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PTE Describe Image practice and structure

Study an image for 25 seconds, then describe it for 40 seconds. It's worth about 15 per cent of your overall score, more than any other question type.

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By Thanh Tran, PTE and IELTS coach
Updated

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Part 1 of 3: Speaking and writing

Preparation time. Recording starts when it ends.

Look at the chart below. In 25 seconds, please speak into the microphone and describe in detail what the chart is showing. You will have 40 seconds to give your response.

Hours a week spent on each activity, by age

  • Work
  • Study
  • Screens
18 to 2526 to 60Over 60

Recorded Answer

Current Status : Beginning in 18 seconds

Question 18 of 32Start recording nowStop and submit
A Describe Image question in a PTE Academic mock test on Leap Exam, shown on a laptop

Key facts

Time to study the image

25 seconds

Time to speak

40 seconds

The image

A graph, chart, table, map or picture

Recording

Once, starting after a short tone

In each test

5 or 6 questions

Skills scored

Speaking

Questions to practise

Over 1,100, from real tests and Pearson's practice tests

What it is worth

15%of your overall score

Speaking
31% of the skill score

How it's scored

Pearson marks content first, and if content scores zero, the whole answer scores zero.

Our engine marks all three traits on Pearson's scales, and lists the features of the image you covered and the ones you missed.

Your first speaking score is free.

Speaking, Describe Image

Question 4 of 10

Graded

11 / 16

Content
4 / 6

How fully and accurately you describe the image, and how its parts relate

Pronunciation
4 / 5

How easily most listeners understand your speech

Oral fluency
3 / 5

A smooth, natural pace without hesitations or restarts

An answer that described the main trend but missed some features, so content scored 4 of 6.

Practise Describe Image

How to answer

Pearson tells you not to use memorised responses or templated sentences, because they can score zero for content.

Its own sample answers follow an order instead: what the image is, the main points, other details and a conclusion, all in your own words.

With Pro, our engine will rewrite your answer to get full marks, in about 40 seconds of speech.

  1. In the 25 seconds, find the main trend or the biggest difference, and pick two or three numbers to use.

  2. Start with what the image is and what it shows, including its type, such as a bar chart or a map.

  3. Describe the main feature first, with exact numbers from the image.

  4. Add one or two details that compare parts of the image or show a change.

  5. End with a conclusion that comes from the image, not your own opinion.

Example answer for a bar chart of weekly hours by age group

This bar chart shows how many hours a week three age groups spend on work, study and screens. The clearest feature is screen time, which is highest for people aged 18 to 25, at 30 hours a week, and lowest for people over 60, at 12 hours. Study time follows the same pattern, falling from 20 hours for the youngest group to almost none for the oldest. Work is highest in the middle group, at 38 hours. Overall, the chart suggests that the way people spend their week changes a lot with age.

Common mistakes

  • A memorised answer

  • Listing parts one by one

  • Wrong or vague numbers

  • Stopping too soon

    Speak for 30 to 40 seconds. If you stop for three seconds, the microphone closes.

  • Going back to fix words

Practise next

Common questions

How many marks is Describe Image in PTE?

Each answer is marked out of 16: up to 6 for content, and up to 5 each for pronunciation and oral fluency. On average, Describe Image makes up about 15 per cent of your overall score and 31 per cent of your speaking score, more than any other question type.

Are templates allowed in PTE Describe Image?

Pearson tells test takers not to use memorised responses or templated sentences. It treats memorised material as irrelevant, so content scores zero and the whole answer scores zero. Pearson's own tips suggest an order to follow instead, filled with your own words about the image in front of you.

How many Describe Image questions are in the PTE exam?

Pearson's Score Guide lists 5 or 6 in each test. They come early in the speaking and writing part, after Read Aloud and Repeat Sentence.

How long should you speak in Describe Image?

You have 40 seconds. Pearson advises speaking for 30 to 40 seconds, because you're unlikely to cover the key features in 20 seconds or less. If you stop for three seconds, the microphone closes and you can't continue.

Should I give my opinion in Describe Image?

No. Pearson's advice is to describe only what you can see in the image. A conclusion is different: saying what the data suggests is part of a full-marks answer.

Is Describe Image scored by a computer or a human?

Both. Pearson's scoring engine scores content, pronunciation and oral fluency, and a human expert also reviews content before the score is final. Only the engine scores pronunciation and oral fluency.

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