Enabling Skills In PTE: What Are They?

This blog by PTE Magic dives deep into how enabling skills in PTE affect your score and offers practical tips to improve each one. 

Want a better PTE score? Here’s what you need to know.

Key Takeaways

• Enabling skills in PTE is critical to how you’ll perform, not just in the test but in using everyday English effectively.
• Your answer needs to match both the content and form required by the task to earn points for enabling skills. 
• If you want to secure your ideal PTE score, don’t just study the test questions. See below for 6 tips to improve your enabling skills.

Related:

• Proven PTE online coaching courses to help you achieve your dream scores
• PTE exam preparation tips & tricks from high-scorers
• How to manage time in a PTE test? Expert tips revealed

What Are Enabling Skills In PTE?

Enabling skills in PTE are criteria that show how well your performance is in the PTE test. They are assessed specifically through test items designed to measure them. Each skill is scored between 10 and 90 points, with your performance directly reflecting your strengths in these areas.

Let’s break down these skills below:

• Grammar: Your ability to use language correctly. Specifically, it’s how you can think of proper word forms and sentence structure.
• Oral fluency: Smooth, natural speech delivery. Stumbling and awkward pauses will drop your score in this criteria.
• Pronunciation: Can most English speakers understand you? That’s the goal. Regional accents are fine as long as your speech is clear to the average listener.
• Spelling: Stick to the rules of spelling, whichever variety of English you’re using. The key is to keep consistency throughout your response.
• Vocabulary: This criterion represents your ability to pick the right words to convey your speech and shows you’ve got a good range of word use.
• Written discourse: This section assesses your writing ability. Clear, logical flow, strong structure, and the ability to communicate ideas efficiently and precisely will get a high written discourse score.

These skills are critical to how you’ll perform, not just in the test but in using everyday English effectively.

How Do Enabling Skills Impact Your PTE Scores?

Your answer needs to match both the content and form required by the task to earn points for enabling skills. 

Let’s say the task asks you to retell a lecture about plants, but you go off-topic and start talking about social issues instead. No matter how well you deliver your answer, you won’t earn a single point. Why? Because you didn’t stick to the subject, so your enabling skills won’t be counted.

But if your response is on point, the system moves on to assess its form. You’ll receive some points if you hit the word count, and then your enabling skills, such as grammar, fluency, and pronunciation, get evaluated. A machine does this whole scoring process.

The scores you earn for enabling skills in each task contribute to your total enabling skills score on the report. However, even if you feel like you’ve performed badly on the test, sometimes your enabling skills are still decent. 

That’s why it’s crucial to analyse the entire system before jumping to conclusions about your overall performance. 

Tips To Improve Your PTE Enabling Skills

Grammar

If you want to improve this skill, start by reading newspapers, articles, books, etc. Grammar in the PTE is about how well you can handle sentence structure and complexity in English.

But don’t just skim – pay attention. Watch how sentences are formed, look at the order of words, and don’t ignore the little details like punctuation. Apostrophes, commas, and semi-colons all matter. Every mark on the page is important, and it might cost you points if you miss it.

Oral Fluency

Oral fluency is how you keep your speech smooth and at a natural pace. Don’t rush through your words, but don’t drag them out, either. Find your comfortable speech where everything flows just right.

Additionally, take short pauses between sentences or when you’re moving from one idea to the next. It helps keep your ideas clear and natural. 

Here’s another tip: ditch those awkward filler sounds like “aah,” “uhm,” or “you know.” Instead, use more meaningful transitions like “Moreover,” “Besides,” or “In addition.” They’ll make you sound more polished and in control.

Written Discourse

The written discourse skill shows how well your writing is structured, how coherent it is, and the range of language tools you use to get your point across. It shows how you can organise your thoughts in a way that makes sense and flows naturally.

In both the speaking and writing sections, content becomes an enabling skill. The system looks at how precisely you’ve answered the task, focusing on the accuracy and relevance of what you’ve said or written. So, it’s not just about how you say it; what you say also counts. Use the right information, and you will achieve a higher PTE score.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation shows how clearly you can articulate words so that people understand you. Test-takers need to sound right and make sure their speeches are clear and easy to follow. Rushing through words doesn’t help. Slow it down and focus on making every word clear. 

English has its own melody. Some words are stressed more than others. Therefore, learn how to hit the right notes by focusing on stress and intonation. 

Additionally, listen to native speakers through podcasts, news anchors, and audiobooks. Imitate the way they talk, the rhythm, the sounds to learn how they sound in real life. In the end, mastering pronunciation means ensuring that every word sounds as it should.

Spelling

Spelling might seem trivial, but getting it wrong will lead to a PTE score downfall. It needs consistency and precision. 

Here are some tips to sharpen your spelling:

• Read more: The more you read, the more you’ll see words in their context. Practising with books, articles, and even the back of cereal boxes will help get those words into your brain and keep them there.
• Don’t rely on autocorrect: Relying too much on autocorrect will lower your spelling skills. Start typing without autocorrect and see how much your spelling improves. 
• Notice the patterns: English may have its oddities, but it’s not without patterns. Learn those common spelling rules. You’ll see how often they come in handy (though don’t forget about the exceptions).

Vocabulary

Building a strong vocabulary can make all the difference. But memorising words is difficult. You will need a strategy, and PTE Magic will recommend some tips.

Start by setting yourself a target. Learn 5 to 10 new words a day, but don’t just learn as much as possible and hope they stick. Do it word by word and list them properly. That list should grow every day with words that help you express your thoughts clearly and precisely.

So, how to choose the right words? Pick the ones that elevate your meaning without getting too complex. Use those words to make your point sharper your argument stronger.

Additionally, immerse yourself in English news, podcasts, and YouTube videos. When you hear a good one, add it to your list so you can rewatch it later. Little by little, new words will pile up. Eventually, you’ll have a decent amount of word use to strengthen your writing.

Wrap Up

So, if you want to secure your ideal PTE score, don’t just study the test questions. Focus on mastering the enabling skills in PTE, and you’ll be well on your way. Your future success lies in how well you understand and improve these skills.

Good luck!

Last updated on 29/10/2024