By Thanh Tran, PTE and IELTS coach
Updated
PTE Academic is accepted for Australian student and skilled visas, and by most institutions. Whether it suits you better than IELTS depends mostly on the format.
Test format
You take the three parts one after the other, on a computer at a test centre. Once you move on from a question, you can't go back to it.
- Speaking and writing, 76 to 84 minutes: you speak into a microphone, then type a summary and an essay. It has 9 question types.
- Reading, 23 to 30 minutes: you fill gaps, choose answers and put paragraphs in order. It has 5 question types.
- Listening, 31 to 39 minutes: you hear each recording once, then answer questions or type what you heard. It has 8 question types.
How your speaking is marked
PTE scores how you speak as well as what you say. Fluency and pronunciation have their own scores. Pausing, correcting yourself and restarting a sentence all cost marks, even when your final answer is correct.
This can help you or hurt you. If you're accurate but nervous with an examiner, you often score better in PTE than in IELTS Speaking, because you speak to a computer. If you think aloud, pause to find a word or restart sentences, you lose more marks in PTE than you would with a human examiner.
- Read Aloud: marked on every word you read, and on your fluency and pronunciation. Many students rush it.
- Describe Image: a short, fixed time to speak. A clear structure matters more than vocabulary.
Timed practice helps
Pausing and correcting yourself are habits. They improve with timed practice faster than vocabulary or grammar do.
Question types that count for more than one skill
Many PTE question types count towards two skill scores. These are the five that carry the most marks. If you lose marks in one of them, practise it first.
- Summarize Group Discussion: speaking and listening
- Repeat Sentence: speaking and listening
- Summarize Written Text: writing and reading
- Re-tell Lecture: speaking and listening
- Write from Dictation: listening and writing
- PTE score chart
How much each question type adds to each score.
Choosing between PTE and IELTS
Both tests are accepted for Australian study and visas. So choose the one whose format suits you.
PTE Academic and IELTS compared
Marking
- PTE Academic
- Computer, with human checks on some answers
- IELTS
- Human examiner for Writing and Speaking
Speaking
- PTE Academic
- Into a microphone
- IELTS
- Face to face with an examiner
Results
- PTE Academic
- Usually within two days
- IELTS
- 1 to 2 days on computer
Gives marks for
- PTE Academic
- Smooth, steady speaking
- IELTS
- Good content, even with some pauses
Takes marks for
- PTE Academic
- Pausing, correcting yourself, uneven pace
- IELTS
- Weak content, narrow vocabulary range
Suits
- PTE Academic
- People who get nervous with an examiner
- IELTS
- People who think aloud and correct themselves
| PTE Academic | IELTS | |
|---|---|---|
| Marking | Computer, with human checks on some answers | Human examiner for Writing and Speaking |
| Speaking | Into a microphone | Face to face with an examiner |
| Results | Usually within two days | 1 to 2 days on computer |
| Gives marks for | Smooth, steady speaking | Good content, even with some pauses |
| Takes marks for | Pausing, correcting yourself, uneven pace | Weak content, narrow vocabulary range |
| Suits | People who get nervous with an examiner | People who think aloud and correct themselves |
Try both tests
Take a full practice test of each. Convert both results to the same scale, and compare your weakest skill in each.
