Author: Bijay Thapa

Today, before we give you tips on getting a good score in PTE Summarize Written Text, we will show you how to analyse a given passage… so that you can get the maximum score in this section without relying on tricks and tactics.

First, we will show you a sample passage.

you can skip it and get to THE BREAK-DOWN of our answer below. 

We left it up so that you can follow us along during the break-down.

Sample Passage

Over the years, language teachers have alternated between favouring teaching approaches that focus primarily on language use and those that focus on language forms or analysis. The alternation has been due to a fundamental disagreement concerning whether one learns to communicate in a second language by communicating in that language (such as in an immersion experience) or whether one learns to communicate in a second language by learning the lexico-grammar – the words and grammatical structures – of the target language. In other words, the argument has been about two different means of achieving the same end.

As with any enduring controversy, the matter is not easily resolved. For one thing, there is evidence to support both points of view. It is not uncommon to find learners who, for whatever reason, find themselves in a new country or a new region of their own country, who need to learn a new language, and who do so without the benefit of formal instruction. If they are post-pubescent, they may well retain an accent of some kind, but they can pick up enough language to satisfy their communicative needs. In fact, some are natural acquirers who become highly proficient in this manner. In contrast, there are learners whose entire exposure to the new language comes in the form of classroom instruction in lexico-grammar. Yet they too achieve a measure of communicative proficiency, and certain of these learners become highly proficient as well.

What we can infer from this is that humans are amazingly versatile learners and that some people have a natural aptitude for acquiring languages and will succeed no matter what the circumstances.

Sample Answer:

Over the years, language teachers have alternated between focusing on teaching approach based on either language use or language forms and while this controversy is not easily resolved, humans are amazingly versatile learners which means some people have natural aptitude for acquiring languages and will succeed no matter what the circumstances.

Word count: 51 words

Break-down: Part 1

Before we do a break down of our answer, let’s summarize all three paragraphs, so that we know what’s going on…

1^st paragraph: In the first paragraph, the main theme is the alternation between two types of teaching approaches. That’s why we’ll focus the first part of our answer on that theme.

2^nd paragraph: Here, the main theme is the differences surrounding those two teaching approaches and justification for each approach. Thus, our focus will be on the “controversy” about the teaching methods.

3^rd paragraph: In this paragraph, our focus will be on human versatility and their ability to learn languages without being impacted by circumstances.

Now that we have summarized each paragraph, let’s break down our answer.

What we have done is, we have reduced those summaries into 1 sentence of 51 words.

How did we do that?

Break-down: Part 2

Let’s take a detailed look at it.

Our sentence begins with “Over the years, language teachers have alternated between focusing on teaching approach based on either language use or language forms”.

This was the main theme of our summary of the 1^st paragraph, and that’s what we have done—written the main theme.

Then, we have used a connector – “and” in this case – to join the themes of the 1^st and the 2^nd paragraphs.

After that, our sentence continues… “and while this controversy is not easily resolved” …

All we have done is mentioned the main theme of the 2^nd paragraph.

And finally, we ended with…

“humans are amazingly versatile learners which means some people have natural aptitude for acquiring languages and will succeed no matter what the circumstances.”

This is an almost copy-paste of the 3^rd paragraph because the entire theme of the passage was here. The first 2 paragraphs acted as a prelude to this conclusion.

What does this mean?

This means… to get a good score in PTE Summarize Written Text section, you must first identify the key theme of each paragraph, then, summarize those themes; all in 1 sentence. To make sure that you still have 1 sentence, use a series of connectors.

Connectors are conjunctions. For example- “and”, “but”, “while”, “unless”, “because”, “so that”, “or” etc.

Or you could use a comma (,), a semicolon (;) or a hyphen (-) to separate your sentences.

Oh… and let’s take a look at 2 things that you MUST remember when you are analysing the passage.

Keep it simple. Only address the main themes of the passage. You don’t need to cover all the points.

You don’t need to write 75 words to get the maximum score. Our sample answer was only 51 words and that’s what we recommend you should aim for. 40-55 words are ideal.

If you liked this post, feel free to read our other PTE posts and if you need help with your PTE exam, you can contact us for expert guidance.

PTE Answer Short Question is the last question type before the Writing section.

What happens in this question type is, you listen to short audio, about 3-9 seconds and then answer with a single word or a few words within 10 seconds.

There is only one key to getting a good score in this section. And that is to ensure that you understand common phrases, idioms, and how things are described. This means you must have a wide range of general knowledge.

Let’s take a look at a few examples before we dive into some things you need to remember during the exam.

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Would you measure the volume of bottled water in litre or kilogram?

Answer: Litre

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Who sits in the cockpit of an airplane?

Answer: Pilot

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What do you call a list in front of a book which outlines the structure of a book?

Answer: Table of Contents

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How many years are there in a silver jubilee?

Answer: 25 years

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If you want to find the map of Australia, what type of book should you use?

Answer: Atlas

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Which part at the end of a book can be used for further reading? An index or a bibliography?

Answer: Bibliography

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What do we call the thread in the centre of the candle?

