PTE Part 1 Item type 2 – Reading aloud (part of our free PTE course)

What you have to do for PTE Part 1 Item type 2:

For PTE Part 1 Item type 2 – Reading aloud, you need to read a short passage aloud. The passage will appear on the screen and you are given between 30 and 40 seconds to prepare your response. This is the first part of the PTE that is scored. You will be asked to read and say aloud either 6 or 7 passages.

Task length and timing:

The passage is about 55 or 60 words; after the 30 to 40 seconds to prepare you will hear a tone, and you are then given between 30 and 40 seconds to read the text aloud. VERY IMPORTANT! If you stop speaking (or do not start speaking when you hear the tone), the recording will stop.

You are given a maximum amount of time to complete the recording (around 30 to 40 second) – make sure this does not reach zero as anything after that time will not be recorded. However, the time allotted is more than enough so DO NOT panic and start speaking quickly.

More information:

Here’s an example of this item type:

Everywhere around the world, in many major urban centres, subway systems are struggling to cover costs, to invest capital in expensive upgrades, and to attract passengers. However, the transit system in Hong Kong has bucked this trend, and is operating not only at a profit, but at a standard so high that other cities can only look on with envy.

The scoring for this question type:

Points earned from Item 2: Read aloud PTE questions:

Communicative Skills assessed: Reading and speaking

Enabling skills and traits assessed: Content, pronunciation, oral fluency

Scoring system: Partial credit

So what does this mean? Well, you will be awarded points for your ability to read from the screen (reading skills) and saying out loud what you read (speaking). For the ‘enabling skills and traits’, content means you have said ALL of the words on the screen but NOT added anything that isn’t there. Pronunciation means have you spoken in a way that would be clear to a native English speaker, and oral fluency means have you spoken at a good pace and with suitable intonation.

This item type has a partial credit scoring system, which means that your skills are assessed on a scale of 1 to 5 for pronunciation and oral fluency. Adding a word that is not on the screen or missing a word that is on the screen (addition or omission) will cost 1 point per error.

We hope this page on PTE Part 1 Item type 2 – Reading aloud helps. Now move on to the next page.

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