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PTE speaking: the tasks and how they’re scored

All the speaking is in Part 1, mixed in with the writing tasks, and you answer into a headset microphone with no chance to re-record. After an unscored personal introduction, the PTE speaking test has 7 question types, from Read Aloud and Repeat Sentence to the two tasks added in August 2025, Respond to a Situation and Summarize Group Discussion.

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Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

The speaking tasks

The personal introduction comes first: 25 seconds to read the prompt, then 30 seconds to record. It isn’t scored. In Answer Short Question, staying silent for more than three seconds ends the item.

TaskHow manyWhat you doTime to answer
Read Aloud6-7Read a text of up to 60 words aloud, after 30-40 seconds to prepareDepends on the text
Repeat Sentence10-12Repeat a sentence of 3-9 seconds15 seconds
Describe Image5-6Describe an image in detail, after 25 seconds to prepare40 seconds
Retell Lecture2-3Retell a lecture of up to 90 seconds, with 10 seconds to prepare40 seconds
Answer Short Question5-6Answer a spoken question in one or a few words10 seconds
Summarize Group Discussion2-3Summarise a discussion between three speakers of up to 3 minutes2 minutes
Respond to a Situation2-3Reply to an everyday situation you read and hear once40 seconds

How is the PTE speaking test scored?

Content is scored first. If it scores 0, because you said nothing relevant or used a memorised answer, the task gets no points. Otherwise you’re also scored on pronunciation and oral fluency, each from 0 to 5. Those two are always scored by AI. For Describe Image, Retell Lecture, Respond to a Situation and Summarize Group Discussion, a human expert also checks the content.

In Repeat Sentence, content is about getting the words back in order: 3 points if every word is there in the right sequence, 2 for at least half of them, 1 for less than half.

How all the scores fit together →

Speaking that also counts for listening

Repeat Sentence, Retell Lecture and Summarize Group Discussion score both listening and speaking, and Answer Short Question scores listening. Read Aloud, Describe Image and Respond to a Situation count for speaking only.

Speaking on the day

  • Speak at a normal conversational volume. You don’t need to raise your voice.
  • Other people in the room will be speaking too, so keep your headset on.
  • Long pauses, hesitation or unclear words can lower your score.
  • You get one recording per task. There’s no second go.

Explore

Everything else, in one place

OverviewPTE AcademicScoringHow PTE Academic scoring worksBookingHow to book your PTE testCostPTE exam fee in AustraliaOnline testCan you take PTE Academic online?Test formatPTE Academic test format: three parts, 22 question typesWritingPTE writing: the essay, the summaries and the markingReadingPTE Academic reading: five question typesListeningPTE Academic listening: eight question typesResultsPTE results: when they come and how long they lastAustralian visasPTE Academic for Australian PR and other visasPTE vs IELTSPTE Academic equivalent to IELTS scoresPTE CorePTE Core: the PTE test for CanadaTypes of PTEPTE General test vs PTE Academic, Core and HomeTest centresPTE test centres in AustraliaTest datesPTE Academic dates and test availabilityHandbookPTE Academic handbook and official guidesPractice testPTE mock test: 20 free practice questionsWhere to learnWhere to do your PTE preparationStudy plannerHow to prepare for PTE Academic: your study planner
Sources: Pearson PTE and 2 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.