A short text appears on screen with an audio recording of it. You read the text aloud into the microphone while the recording plays.
- Skills
- Speaking
- Per test
- 6–7
- Scoring
- Scored on traits
Question type library
All 22 PTE Academic question types
See what each task asks you to do, how it is scored, and where marks are commonly lost. Each guide links directly to a matching practice drill.
Part 1
Part 1: Speaking & Writing
Nine speaking and writing types. Repeat Sentence, Re-tell Lecture and Summarize Group Discussion each feed both Listening and Speaking; Summarize Written Text feeds both Reading and Writing.
9 types · 76–84 min
You hear a sentence read aloud, then repeat it back as closely as you can. The recording plays once only.
- Skills
- Listening + Speaking
- Per test
- 10–12
- Scoring
- Scored on traits
An image appears — a graph, chart, table, photograph or map — and you have to describe what it shows aloud.
- Skills
- Speaking
- Per test
- 5–6
- Scoring
- Scored on traits
You hear a short academic lecture, then retell it in your own words. You are given preparation time before the recording plays.
- Skills
- Listening + Speaking
- Per test
- 2–3
- Scoring
- Scored on traits
A short question accompanies a short audio clip, with one- to four-word options. You choose the one that answers it.
- Skills
- Listening
- Per test
- 5–6
- Scoring
- Correct or incorrect
You hear a group conversation — typically three speakers plus a facilitator — and then summarise what the group as a whole concluded.
- Skills
- Listening + Speaking
- Per test
- 2–3
- Scoring
- Scored on traits
A short everyday scenario is described and a prompt appears. You respond aloud as if you were in that situation.
- Skills
- Speaking
- Per test
- 2–3
- Scoring
- Scored on traits
A short paragraph appears with a one-sentence summary prompt. You write exactly one complete sentence summarising it.
- Skills
- Reading + Writing
- Per test
- 2
- Scoring
- Scored on traits
A prompt gives you a situation to discuss and an opinion to defend. You write a discursive essay of 200 to 300 words in twenty minutes.
- Skills
- Writing
- Per test
- 1
- Scoring
- Scored on traits
Part 2
Part 2: Reading
One academic passage, twenty scored items, five types. Re-order Paragraphs awards a point per correctly ordered adjacent pair rather than being all-or-nothing.
5 types · 23–30 min
You read a passage with gaps and choose from word lists shown beside each gap. Every gap is a dropdown.
- Skills
- Reading
- Per test
- 5–6
- Scoring
- One point per blank
A passage is paired with a table or grid containing gaps, and you fill each one with a word or number from the text.
- Skills
- Reading
- Per test
- 4–5
- Scoring
- One point per blank
You read a passage and answer one question with a single correct option out of four.
- Skills
- Reading
- Per test
- 2–3
- Scoring
- Correct or incorrect
You read a passage and select every option that applies, out of four.
- Skills
- Reading
- Per test
- 2–3
- Scoring
- Marked against wrong answers
The paragraphs of a text are shown in scrambled order, and you drag them into the correct sequence.
- Skills
- Reading
- Per test
- 2–3
- Scoring
- One point per correct pair
Part 3
Part 3: Listening
Eight item types. Write from Dictation and Summarize Spoken Text feed both Listening and Writing; Highlight Correct Summary and Highlight Incorrect Words feed both Listening and Reading.
8 types · 31–39 min
You hear a short academic passage — often a lecture introduction — and write a 50 to 70 word summary.
- Skills
- Listening + Writing
- Per test
- 1
- Scoring
- Scored on traits
Fill in the Blanks
FIB-LYou hear a recording and type the missing words into gaps in a transcript that appears on screen.
- Skills
- Listening
- Per test
- 2–3
- Scoring
- One point per blank
You hear a recording and are shown several paragraph summaries. You select the one that correctly summarises what was said.
- Skills
- Listening + Reading
- Per test
- 2–3
- Scoring
- Correct or incorrect
You hear a recording and answer one multiple-choice question with a single correct option.
- Skills
- Listening
- Per test
- 2–3
- Scoring
- Correct or incorrect
You hear a recording and select every option that applies, out of four.
- Skills
- Listening
- Per test
- 2–3
- Scoring
- Marked against wrong answers
A recording plays with a short beep marking where a word is missing. You choose the word that completes it from four options.
- Skills
- Listening
- Per test
- 1–2
- Scoring
- Correct or incorrect
You hear a recording and see a transcript with roughly one word wrong per sentence. You highlight the incorrect words.
- Skills
- Listening + Reading
- Per test
- 2–3
- Scoring
- Marked against wrong answers
You hear a recording and write down exactly what is said.
- Skills
- Listening + Writing
- Per test
- 3–4
- Scoring
- One point per word
Scoring rules
How scoring works across the test
Only three of the 22 types carry negative marking: Multiple Choice (Multiple Answers) in Reading, Multiple Choice (Multiple Answers) in Listening, and Highlight Incorrect Words. Every other partial-credit type is positive-only, so a wrong answer there costs you the point and nothing more.
- Correct or incorrect — all or nothing, no partial credit. Worth one point when right, zero when wrong.
- One point per blank or word — every blank stands alone, so partial credit is automatic.
- Marked against wrong answers — one point per correct option minus one per incorrect option, floored at zero.
- Scored on traits — spoken and written responses are rated on content and, for writing, form. Where form scores zero, the whole item scores zero.
For the full scale conversion and CEFR bands, see the PTE score guide. For timings and section structure, see the test format.
Common questions
How many question types are in the PTE Academic?
There are 22 question types: 9 in Speaking & Writing, 5 in Reading, 8 in Listening. Some are integrated items that score two skills at once.
Which PTE question types have negative marking?
Only three: Multiple Choice (Multiple Answers) in Reading, Multiple Choice (Multiple Answers) in Listening, and Highlight Incorrect Words. Each awards one point per correct option minus one per wrong option, floored at zero. Every other partial-credit type is positive-only.
Do any PTE question types score two skills at once?
Yes. Repeat Sentence, Re-tell Lecture and Summarize Group Discussion score Listening and Speaking; Summarize Written Text scores Reading and Writing; Summarize Spoken Text and Write from Dictation score Listening and Writing; Highlight Correct Summary and Highlight Incorrect Words score Listening and Reading.
Practice all 22 question types
Every type on this page appears in the full mock and in single-skill drills, with the same timings and scoring rules as the real test.