Describe Image (DI) is a Speaking task where you describe a graph, chart, map, picture or process using clear academic language and natural intonation. On this page: an overview of the task, top strategies for the 25-second prep and 40-second response, sample answers and common mistakes to practise with your trainer, the most repeated 2026 images, and a guided task worksheet.
Time to study the image:
25 seconds
Time to record your response:
40 seconds
Number of these tasks:
6–7
Describe Image tests your ability to describe — through speaking — a graph, chart, map, picture or process diagram, using your knowledge of grammar, vocabulary and intonation.
Task
Describe Image
Speaking
Overall
Your voice → analysed by AI + human expert → contributes 15% to Speaking and 6% to Overall.
Official PTE School walkthrough — how to answer Describe Image.
The screen below is annotated with green markers (1–5) placed right next to the element they describe. Each marker is explained on hover — they cover the timer, instructions, image stimulus, recording status box and the Next button.
Look at the image below. In 25 seconds, please speak into the microphone and describe in detail what the image is showing. You will have 40 seconds to give your response.2Read the task instructions carefully — you have 25 seconds to study the image, then 40 seconds to describe it.
3Study the image. Identify the title, axis labels, key data points and the overall trend or main idea.Hover the green markers to see what each part of the screen does.
Skill assessed
Speaking
Score weight
up to32points
The AI scorer checks
Fluency
Speaking fluently at a natural speed
Pronunciation
Using clear pronunciation
Vocabulary
Using a wide range of vocabulary to describe data, trends and visuals
Criterion
Organising your description in a logical order (overview → details → conclusion)
Intonation
Using appropriate intonation, stress and linking
Practise organising your descriptions into a logical structure.
Find some graphs, charts, maps, plans or tables from books, newspapers, academic or government websites to practise with. Try to find a variety of examples of each type of image.
Practise identifying and describing the most significant features of an image (e.g. the biggest change or the largest and smallest differences) and the relationships between them.
Record yourself on your mobile phone or other device as you practise describing graphs, charts, etc. Listen afterwards to the organisation of your talk, and to your stress, intonation, rhythm and pronunciation. Start with untimed practice and later practise under timed conditions.
Practise in an environment with other people talking around you – for example, with the TV / radio on or in a busy place with other people around. There are likely to be people talking at the same time as you in the PTE-A exam room.
Practise drawing conclusions. For example, if the image shows that more people take trains than buses in a particular city, the conclusion at the end of your talk might be that the city's train network is more convenient for commuters than the bus network. The conclusions should be logical and reasonable given the data.
Practise giving implications. In the example above, you could say: If you visit this city, you're more likely to travel by train than by bus.
Practise intonation when describing images. Note that:
This suggests that the city's train network might be more convenient for commuters than the bus network.
You start with a clear one-sentence overview.
You don't list every single number on the chart.
You highlight 2–3 main features.
You don't read the data left-to-right with no comparison.
You use academic vocabulary (rise, peak, plateau, decline).
You don't use vague words like 'goes up' or 'goes down' repeatedly.
You speak for the full 40 seconds.
You don't stop after 15 seconds because you've 'run out of ideas'.
You finish with a brief conclusion.
You don't end mid-sentence because the mic cut off.
You speak with a natural pace and clear intonation.
You don't read your notes word-for-word in a flat monotone.
Look at the image below. In 25 seconds, please speak into the microphone and describe in detail what the image is showing. You will have 40 seconds to give your response.
Listen to the model answer, then record your own response. Compare your version — did you cover the highest and lowest values, give a clear overview, and finish with a conclusion?
Model recording
This is a model answer for the practice chart above. Notice how the speaker opens with an overview, highlights the highest and lowest values, and ends with a one-sentence conclusion.
Want a coach to score your attempt? Send your recording on WhatsApp and we'll reply with personalised feedback.
Private to you — tick each item you actually did. Saved on this device only.
