Examples

Let’s describe just two of the new question types in more detail:

Item 2  (“Repeat sentence”): You hear a sentence, and then the microphone opens and you try to reproduce that exact same sentence. Keep in mind that the automatic scoring software recognizes 102 different accents, so there is not the kind of discrimination that can happen with human scorers, who will inevitably be familiar with a much more restricted range of accents.

Item 6  (“Summarize written text”): You will be given a short text to read, and then you must write an effective summary of that text in more than five, but less than thirty, words.  For this task you will be given a total of ten minutes to read the text and write your summary. You will be tested on your vocabulary in this task in that you will be expected to use synonyms rather than the exact words appearing in the text.

Almost all of the material used for reading passages and listening inputs in the PTE-A is taken from authentic sources such as radio interviews, speeches, and newspaper articles. Topics may range from the humanities and fine arts to medical science, engineering and technology, and business and management.