For those of you faced with immigration to an English-speaking country, and English test may be nothing more than an expensive hurdle. Some have advocated just walking in cold to these exams, while others recommend studying. With the complexity of question types on the PTE exam, I recommend studying for several hours before-hand. Here, questions in the "Speaking and Writing" section are covered. Many of the answer formats I am describing are from the E2Language YouTube tutorials that I used to prepare for my exam.
Check Mike: It is very important to make sure that your voice recording is clear, with no excess background noise or noise from breathing (from the mike being too close).
Personal Introduction: This section is not scored, and allows you to state a few words about yourself.
Read Aloud: This section is fairly easy for a native speaker, and simply asks for you to read passages using the correct pauses, emphases, punctuation, and pronunciation.
Repeat Sentence: This section is also fairly easy and asks you to repeat a short sentence that is spoken out loud. It is best to practice the task a few times to see what it is like.
Describe Image: This section requires some practice. The exam displays a diagram, graph, or table for 25 seconds, and asks you to describe it in 40 seconds. The trick is to describe the graph in the first sentence using the formula "This graph" (line chart, pie chart, map, diagram) is a representation of "diagram tittle" over/during/covering "x-axis." For example: "This pie chart" represents the "annual spending of students in 2018" over categories such as "food, entertainment, and games." Another example is as follows: "These line charts" represent the "temperature and rainfall in South East Asia" over "the period of 1985 to 2018." Remember to practice sounding fluent without much stuttering, stopping, or restarting, as these are also taken into account. If a statement is not factually correct, keep talking. Stop talking before time runs out, as a recorded half-sentence will count against your grammar.
Re-tell Lecture: You should also study for this one. In Re-tell Lecture, a 90 second recording will play. This may be a speech or lecture. There will be a 10 s pause in which you may organize your thoughts and take a deep breath. Then you must retell the lecture over 40 s. In this type of question, you should take notes as the recording is playing. Write down key points as well as some details as you will be expected to re-tell the same lecture over 40 seconds. The formula for this one is "He was talking about _____. He discussed _____. He supported this by saying _____. He then argued that _____. He concluded/suggested/implied _____." It is really that simple. You can use the verbs interchangeably, but E2Language suggests that you use "He concluded/suggested/implied _____." as the PTE does state that a top score includes a conclusion or suggestion that the speaker made. I found the time management for this type of question difficult as the tendency is to go into too much detail. Again, you don't want to be cut-off mid-sentence as this will count against your grammar.
Answer short question: This is very easy for a native speaker. You basically need to answer a spoken question such as "What type of beverage is made from blended fruits and dairy?" Answer: milkshake or smoothie. You only need to provide one or two words, and there may be multiple correct answers, so don't panic.
Summarize Written Text (one sentence): This one I found interesting. You are allowed 10 min for this task. You are given three to four paragraphs to read through. Then, you must create one single grammatically correct sentence as a summary to the passage. In the E2Learning method, you write down key words from each paragraph, paraphrase those words, and rearrange them, so that they fit into one sentence. This question tests your creativity, as sometimes you may need to mention information in the latter half of the paragraph first in order to make it all fit. Leave a couple of minutes at the end to check your spelling and grammar. They also suggest that you only use about half of the maximum word count of 75 words to avoid a run-on sentence.
Essay: This is also worth practicing. You have 20 minutes to write an argumentative essay. Usually the prompt will have you choose a side on an issue. Make sure that your answer completely matches what the question is asking. Because the responses are typed, you have some time to add details in. I practiced typing in Microsoft Word with the spell check, grammar check, and auto-correct turned off so that I could practice my spelling and proof-reading.
The formula is as follows:
Paragraph 1: General statement about the topic. A sentence stating your beliefs on the topic.
Paragraph 2: Argument one supporting your beliefs. An explanation of your argument. An example or two supporting your first argument.
Paragraph 3: A second argument supporting your beliefs. An explanation of the second argument. And example or two supporting your second argument.
Paragraph 4: Reword the general statement at the beginning of your essay. Restate your position with a few details on the topic.
Sometimes you will be forced to discuss both sides (e.g. list pros and cons of an electronic currency). In that case, the first paragraph will be: general statement about the topic; vague description of both sides of the argument; and a sentence describing your side.
The above-summarized are the types of questions included in the "Speaking and Writing" section (first part) of the PTE. They are not difficult, per se, but there is a technique to acing them. I would recommend running through some practice questions with a partner or by watching YouTube videos.
