Why is Getting PTE Speaking Feedback so Important

The PTE Academic Exam has essentially four activities: Speaking, Writing, Reading, and Listening. Each of these activities is further divided into sections that help in assessing the proficiency of the candidate in the particular activity. However, among the four sections, Speaking is further utilized in the Reading and Listening sections while also being merged directly with the Writing section. This makes the feedback from the Speaking activity very important for the candidate to be able to judge oneself in the two other interconnected areas.

Examination	PTE Academic exam
Full form of PTE	Pearson Test of English
Examination type	English proficiency test
Mode of exam	Online
Test Activities	Speaking & Writing, Reading, and Listening
Duration of exam	2 hours 15 minutes

PTE-A Speaking: What To Know?

The PTE Academic Speaking section has between 28 to 36 questions which take around 54 to 67 minutes to complete. Students should note that the Speaking section is combined with the Writing section. There are 8 different modules within the Speaking and Writing section that judges the English proficiency of the candidate on a number of criteria. The various modules are given below for your reference.

Modules	Number of Questions
Personal Introduction	1
Read aloud activity	6 – 7
Repeating a sentence	10 – 12
Image Description	3 – 4
Retell lecture	1 – 2
Answering short questions	5 – 6
Written text summarization	1 – 2
Essay writing	1 – 2

Also Read: PTE Speaking: Common Mistakes and How To Avoid Them?

Certain things that a candidate would require to keep in mind while preparing for this section are given below:

• A personal introduction is not marked but is sent along with the test scores to the Universities. This section allows the candidate to get prepared in 25 seconds. The catch here is that you can record your introduction in just 30 seconds and in one go.
• The activity of reading aloud requires a candidate to be very specific in their tonality and pronunciation.
• The ‘Repeat Sentence’ activity asks you to produce the same sentence orally. However, as there is no cue to start speaking the sentence, you have to start repeating the sentence just as the audio ends.
• In the activity of image description, it is suggested that the candidate use proper terms that suit the type of infographics that are being displayed on their system. A small tip is that candidates should try to complete the sentences while recording because the time is very less.
• The context in the ‘Retell Lecture’ activity needs to be understood first. So it is suggested that students develop a habit of noting keywords that give an idea of the context that is being talked about.
• While it is not necessary to know the answers to the ‘Answer Short Questions’ section, the candidate should be able to reproduce some ideas based on the keywords in the questions.
• The rest two activities are primarily based on the writing skills of the candidate where one has to type in the correct spellings of the words with proper grammar and punctuation marks.

The Advantages of Feedback on PTE-A Speaking

A PTE aspirant should understand that it is very important to have a regular practice approach while preparing for this examination. It is so because there is no human involved in the process of the examination. The entire examination is assessed by an AI system because of which accuracy is very important. However, it might be the case that you are not able to crack the examination in a single go. This is exactly where feedback comes in handy. 

• Practising with a goal: PTE has feedback for the candidate after every mock test. Feedback allows the candidates to prepare better and also improve their scores thereafter. Thus, feedback allows a student to practice with a goal in the mind.

• Areas to improve are clear: The Speaking section of the PTE being addressed together with the Writing section affects more marks than any other section. This makes the requirement of preparation very necessary. In the exams where the student has already appeared and scored less than expected marks, feedback will make the scores better in the future. Also, the student becomes aware of the areas where he or she needs to improve and hence has a target to better those areas.

Must Read: Last-Minute PTE Test Tips

Areas Assessed in PTE Speaking

PTE Speaking assesses three very basic areas to understand the proficiency of the examinee in the E2 language. These 3 areas are content, verbal fluency, and pronunciation. These three areas also allow the system to understand the cognitive development of the examinee in the language.

• Content: Every activity of the PTE Speaking section involves an understanding of the context that the content is built on. This requires a lot of practice in the vocabulary. The vocabulary allows the context to be reflected better and intellectually in the content.

• Pronunciation: The requirement of a native accent is not mandatory and also not advised as it creates a very false impression of the person on any native inhabitant. However, the correct pronunciation of English words allows for an understanding of the language. The AI compares the pronunciation to thousands of speakers and arrives at the conclusion of whether the pronunciation of the examinee is an acceptable one or not.

• Fluency: The best way to keep fluency is to speak at a low pace rather than trying to speak too fast. This would allow the candidate time to form the correct sentences and also find the correct vocabulary. A long time of practice can also help. We would suggest the candidate make use of the language on a daily basis so that fluency starts appearing naturally in conversations. This would also allow the candidate to have a natural flow of fitting words.

FAQs

It is suggested that while practising for your next PTE Speaking section, take care of the previous feedback that you received. Set goals on the basis of your areas of improvement. Give mock exams. And yes, before the next exam take a rest so that you do not skip words while listening to the sentences.

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