International Exams · Entrance Exams

PTE Academic Syllabus

PTE Academic has no topic syllabus. It has twenty question types, and knowing each one’s timing and scoring rule is the preparation.

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PTE Academic · checked 19 September 2026

PTE Academic at a glance, from the official notices

The dates, vacancies and rules below are read on the conducting body’s own site and rewritten as each notice appears. The guide beneath carries the full pattern, syllabus, cut-offs and free mock tests.

Free PTE Academic mock testPTE Academic syllabusToday’s current affairs
19September 2026

Checked 19 September 2026

PTE Academic: the facts that matter now

  1. 01

    Pearson, at authorised PTE test centres; not available at home

    Administered by

  2. 02

    Study at 4,000+ institutions; visas to Australia and New Zealand; UK visas via PTE Academic UKVI

    Used for

  3. 03

    Three parts in one sitting — Speaking & Writing 76–84 minutes, Reading 23–30, Listening 31–39

    Format

  4. 04

    Overall and four communicative skills on a 10–90 scale, marked by Pearson’s automated system with human review

    Scoring

Syllabus

PTE Academic — What the syllabus covers

Part 1, Speaking and Writing — 76 to 84 minutes. Prompt lengths and answer times are as Pearson publishes them for each type.
Question typeSkills scoredPromptTime to answer
Personal IntroductionNone — unscored—25 seconds to prepare, 30 to record
Read AloudReading, speakingText up to 60 words30–40 seconds to prepare, then read
Repeat SentenceListening, speaking3–9 seconds of audio15 seconds
Describe ImageSpeakingA chart, graph, map or picture40 seconds after 25 to prepare
Retell LectureListening, speakingUp to 90 seconds of audio or video40 seconds after 10 to prepare
Answer Short QuestionListening, speaking3–9 seconds of audio10 seconds; one word or a few
Summarize Group DiscussionListening, speakingA three-person discussion of up to 3 minutes2 minutes
Respond to a SituationSpeakingA situation read and heard, up to 60 words40 seconds after 10 to prepare
Summarize Written TextReading, writingText up to 300 words10 minutes; one sentence of 5–75 words
Write EssayWritingA prompt of two or three sentences20 minutes; 200–300 words
Part 2, Reading — 23 to 30 minutes; and Part 3, Listening — 31 to 39 minutes.
Question typeSkills scoredPromptNote
Reading: Fill in the Blanks (drop-down)Reading, writingText up to 300 wordsChoose from a list for each gap
Reading: Multiple Choice, multiple answersReadingText up to 350 wordsWrong selections cost marks
Reading: Re-order ParagraphsReadingText up to 150 wordsMarks for each correctly adjacent pair
Reading: Fill in the Blanks (drag and drop)ReadingText up to 80 wordsMore words than gaps
Reading: Multiple Choice, single answerReadingA short textOne mark
Listening: Summarize Spoken TextListening, writing60–90 seconds of audio10 minutes; 50–70 words
Listening: Multiple Choice, multiple answersListening80–120 seconds of audioWrong selections cost marks
Listening: Fill in the BlanksListening, writingA transcript with gapsType the missing words
Listening: Highlight Correct SummaryListening, readingA recording and several summariesPick the accurate one
Listening: Multiple Choice, single answerListeningA recordingOne mark
Listening: Select Missing WordListeningA recording that cuts offChoose the final word or phrase
Listening: Highlight Incorrect WordsListening, readingA transcript with substitutionsWrong clicks cost marks
Listening: Write from DictationListening, writingA short sentenceEvery word counts

The two 2025 additions

Summarize Group Discussion and Respond to a Situation joined the speaking section in 2025. The first plays a discussion between three speakers and asks for a two-minute spoken summary that covers every speaker’s main point; the second describes a situation and asks for an extended spoken response in 40 seconds. Both reward organised, continuous speech more than elaborate vocabulary, and both are worth rehearsing with a timer because the recording stops when the time runs out.

Official pages

Pearson — Speaking and Writing question types Pearson — Reading question types Pearson — Listening question types IELTS guide

Exam resources

Everything for PTE Academic

Six resource pages, each kept in step with the latest official notification.

PTE Academic SyllabusPTE Academic syllabus — every question type in the three parts, what each scores, its prompt length and its time limit.PTE Academic Exam PatternPTE Academic exam pattern — the two-hour single sitting, how automated scoring works, the 10–90 scale, the IELTS concordance and the result timeline.PTE Academic Previous PapersPTE Academic practice material — the scored practice tests and question banks Pearson sells, and why third-party question sets need care.PTE Academic Mock TestsPTE Academic mock tests — full two-hour sittings with a headset, scored by trait, and how to read the report.PTE Academic PreparationPTE Academic preparation — templates for the speaking tasks, fluency over vocabulary, the integrated-skill logic, and when to book.PTE Academic Study MaterialPTE Academic study material — Pearson’s official guide and practice, a grammar and spelling routine, and the listening sources to use.

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