By Thanh Tran, PTE and IELTS coach
Published
On this page
- Where these numbers come from
- What each question type adds to your overall score
- Where your speaking marks come from
- Where your writing marks come from
- Where your reading marks come from
- Where your listening marks come from
- Why one answer can count twice
- Where a wrong answer costs you
- Which question types to practise first
Where these numbers come from
Every number in this post comes from one table. Pearson publishes it in its scoring guide for teachers. It shows how much each question type adds to each score on an average test.
A test has 22 question types and 65 to 75 questions. Every question counts towards your overall score. Each one also counts towards one or two of your four skill scores: listening, reading, speaking and writing.
The table is an average, so your own test can differ a little. Pearson also takes the difficulty of each question into account, and it says you can't use the table to predict an exact score.
Pearson's table uses newer names for a few question types. In the table, Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks is called Fill in the Blanks Dropdown. We use the names most students know.
The current table includes the two speaking question types Pearson added in 2025, Respond to a Situation and Summarize Group Discussion.
- PTE score chart
What 10 to 90 means, and the scores for each Australian visa level.
- What changed in PTE Academic in 2025?
The two new question types, and the new human marking.
What each question type adds to your overall score
Describe Image adds the most, about 15 per cent of your overall score. The next is Summarize Group Discussion, at about 9 per cent. So an hour on Describe Image can move your overall score more than an hour on a small question type.
The first part of the test, speaking and writing, adds about 63 per cent of your overall score. The reading part adds about 18 per cent, and the listening part adds about 19 per cent.
At the other end, three question types add less than 1 per cent each. They're Multiple Choice, Single Answer in both reading and listening, and Highlight Correct Summary.
How much each PTE question type adds to the overall score on an average test, heaviest first, from Pearson's question weighting table
Describe Image
- Part of the test
- Speaking and writing
- Share of your overall score
- 15%
Summarize Group Discussion
- Part of the test
- Speaking and writing
- Share of your overall score
- 9%
Repeat Sentence
- Part of the test
- Speaking and writing
- Share of your overall score
- 7%
Summarize Written Text
- Part of the test
- Speaking and writing
- Share of your overall score
- 7%
Write Essay
- Part of the test
- Speaking and writing
- Share of your overall score
- 7%
Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks
- Part of the test
- Reading
- Share of your overall score
- 7%
Re-tell Lecture
- Part of the test
- Speaking and writing
- Share of your overall score
- 6%
Respond to a Situation
- Part of the test
- Speaking and writing
- Share of your overall score
- 6%
Reading: Fill in the Blanks
- Part of the test
- Reading
- Share of your overall score
- 6%
Write from Dictation
- Part of the test
- Listening
- Share of your overall score
- 5%
Read Aloud
- Part of the test
- Speaking and writing
- Share of your overall score
- 4%
Summarize Spoken Text
- Part of the test
- Listening
- Share of your overall score
- 4%
Highlight Incorrect Words
- Part of the test
- Listening
- Share of your overall score
- 4%
Re-order Paragraphs
- Part of the test
- Reading
- Share of your overall score
- 3%
Listening: Fill in the Blanks
- Part of the test
- Listening
- Share of your overall score
- 3%
Answer Short Question
- Part of the test
- Speaking and writing
- Share of your overall score
- 2%
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers
- Part of the test
- Reading
- Share of your overall score
- 1%
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers
- Part of the test
- Listening
- Share of your overall score
- 1%
Select Missing Word
- Part of the test
- Listening
- Share of your overall score
- 1%
Multiple Choice, Single Answer
- Part of the test
- Reading
- Share of your overall score
- Under 1%
Multiple Choice, Single Answer
- Part of the test
- Listening
- Share of your overall score
- Under 1%
Highlight Correct Summary
- Part of the test
- Listening
- Share of your overall score
- Under 1%
| Question type | Part of the test | Share of your overall score |
|---|---|---|
| Describe Image | Speaking and writing | 15% |
| Summarize Group Discussion | Speaking and writing | 9% |
| Repeat Sentence | Speaking and writing | 7% |
| Summarize Written Text | Speaking and writing | 7% |
| Write Essay | Speaking and writing | 7% |
| Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks | Reading | 7% |
| Re-tell Lecture | Speaking and writing | 6% |
| Respond to a Situation | Speaking and writing | 6% |
| Reading: Fill in the Blanks | Reading | 6% |
| Write from Dictation | Listening | 5% |
| Read Aloud | Speaking and writing | 4% |
| Summarize Spoken Text | Listening | 4% |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | Listening | 4% |
| Re-order Paragraphs | Reading | 3% |
| Listening: Fill in the Blanks | Listening | 3% |
| Answer Short Question | Speaking and writing | 2% |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers | Reading | 1% |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers | Listening | 1% |
| Select Missing Word | Listening | 1% |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answer | Reading | Under 1% |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answer | Listening | Under 1% |
| Highlight Correct Summary | Listening | Under 1% |
Where your speaking marks come from
Six question types count towards speaking, and they're all in the first part of the test.
