Part 1 · Speaking & Writing · RA
Read Aloud: Speaking & Writing PTE question type
A short text appears on screen with an audio recording of it. You read the text aloud into the microphone while the recording plays.
The recording gives you the pace, the stress and the phrasing, so you are reading along rather than interpreting. There is roughly forty seconds to prepare before the audio begins, and a countdown runs once it starts. You can read any part of the text, in any order, at any speed — the marks come from what you say, not from where you start.
Scoring
How Read Aloud is scored
Content is scored by counting errors: each replacement, omission or insertion of a word counts as one. Pearson publishes no error-to-point table, and the widely repeated approximation that the maximum equals the word count is a community rule rather than an official one. Alongside content, the item is rated for pronunciation and oral fluency.
- Skills scored
- Speaking — contributes to your Speaking score
- Questions per test
- 6–7 in Speaking & Writing
- Traits Pearson rates
- Content · Pronunciation · Oral Fluency
Watch out
Common Read Aloud mistakes
- 1Stopping and restarting after a stumble. The error is already counted; silence only adds fluency damage.
- 2Reading at your own speed instead of matching the recording, which throws the stress pattern off.
- 3Silent reading on the preparation countdown, so the first word is already late when the audio starts.
Strategy
Questions
Read Aloud questions, answered
How many Read Aloud questions are on the PTE Academic?
A PTE Academic has 6–7 Read Aloud items in the Speaking & Writing section. Each one counts towards your Speaking score.
How is Read Aloud scored?
Content is scored by counting errors: each replacement, omission or insertion of a word counts as one. Pearson publishes no error-to-point table, and the widely repeated approximation that the maximum equals the word count is a community rule rather than an official one. Alongside content, the item is rated for pronunciation and oral fluency.
What goes wrong most often on Read Aloud?
Stopping and restarting after a stumble. The error is already counted; silence only adds fluency damage.
Keep going
Related speaking & writing question types
- Repeat Sentence
10–12 per test · Listening + Speaking
- Describe Image
5–6 per test · Speaking
- Re-tell Lecture
2–3 per test · Listening + Speaking
- Answer Short Question
5–6 per test · Listening
All Speaking & Writing question types · tips for all 22 types · full test format · how PTE scores work.
Scoring figures on this page follow the current PTE Academic official guide. This is an independent practice site and is not affiliated with Pearson.