfilled pauses, leading or trailing material are ignored in the scoring of content
  • 3 – All words in the response from the prompt in the correct sequence
  • 2 – At least 50% of words in the response from the prompt in the correct sequence
  • 1 – Less than 50% of words in the response from the prompt in the correct sequence
  • 0 – Almost nothing from the prompt in the response

Tips:

• As you can see the scoring mechanism now, nothing more can be told; just hear with close eyes for full concentration, memorize and speak as much as you can.
• There is no beep, so don’t wait – just start speaking after the computer ends.
• Some people prefer taking Caffeine (Coffee) just before the exam to raise concentration levels of brain.
• If you can’t remember, at-least give importance to keywords.

Describe Image:

• Sub-skills tested: Speaking for a purpose (to repeat, inform, explain); supporting an opinion with details, examples and explanations; organizing an oral presentation in a logical way; developing complex ideas within a spoken discourse; using words and phrases appropriate to the context; using correct grammar; speaking at a natural rate; producing fluent speech; using correct intonation; using correct pronunciation; using correct pronunciation; using correct stress; speaking under timed conditions
• Scoring:
  • 5 – Describes all elements of the image and their relationships, possible development and conclusion or implications
  • 4 – Describes all the key elements of the image and their relations, referring to their implications or conclusions
  • 3 – Deals with most key elements of the image and refers to their implications or conclusions
  • 2 – Deals with only one key element in the image and refers to an implication or conclusion. Shows basic understanding of several core elements of the image
  • 1 – Describes some basic elements of the image, but does not make clear their interrelations or implications
  • 0 – Mentions some disjointed elements of the presentation

Tips:

• Use this format (Tell what chart/graph is about, then axes and units and highest/lowest points). That’s it nothing more or less.
• Introduce with words like illustrate, depicts, elucidates etc. Build your own vocabulary of not-so-common words. Try avoiding using show every-time.
• Understand the kind of image whether it’s bar-chart, line-graph or pie-chart. Line graph is always with a timeline, pie chart with slices and bar chart compares.
• In describing image use the words – on the left hand side, on the right hand side, next to, above, below or bottom, at the top, foreground, background. Just keep on practicing with these words.
• Again the same tip, don’t keep silent, speak something about the image you see.
• Try to finish in 30–35 secs. Incomplete recorded sentences lose you marks.

Retell Lecture:

• Sub-skills tested: Identifying the topic, theme or main ideas; identifying supporting points or examples; identifying a speaker’s purpose, style, tone or attitude; understanding academic vocabulary; inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words; comprehending explicit and implicit information; comprehending concrete and abstract information; classifying and categorizing information; following an oral sequencing of information; comprehending variations in tone, speed and accent
• Scoring:
  • 5 – Re-tells all points of the presentation and describes characters, aspects and actions, their relationships, the underlying development, implications and conclusions
  • 4 – Describes all key points of the presentation and their relations, referring to their implications and conclusions.
  • 3 – Deals with most points in the presentation and refers to their implications and conclusions
  • 2 – Deals with only one key point and refers to an implication or conclusion. Shows basic understanding of several core elements of the presentation
  • 1 – Describes some basic elements of the presentation but does not make clear their interrelations or implications
  • 0 – Mentions some disjointed elements of the presentation

Tips:

• Use phrases like ‘The lecture provides brief information about….’ or ‘According to the speaker, he said…..’ etc… to elaborate the given lecture.
• Note the keyword by understanding the context of the topic, so you can give your best.
• For name you can use titles. ex: Dr. James Alexandra says…. so you can say just ‘ dr says…’.
• If possible try to catch 3-5 sentences it’s enough to re-tell the lecture.
• While taking notes just omit vowel and note keywords it saves the time. (practice it)

Answer short question :

• Sub-skills tested: Identifying the topic, theme or main ideas; understanding academic vocabulary; inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words
• Scoring:
  • 1 – Appropriate word choice in response
  • 0 – Inappropriate word choice in response

Tips:

• If you don’t know the answer, just repeat the words in the question.
• Don’t forget the articles a, an, the before some words.

General Tips for PTE Academic:

– This exam like IELTS is also focused on academic vocabulary. Hence, please learn academic vocabulary as much as you can.

– Erasable notepad and pen, you will read a lot about it on forums. It is basically, laminated notebook with marker pen. So, you get a good speed while writing unlike paper and pen.

– Rest its practice, practice and practice with a bit of over-confidence.