Describe Image alone is worth about 31 per cent of your speaking score, nearly a third. Add Summarize Group Discussion, at about 19 per cent, and Repeat Sentence, at about 16 per cent. Those three make up about 66 per cent of your speaking score.
Read Aloud is the first scored question type in the test, but it adds the least to speaking, about 9 per cent.
How much each PTE question type adds to the speaking score on an average test, from Pearson's question weighting table
Describe Image
- Share of your speaking score
- 31%
- Also counts for
- Nothing else
Summarize Group Discussion
- Share of your speaking score
- 19%
- Also counts for
- Listening
Repeat Sentence
- Share of your speaking score
- 16%
- Also counts for
- Listening
Re-tell Lecture
- Share of your speaking score
- 13%
- Also counts for
- Listening
Respond to a Situation
- Share of your speaking score
- 13%
- Also counts for
- Nothing else
Read Aloud
- Share of your speaking score
- 9%
- Also counts for
- Nothing else
| Question type | Share of your speaking score | Also counts for |
|---|---|---|
| Describe Image | 31% | Nothing else |
| Summarize Group Discussion | 19% | Listening |
| Repeat Sentence | 16% | Listening |
| Re-tell Lecture | 13% | Listening |
| Respond to a Situation | 13% | Nothing else |
| Read Aloud | 9% | Nothing else |
- PTE Speaking
Every question type in your speaking score.
- PTE Describe Image
Describe an image in 40 seconds. It's worth more than any other question type.
- PTE Repeat Sentence
Hear a sentence once and say it back. It counts for speaking and listening.
- PTE Read Aloud
Read a short text aloud, marked on every word, pronunciation and fluency.
Where your writing marks come from
Only four question types count towards writing. With so few, each one carries a big share.
Write Essay gives about 31 per cent of your writing score. Summarize Written Text is close behind, at about 28 per cent. Then come Write from Dictation, at about 23 per cent, and Summarize Spoken Text, at about 18 per cent.
Two of them are in the listening part: Write from Dictation and Summarize Spoken Text. You type your answers, so they count for writing as well as listening.
Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks isn't on this list. Its name makes many students think it counts for writing, but it counts for reading only.
How much each PTE question type adds to the writing score on an average test, from Pearson's question weighting table
Write Essay
- Share of your writing score
- 31%
- Also counts for
- Nothing else
Summarize Written Text
- Share of your writing score
- 28%
- Also counts for
- Reading
Write from Dictation
- Share of your writing score
- 23%
- Also counts for
- Listening
Summarize Spoken Text
- Share of your writing score
- 18%
- Also counts for
- Listening
| Question type | Share of your writing score | Also counts for |
|---|---|---|
| Write Essay | 31% | Nothing else |
| Summarize Written Text | 28% | Reading |
| Write from Dictation | 23% | Listening |
| Summarize Spoken Text | 18% | Listening |
- PTE Writing
Every question type in your writing score.
- PTE Write Essay
One essay of 200 to 300 words in 20 minutes, marked on seven traits.
- PTE Summarize Written Text
Sum up a passage in one sentence of 5 to 75 words.
- PTE Write from Dictation
Type a sentence you hear once. Every correct word scores.
- Does Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks count for writing?
Why it doesn't, and what does.
Where your reading marks come from
Eight question types count towards reading. Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks counts most, at about 25 per cent. Next is Summarize Written Text, at about 23 per cent, even though it's a writing task in the first part of the test.
Reading: Fill in the Blanks adds about 20 per cent, then Highlight Incorrect Words adds about 13 per cent. Highlight Incorrect Words is in the listening part, but you read the text while you listen, so it counts for reading too.
Put together, about 39 per cent of your reading score comes from question types outside the reading part.
