PTE Syllabus – Know It Inside Out

If you’re looking forward to an education in a foreign university, you probably know that you have to appear for a test proving your English language proficiency. This is when the PTE (academic) comes into play as it helps the university officials verify your English language fluency. The test is recognized by most universities and is considered one of the most equitable tests. Now that you’ve decided to appear for the PTE, it is important that you know the PTE syllabus. The PTE syllabus can help you prepare for the test to the best of your abilities. The PTE Syllabus much like the PTE test can be broken down into three sections- speaking & writing, listening and reading.

PTE Exam Pattern: Overview 

The PTE Exam Pattern is majorly divided into 3 sections which test the English speaking, writing and listening skills of candidates. It is essential for universities abroad to know that the income candidate would be able to comprehend the medium of communication in the classroom, because of which language proficiency scores are mandatory.

The PTE Exam follows this pattern –

1. Question – Time Taken to Read the Text Prompt – The length of the text decides the time duration of each prompt. The length can be measured in sentences or words. Candidates need to be active in this part.
2. Prepare for Answer – Time is given to relax and think. You do not have to answer the question immediately. The time given on an average is 10 to 15 seconds to prepare for each segment.
3. Answer – The time for Action. This is the total time given to you to answer and respond to the question. The answers are recorded when you speak when you write they are saved as text and selected in options in Multiple choice questions.

• Reading 
• Speaking and Listening 
• Writing 

PTE 2023 Speaking & Writing Section

Speaking and writing part of the test lasts for 54-67 minutes approximately. While working on this section of the PTE syllabus your focus and emphasis for the speaking aspect should be on how you present yourself, your pronunciation and your command on communicating in the language. The PTE syllabus involves:

• Describing images
• Repeating sentences
• Reading aloud
• Personal Introduction
• Recite a lecture 

For your preparation on the writing aspect of the PTE syllabus, your focus should be on your grammar, punctuation and correct usage of words. The syllabus includes:

• Summarizing written text
• Essay writing
• Answering short questions

Segments Pattern	Time Duration
Self Introduction	25 seconds to prompt, 30 seconds to record. Total time – 55 seconds
Read Aloud	30-40 seconds to prepare for reading out aloud. Total words to read – 60
Repeat Sentence	3 to 9 seconds for prompt, 15 seconds to record. Total time  – 15 seconds
Describe Image	Study the image and give your response in describing it. Total time – 25 seconds
Re-Tell Lecture	Prompt Length – 90 seconds, 10 seconds to prepare. Time to answer – 40 seconds
Answer Short Question	9 seconds to prompt, 10 seconds to answer. Total time – 20 seconds
Summarize Written Text	Text summarise of 300 words. Total time to answer – 10  minutes
Essay	Text of 1-2 questions. Total time to answer – 20 minutes

PTE 2023 Reading Section

The reading section of the test lasts for a duration of 29-30 minutes, it tests your proficiency in the language. While preparing for the test you must focus on your basic understanding of the language and your vocabulary. This part of the PTE syllabus is also broken down into reading and writing, and only the reading section. The reading and writing section of the PTE involves-

• Choosing multiple answers and Multiple-choice questions
• Re-ordering paragraphs 
• Filling the blanks

The reading section of the PTE involves-

• Choosing single answers
• Multiple choice answers
• Fill in the blank

Segments Pattern	Time Duration (varies on the Length of Text Prompt)
Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers	Read 300 words of text
Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer	Read 300 words of text
Re-order Paragraphs	Read 150 words of text
Reading and Writing: Fill in the blanks	Read 300 words of text

PTE 2023 Listening Section

The listening part of the PTE test is spread over 30-43 minutes on an average. It involves testing your comprehension skills. The main area of concern of the test is to understand how well you follow the language, whether you are capable of following instructions in the language and whether on the basis of those instructions you are able to come to the right conclusions based on the instructions. This aspect of the test involves-

• Fill in the blanks
• Select missing word 
• Summarising a spoken text 
• Write the dictated text
• Multiple choice; multiple answers choosing 
• Highlight incorrect words or phrases 
• Multiple choice; single answer choosing 
• Select the correct summary 

Now that you know the PTE syllabus, you must be thinking about the ways in which you can prepare for the PTE. Here is a list of some of the books that even the official PTE site has listed to help you with your syllabus and aid the preparation process:

• The Official Guide to PTE Academic
• Practice Tests Plus: with CD-ROM
• Expert PTE Academic Coursebook B1 & B2

Segments Pattern	Time Duration
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer	40-90 seconds for prompt
Fill in the Blanks	30-60 seconds
Summarize Spoken Text	60-90 seconds to proofread, 10 minutes to write
Multiple Choice, Single Answer	30-60 seconds
Highlight Correct Summary	30-90 seconds
Highlight Incorrect Words	15-50 seconds
Select Missing Word	20-70 seconds
Write From Dictation	3-5 seconds

Best Books for PTE Syllabus

The correct way to excel in the PTE Exam format 2023 is by rigorous hard word and following the right approach towards the same. One way to do the same is to seek guidance from coaching centres and other is to prepare on your own using the right reference books. Here is a list of some bestsellers that cover the PTE syllabus comprehensively: 

Books	Links
The Official Guide to the Pearson Test of English	Click Here, to get your copy!
PTE Academic 79 Plus | Two Full-Length Practice Tests with Answer Keys, Audio Scripts, More than 150 Examples with Sample Answers | Get Your Dream Score | First Edition | By Pearson	Click Here, to get your copy!
The Official Guide to PTE Academic	Click Here, to get your copy!
PTE Academic Practice Tests Plus	Click Here, to get your copy!
Conquer the PTE Exam	Click Here, to get your copy!
Prep for PTE	Click Here, to get your copy!

FAQs

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