Answer: Wick

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Now… looking at the above questions, you can see that the answer always is made up of a word or a few words. This brings us directly to our first tip…

Don’t give long answers

To illustrate this point, let’s take a look at another example.

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What does a sundial measure?

Answer: Time

DON’T SAY: a sundial measures time.

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Remember, the time you have is limited. Don’t waste it on saying full sentences. You will get 1 point for the right answer, regardless of the length of your answer. That’s why… be short.

Moving on…

Your vocabulary matters

Here’s the thing… the more words and their meanings you know… the better you will score in this section. In the above examples, you may have noticed that almost all the questions describe something.

So, what does it mean for you?

It means… you must keep practicing your English vocabulary. You can look at the list of PTE Academic collocation list to help you practice and improve your vocabulary.

Next…

Give the first answer that comes to you

You know… sometimes… the moment you hear a question, an image comes to you and you know what the answer is. When that happens, just say the word out loud. This does 2 things.

First, you give an answer in the allocated time.

Second, you stop yourself from over-thinking and doubting your answer. The first word that comes to you when you hear a description is often correct.

Another key thing to remember is to…

Concentrate

Sometimes… it is easy to discount this question type is easy… and when we do that… we usually stop concentrating. So, what I want you to do is… JUST CONCENTRATE. It doesn’t matter how easy you think the question type is… if you lose your concentration… you lose your points. And that means… you could potentially get a lower score.

Just one word here. CONCENTRATE!!!

And finally…

Don’t Pause for a long time

Remember… you only have 10 seconds to answer. And sometimes… you will start thinking of multiple possible answers. If you keep thinking about the best possible answer, you will only be wasting your time. That’s why… keep the timer in mind and answer as soon as you get the first answer. As we discussed earlier… the first answer that usually comes is almost always the correct answer.

That’s it for the tips. We can go on rambling on about PRACTICE! But you already know that.

Keep practicing. If you need expert trainers to guide you in your PTE journey, then contact us

You can read more about getting a good score in PTE or about the PTE test format.

And share this post with your friends.

Okay… after repeat sentence, the next question type you will encounter in your PTE Speaking exam is Describe the Image.

In this task, you will have 25 seconds to look at the image and you should talk about the image for 30-40 seconds.

This is a difficult task if you don’t prepare for it well. Let’s move on to tips on how to get a good score in PTE Describe Image.

But before we dive into general tips, let’s do an example, to help you get an idea of what to expect and what to say in your exam with 1 simple technique.

The given bar graph shows the child mortality rate in different regions in 2015. From the graph, we can see that Africa has the highest child mortality rate at just over 8 percent while Europe has the lowest mortality rate at 0.58 percent. Overall, the average child mortality rate in the world is 4.5 percent. In conclusion, the graph shows the average child mortality rate in the year 2015 in various regions of the world.

Now, let’s breakdown the sample answer.

Introduction

We start our speech by introducing the key idea presented in the image.

Body

In the body of the sentence, we highlight/contrast/compare (depending on the graph or chart given) and discuss the points that stand out the most.

In our case, we compared between the highest and the lowest range. And then used the information in the chart to give more detail (average child mortality rate) about the image.

Conclusion

And finally, we concluded by re-emphasizing the topic of the image.

That’s the only technique you will need to get a good score in this question type.

Introduction– mention the contents of the image

Body– describe the key trends and ideas in the image

Conclusion– restate or summarize the contents of the image.

Now, let’s dive deeper into some tips to improve your score:

Talk about the key ideas from the image

Just like in the example above, use the 25 seconds you have to get a sense of what the key ideas and the most striking details of the image are. You can use the erasable board to take notes of the key ideas. Refer to them when you are talking to make sure that you’re covering the most important details in the image.

Try not to pause between sentences

Since this question type tests your oral fluency and pronunciation, try to speak at a natural pace without pausing. Using filler words like, “ummm….” is a big NO-NO. Avoid them at all costs.

The best way to improve yourself is to practice every day.

Describe the key trends in the image

Every image will have some trends that you can talk about. Let’s take a look at another example to illustrate this point.

                Sample Answer:

The given chart shows us Index of Human Development from 1870 to 2015. According to the chart, Australia has the highest Index of Human Development while Nigeria has the lowest. From the chart, I can see that there is a continuous upward trend in Index of Human Development in different parts of the world like China, Nigeria, Australia, United States. In conclusion, this chart shows that the Index of Human Development is rising steadily from 1870 to 2015.

Here, we followed a similar pattern to the bar graph. Comparisons and discussion of key ideas. And in this case, we also discussed the key trend—the continuous rise in the chart.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to describing an image in PTE, the key is to keep practicing and speaking naturally. PTE tests your ability to analyze key relationships, ideas, and trends in the data. To get the best score in this section, you must discuss and logically connect key ideas in the image.

If you want our guidance to help you get a good score in PTE, contact us to book your place.

This is the last section in your PTE test. And it lasts between 45-57 minutes. Now, between the Reading and Listening section, you can take an optional 10-minute break.

Remember, if you don’t take a break, those 10 minutes will NOT be added to your time for Listening section. So, we recommend, you take your break to freshen yourself up.