How much each PTE question type adds to the reading score on an average test, from Pearson's question weighting table
Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks
- Share of your reading score
- 25%
- Also counts for
- Nothing else
Summarize Written Text
- Share of your reading score
- 23%
- Also counts for
- Writing
Reading: Fill in the Blanks
- Share of your reading score
- 20%
- Also counts for
- Nothing else
Highlight Incorrect Words
- Share of your reading score
- 13%
- Also counts for
- Listening
Re-order Paragraphs
- Share of your reading score
- 9%
- Also counts for
- Nothing else
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers
- Share of your reading score
- 5%
- Also counts for
- Nothing else
Multiple Choice, Single Answer
- Share of your reading score
- 3%
- Also counts for
- Nothing else
Highlight Correct Summary
- Share of your reading score
- 3%
- Also counts for
- Listening
| Question type | Share of your reading score | Also counts for |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks | 25% | Nothing else |
| Summarize Written Text | 23% | Writing |
| Reading: Fill in the Blanks | 20% | Nothing else |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | 13% | Listening |
| Re-order Paragraphs | 9% | Nothing else |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers | 5% | Nothing else |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answer | 3% | Nothing else |
| Highlight Correct Summary | 3% | Listening |
- PTE Reading
Every question type in your reading score.
- PTE Summarize Written Text
Sum up a passage in one sentence of 5 to 75 words.
Where your listening marks come from
Twelve question types count towards listening, more than any other skill.
The two that count most aren't listening questions at all. They're in the speaking and writing part. Summarize Group Discussion gives about 20 per cent of your listening score, and Repeat Sentence gives about 17 per cent. Re-tell Lecture and Write from Dictation add about 13 per cent each.
So about 54 per cent of your listening score comes from the speaking and writing part. Practising your speaking helps your listening score as well.
How much each PTE question type adds to the listening score on an average test, from Pearson's question weighting table
Summarize Group Discussion
- Share of your listening score
- 20%
- Also counts for
- Speaking
Repeat Sentence
- Share of your listening score
- 17%
- Also counts for
- Speaking
Re-tell Lecture
- Share of your listening score
- 13%
- Also counts for
- Speaking
Write from Dictation
- Share of your listening score
- 13%
- Also counts for
- Writing
Summarize Spoken Text
- Share of your listening score
- 10%
- Also counts for
- Writing
Highlight Incorrect Words
- Share of your listening score
- 8%
- Also counts for
- Reading
Listening: Fill in the Blanks
- Share of your listening score
- 8%
- Also counts for
- Nothing else
Answer Short Question
- Share of your listening score
- 4%
- Also counts for
- Nothing else
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers
- Share of your listening score
- 3%
- Also counts for
- Nothing else
Multiple Choice, Single Answer
- Share of your listening score
- 2%
- Also counts for
- Nothing else
Highlight Correct Summary
- Share of your listening score
- 2%
- Also counts for
- Reading
Select Missing Word
- Share of your listening score
- 1%
- Also counts for
- Nothing else
| Question type | Share of your listening score | Also counts for |
|---|---|---|
| Summarize Group Discussion | 20% | Speaking |
| Repeat Sentence | 17% | Speaking |
| Re-tell Lecture | 13% | Speaking |
| Write from Dictation | 13% | Writing |
| Summarize Spoken Text | 10% | Writing |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | 8% | Reading |
| Listening: Fill in the Blanks | 8% | Nothing else |
| Answer Short Question | 4% | Nothing else |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers | 3% | Nothing else |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answer | 2% | Nothing else |
| Highlight Correct Summary | 2% | Reading |
| Select Missing Word | 1% | Nothing else |
- PTE Listening
Every question type in your listening score.
- PTE Repeat Sentence
Hear a sentence once and say it back. It counts for speaking and listening.
- PTE Write from Dictation
Type a sentence you hear once. Every correct word scores.
Why one answer can count twice
Eight question types count towards two skills. Pearson calls them integrated skills questions. One answer adds to both scores.
Each question still counts once in your overall score. That's one reason your overall score isn't the average of your four skill scores.
If two of your skills are low, look for a question type in this table that feeds both of them, and practise it first.
