PTE Academic Made Easy

Everything to understand & ace PTE

Test format, all 22 question types, score-to-IELTS conversion, visa requirements & proven strategies — one page.

Test Format & Question Weighting · Jan 2026

The full test, at a glance

The PTE Academic test runs ~2 hours across three parts: Part 1 Speaking & Writing (76–84 min), Part 2 Reading (29–30 min), Part 3 Listening (30–43 min). Each row below shows the number of questions and the average % that task contributes to your Overall and per-skill scores (Pearson, Jan 2026). Use the priority tag to focus your prep.

Question Type	Qs	Overall	Listening	Reading	Speaking	Writing	Priority
Part 1Speaking & Writing 76–84 min 35–43 tasks
Read Aloud	6–7	4%	—	—	9%	—	Medium
Repeat Sentence	10–12	7%	17%	—	16%	—	Top
Describe Image	5–6	15%	—	—	31%	—	Top
Retell Lecture	2–3	6%	13%	—	13%	—	Top
Answer Short Question	5–6	2%	4%	—	—	—	Low
Summarize Group Discussion	2–3	9%	20%	—	19%	—	Top
Respond to a Situation	2–3	6%	—	—	13%	—	Top
Summarize Written Text	2	7%	—	23%	—	28%	Top
Write Essay	1	7%	—	—	—	31%	Top
Part 2Reading 29–30 min 15–20 tasks
Fill in the Blanks (Drop-down)	5–6	7%	—	25%	—	—	Top
MCQ: Multiple Answers	2–3	1%	—	5%	—	—	Low
Reorder Paragraph	2–3	3%	—	9%	—	—	Medium
Fill in the Blanks (Drag & Drop)	4–5	6%	—	20%	—	—	Top
MCQ: Single Answer	2–3	<1%	—	3%	—	—	Low
Part 3Listening 30–43 min 15–22 tasks
Summarize Spoken Text	1	4%	10%	—	—	18%	Top
MCQ: Multiple Answers	2–3	1%	3%	—	—	—	Low
Fill in the Blanks (Type In)	2–3	3%	8%	—	—	—	Medium
Highlight Correct Summary	2–3	<1%	2%	3%	—	—	Low
MCQ: Single Answer	2–3	<1%	2%	—	—	—	Low
Select Missing Word	1–2	1%	1%	—	—	—	Low
Highlight Incorrect Words	2–3	4%	8%	13%	—	—	Top
Write from Dictation	3–4	5%	13%	—	—	23%	Top
Totals	60–78	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%

Source: Pearson — Scoring Information for Teachers and Partners, January 2026. "—" means the task does not contribute to that skill score.

Scoring & Visas · 2026

What your PTE score actually means

Pearson's January 2026 PTE ↔ IELTS concordance and the new Australian DHA visa requirements (effective 7 August 2025). Tap a card to expand.

Open the full PTE Scoring Guide →

PTE Academic ↔ IELTS Academic

Pearson concordance · Jan 2026 · University admission ranges highlighted

Per-skill ranges

University admission · what to aim for

Most universities

PTE 58–64 · IELTS 6.5

Top-tier / Go8

PTE 65–78 · IELTS 7.0–7.5

Medicine / Law

PTE 79+ · IELTS 8.0

IELTS	PTE Overall	Listening	Reading	Speaking	Writing
4.5	24–30	26–32	29–35	14–23	17–28
5.0	31–38	33–39	36–41	24–38	29–40
5.5	39–46	40–46	42–47	39–53	41–50
6.0	47–54	47–52	48–53	54–65	51–59
6.5	55–62	53–57	54–58	66–75	60–68
7.0	63–70	58–63	59–64	76–82	69–76
7.5	71–78	64–68	65–69	83–87	77–84
8.0	79–85	69–74	70–74	88–89	85–89
8.5	86–89	75–80	75–80	90	90
9.0	90	81–90	81–90	—	—

Highlighted rows = the score bands most Australian universities ask for.

Australian DHA visa requirements

Department of Home Affairs · effective 7 Aug 2025 · Skilled migration points highlighted

Skilled migration · why Proficient & Superior matter

Competent

0 points · Eligible only

Bare minimum to apply for skilled visas.

Proficient

+10 points

Hit IELTS 7 / PTE 65+ in every skill.

Superior

+20 points

IELTS 8 / PTE 79+ — biggest boost on EOI.

Category	IELTS	Old PTE Each	New Overall	Listening	Reading	Speaking	Writing
Functional Partner visas Partner & secondary applicants (overall score only)	4.5	30	24	—	—	—	—
Vocational 482 work visa Subclass 482 (TSS) — short-term stream	5	36	—	33	36	24	29
Competent Eligible · 0 points Subclass 189 / 190 / 491 (skilled migration)	6	50	—	47	48	54	51
Proficient +10 points +10 points · Subclass 189 / 190 / 491	7	65	—	58	59	76	69
Superior +20 points +20 points · Subclass 189 / 190 / 491	8	79	—	69	70	88	85

* Functional uses overall PTE only. All other categories require the listed minimum in each skill.

Conversions are indicative. Always confirm with the Department of Home Affairs or a registered migration agent before applying.

Learn Studio

Guided, template-based studios

The template-driven tasks — Write Essay, Summarize Written Text, Describe Image, Retell Lecture and more — each get a step-by-step studio that walks you from the basics to a full mock.

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Write Essay Studio

Step-by-step from "what is an essay?" to a full 20-minute mock — classify the prompt, build the topic phrase, ideas, examples, paragraphs and coach feedback.

Start the studio

WEOpen

Part 1 · 76–84 min

Speaking & Writing

76–84 minutes · 9 question types. You will be tested on your speaking and writing skills, using English you might hear in an academic environment.

Personal Introduction

Not scored

Exam screen preview

What students see in the real test — fully interactive.

PPTE Academic - Candidate Name

Time Remaining 00:29:59 1 of 5

Read the prompt below. In 25 seconds, you must reply in your own words, as naturally and clearly as possible. You have 30 seconds to record your response. Your response will be sent together with your score report to the institutions selected by you.

Please introduce yourself. For example, you could talk about one or more of the following:

– Your interests
– Your plans for future study
– Why you want to study abroad
– Why you need to learn English
– Why you chose this test

The recording will start in 25 seconds.

How to answer this question

The Personal Introduction is an opportunity for you to get familiar with PTE test technology and to help you prepare for your speaking and listening questions. This question does not contribute to your score and is for familiarization purposes only.

You will have 25 seconds to read the prompt and prepare your response, and then 30 seconds to record your response. You are only able to record your answer once.

This question does not contribute to your score and is for familiarisation purposes only.

Open full lesson