Ready!! Let’s breakdown the individual question types in Listening Section.

Summarize Spoken Text

You will hear a 60-90 second clip and after that is done, you must write its summary in 50-70 words. This way, the test will assess your listening and writing skills.

Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer

You’ll hear a 40-90 second clip and you’ll need to answer a multiple-choice question which has more than one correct answers.

You’ll have 7 seconds before the audio begins to prepare to take notes and you can only listen to the it once. After you listen to the audio, select the best answers that appropriately match the meaning and summarize a part of the spoken text. Don’t go for sentences with words that match what you heard. Focus on the meaning/message of the clip.

After that comes…

Fill in the Blanks

Here, you’ll hear a 30-60 second audio clip and you’ll have a paragraph with multiple blank spaces in them.

Use the 7 seconds you have before the audio begins to skim the paragraph and get a sense of what to expect. If you can type fast then type as you hear the audio, because the audio will repeat whatever is written on the paragraph.

If you think you can write faster than you can type, use the board to write the missing words and fill them after you hear the full audio.

When you’re done, press Next to get to…

Highlight Correct Summary

In this question, you’ll hear a 30-90 second audio. And you’ll see multiple possible answers that summarise what you heard.

Make sure that you focus only on listening to the audio. Don’t get distracted by the options you see. Focus only on the audio and take notes of what you hear. And after that, read your notes and select the option that is closest to what your note says.

And then comes…

Multiple Choice, Single Answer

You’ll hear a 30-60 second audio clip and in this type, there is only one correct response.

So, before the audio begins, quickly read the question and possible answers. This way you’ll have a good idea of what you may hear in the audio. Then after the audio begins, focus on main idea you expect to hear based on the question you saw.

For example, you may be listening for the speaker’s opinion, or supporting information or the speaker’s purpose. Listen for the answer to the question you see.

After that, you’ll…

Select Missing Word

This time the prompt will vary between 20-70 seconds.

Here, the last word or group of words in the audio will be replaced by a beep. So, focus intently on the audio and try to guess what the next word or words would be if you were speaking and then, select the most appropriate answer from the options given.

After you’re done here, you’ll need to…

Highlight Incorrect Words

Here you’ll hear an audio of 15-50 seconds and see a transcript of the audio.

The problem is, some words will be incorrect. So, while listening and reading, you must highlight the words that don’t match what the speaker says in the audio. To make it easy for you, follow the text with the cursor and highlight the wrong word as soon as you spot it.

And the final question type is…

Write from Dictation

Here the audio length is 3-5 seconds.

With that said, make sure that you either get your note board ready or you type fast. Because, after you hear the 3-5 second audio, you must type in all the words that you hear. Okay… not all, but ideally all the words that you can. Type in whatever you remember or whatever you could take note of. If you’re confused, make your best guess depending on the sentence you heard.

So, that’s it… we are done with our PTE Listening test.

Next, you may want to dive deeper into how to practice for each question type. For that, you can go to our How to Get a High Score in PTE post and choose the section that you want to practice.

Good Luck!!

The next section after the Speaking and Writing section is the PTE Reading section. This section takes about 32-40 minutes depending on the pace at which you solve the questions and the number of questions.

There are 5 question types in this section. We will take a brief look at each here.

Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks

This type assesses your reading and writing skill with a prompt of up to 300 words.

In this section, you will see a passage with some missing words shown as a blank box. Upon clicking the box, you will see a list of words. And from the list, you must select the most appropriate word that fits the context of the passage.

Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer

In this type, your reading skill is assessed and you will see another prompt of up to 300 words.

In this section, you will need to read a passage and then select all the answers that are correct and relevant to the passage you read. In this question type, you will receive negative marks for incorrect answers. Thus, you must be confident with the answer you choose.

Re-order Paragraphs

You will see a prompt of up to 150 words that will assess your reading skills.

In this section, you will see a list of sentences in jumbled order. Your task is to re-assemble them in the correct order so that the sequence of sentences make sense.

A simple way to solve this is to identify the main idea of each sentence by looking for key words. Then, you can use the key words to re-order the sentences in a logical order.

Fill in the Blanks

In this section, you will see a prompt of up to 80 words.

To assess your reading skill, you will see a passage with some words missing. You will also see a list of words in a blue box at the bottom. To get maximum score here, you must drag and drop the list of words and complete the sentence.

Multiple Choice, Single Answer

In this section, you will read another prompt of up to 300 words.

Just like in the other multiple choice type, you will read a passage. This time, there will be ONLY ONE correct choice. In this section, there will be NO negative marking, so you should respond to all the questions.

So, this was a brief overview of each question type you will see in your PTE Reading section. We will dive deeper into each section in the coming weeks.

Today, we will get familiar with PTE Speaking and Writing section. This section takes between 75-90 minutes depending on the number of questions you get and the speed at which you solve the questions. There are 8 different question types in this section including the Personal Introduction which is not scored.

So, let’s begin.

PTE Speaking

That’s it for an introduction to PTE Speaking and Writing question types.

Next, you can get read our guide on How to Get a High Score in PTE. And you can read these to improve your PTE Oral Fluency and Pronunciation.