These are the pitfalls that lower most students' scores — watch the video and read the fixes.
Too closeMic too close or off-position · voice distorts
~3 cmHeadset on · mic ~3 cm from the side of mouth
Problem · Many students try to mention every value on the axis, run out of time, and finish mid-sentence. The scoring engine rewards a clear overview + main features, not raw data.
Fix · Pick the 2–3 most striking features (highest, lowest, biggest change) and one clear data point. Leave the rest out.
Clicking Next while recording → answer cut off
Wait for ‘Completed’, then click Next
Problem · If you pause for more than 3 seconds, the mic switches off and the response is marked Completed early — even if you only spoke for 12 seconds.
Fix · Use filler phrases like 'In addition,' or 'Furthermore,' to bridge gaps while you think. Never stop talking until you've finished your conclusion.
Tap play to watch — the most frequent Describe Image mistakes and how to avoid them.
Practise these recently recycled images aloud — record yourself for 40 seconds on each one and compare with the model structure (overview → main features → data point → conclusion).
When you look at the image ask yourself "What is the main idea being shown by the image?" and "What are the details relating to the main ideas?". Use your erasable note-board booklet to note down key ideas and phrases that relate to the main information and the explanatory details. These can be put into sentences when you start to speak.
If you organize what you say, you will get a better score. This is because a well-organized answer is more likely to cover the main information as well as the additional details, and also talk about implications or conclusions based on the information. Look at how this sample description is organized: General content → Main point → Other details and conclusion.
Your score is based on three traits. Open each card to see what raises and lowers your score, with full band descriptors.
Content for speaking tasks is rated on whether you say the right things — the words from the prompt (Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence) or the right ideas with detail (Describe Image, Retell Lecture, Respond to a Situation). For Describe Image / Retell Lecture / SGD / RTAS, a human also reviews Content.
Coach tip · If you can’t see a number on the chart, describe the trend instead — never invent data.
Image prompt: 'Activities Americans aged 65 and over took part in over the past 12 months' (the practice chart above). Listen to two graded sample answers — each is from a test taker at C1 or B2 level — and read the trainer feedback.
Feedback
Feedback
Feedback
Work through these nine steps to build a reliable Describe Image routine — from picking the right skills to self-assessing your final recording.
Step 1 of 9
Tick (✅) the skills you feel will be useful for Describe Image.
Step 2 of 9
Look at the graph above. Answer the following questions in note form (just keywords) — these are exactly the kinds of notes you should make in 25 seconds during the real exam.
1. What does the graph show? (topic in 3–5 words)
2. What is the highest value, and when does it occur?
3. What is the lowest value, and when does it occur?
4. What is the overall trend (rise / fall / fluctuate)?
5. Which two periods would you compare in your description?
Step 3 of 9
Read the two sets of notes (a and b) above. Decide which is more effective and why. Could you use either set to deliver a full 40-second description?
1. Which set is more effective — a or b? Why?
2. Could you use notes a or b to give a complete description?
3. What would you add to the weaker set to make it useful?
Step 4 of 9
Read each strategy from the image above. Tick the ones you think are TRUE for Describe Image note-taking.
Step 5 of 9
Read the example sentence in the image. Tick the statements that match how the speaker should deliver it.
Step 6 of 9
Look at the map above. Make notes for a 40-second description. Use map vocabulary (in the north of, to the east of, across the Atlantic, etc.).
1. What is the topic of the map?
2. Where does the migration start and where does it end?
3. Which direction is the main movement (north, south, east, west)?
4. Which two locations would you compare in your description?
Step 7 of 9
From the image above, tick (✅) every behaviour that lowers a Describe Image score.
Step 8 of 9
Listen to the sample response for the population graph. Tick the items you hear in the recording.
🎧 Model audio
Step 9 of 9
Record your own 40-second response for the population graph. Listen back to your recording and tick the statements that are true for you.
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