The PTE question types that count towards two skill scores, and their share of each, from Pearson's question weighting table
Summarize Group Discussion
- Part of the test
- Speaking and writing
- Skill scores it counts for
- Speaking 19%, listening 20%
Repeat Sentence
- Part of the test
- Speaking and writing
- Skill scores it counts for
- Speaking 16%, listening 17%
Summarize Written Text
- Part of the test
- Speaking and writing
- Skill scores it counts for
- Writing 28%, reading 23%
Re-tell Lecture
- Part of the test
- Speaking and writing
- Skill scores it counts for
- Speaking 13%, listening 13%
Write from Dictation
- Part of the test
- Listening
- Skill scores it counts for
- Writing 23%, listening 13%
Summarize Spoken Text
- Part of the test
- Listening
- Skill scores it counts for
- Writing 18%, listening 10%
Highlight Incorrect Words
- Part of the test
- Listening
- Skill scores it counts for
- Reading 13%, listening 8%
Highlight Correct Summary
- Part of the test
- Listening
- Skill scores it counts for
- Reading 3%, listening 2%
| Question type | Part of the test | Skill scores it counts for |
|---|---|---|
| Summarize Group Discussion | Speaking and writing | Speaking 19%, listening 20% |
| Repeat Sentence | Speaking and writing | Speaking 16%, listening 17% |
| Summarize Written Text | Speaking and writing | Writing 28%, reading 23% |
| Re-tell Lecture | Speaking and writing | Speaking 13%, listening 13% |
| Write from Dictation | Listening | Writing 23%, listening 13% |
| Summarize Spoken Text | Listening | Writing 18%, listening 10% |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | Listening | Reading 13%, listening 8% |
| Highlight Correct Summary | Listening | Reading 3%, listening 2% |
Where a wrong answer costs you
A wrong answer loses marks in only three question types. They're Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers in reading, the same question type in listening, and Highlight Incorrect Words.
In each one, a right pick earns a point and a wrong pick takes a point away. The score for a question can't go below zero.
So pick only the options you're sure of. Two right picks and one wrong pick score 1 point. The two right picks on their own would score 2.
Together, these three add about 6 per cent of your overall score. In every other question type, a wrong answer scores nothing and loses nothing. So answer every question and fill every gap, even when you're not sure.
The PTE question types with negative marking, from Pearson's Test Taker Score Guide
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers
- Part of the test
- Reading
- Each right pick
- Earns 1 point
- Each wrong pick
- Loses 1 point
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers
- Part of the test
- Listening
- Each right pick
- Earns 1 point
- Each wrong pick
- Loses 1 point
Highlight Incorrect Words
- Part of the test
- Listening
- Each right pick
- Earns 1 point
- Each wrong pick
- Loses 1 point
| Question type | Part of the test | Each right pick | Each wrong pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers | Reading | Earns 1 point | Loses 1 point |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers | Listening | Earns 1 point | Loses 1 point |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | Listening | Earns 1 point | Loses 1 point |
- PTE Reading
Every question type in your reading score.
- PTE Listening
Every question type in your listening score.
Which question types to practise first
Start with your weakest skill, measured against the score you need.
For example, for tests taken from 7 August 2025, Proficient English for an Australian visa needs listening 58, reading 59, writing 69 and speaking 76. Home Affairs sets these scores, so check its website for the visa you're applying for.
Find the skill that's furthest below its target. Then practise the two question types that give that skill the most marks.
The two PTE question types that add the most to each skill score, from Pearson's question weighting table
Listening
- Two heaviest question types
- Summarize Group Discussion and Repeat Sentence
- Their share of the skill
- 37%
Reading
- Two heaviest question types
- Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks and Summarize Written Text
- Their share of the skill
- 48%
Writing
- Two heaviest question types
- Write Essay and Summarize Written Text
- Their share of the skill
- 59%
Speaking
- Two heaviest question types
- Describe Image and Summarize Group Discussion
- Their share of the skill
- 50%
| Skill | Two heaviest question types | Their share of the skill |
|---|---|---|
| Listening | Summarize Group Discussion and Repeat Sentence | 37% |
| Reading | Reading and Writing: Fill in the Blanks and Summarize Written Text | 48% |
| Writing | Write Essay and Summarize Written Text | 59% |
| Speaking | Describe Image and Summarize Group Discussion | 50% |
- PTE and IELTS scores for Australian visas
Every English level, skill by skill.
- What is 7 each in PTE?
The PTE scores that match IELTS 7 in each skill.
- How should you prepare for PTE?
A study plan built on these weights.
PTE mock tests based on real exams
Your first full mock test is free. You get an overall score and a score for each skill, so you can see which one to work on.
