PTE Core Read Aloud: Format, Scoring, Tips, and Much More

PTE Core Read Aloud is more than just re-reading text. You also need to include clarity, fluency, and confidence. In this blog, PTE Magic will explore the format, scoring, and practical tips to help you improve your performance in this section.

Keep scrolling to master the Read Aloud section in the PTE Core!

Key Takeaways

• PTE Core Read Aloud focuses on three criteria to determine your score: content, pronunciation, and fluency. 
• Speaking too fast in the PTE Core Read Aloud can cause mispronunciations, intonation failure, and increased stress.
• See our top five tips below for test-takers who want to achieve a high score on your PTE Core speaking test.

PTE Core Read Aloud Format

PTE Core Read Aloud task can be hard for some test-takers. The section includes two skills, which are reading and speaking.  

At first, they will give you some text to read aloud, usually up to 60 words long. The recording status box will show a countdown until your microphone opens. Depending on the text length, you will have 30–40 seconds to prepare and read the text.  

Once you hear a short tone, start speaking immediately. Remember, do not speak before the microphone opens, or the computer won’t record your voice.

In this Read Aloud section, Pearson advises test-takers not to rush and finish their speech before the progress bar ends. You will know you are done when “Recording” changes to “Completed”.

This section only allows recording your response once. Therefore, the recording will stop if you pause for more than three seconds,

How is the PTE Core Read Aloud Section Scored?

PTE Core Read Aloud focuses on three criteria to determine your score: content, pronunciation, and fluency. 

• Content: Your score depends on the amount of correct words you read from the given reading text. In other words, your scores will be lower if you replace, add, or skip the words.
• Pronunciation: This will determine if your speech sounds similar to most English speakers. The best scores belong to test-takers who pronounce the vowels and consonants clearly, plus stress the words and phrases correctly. For people who worry that they have a non-native accent, don’t be. PTE testing system can recognise different dialects as long as your speech is understandable to regular English speakers.

• Fluency: This aspect scores how smoothly and naturally you speak. Test-takers will get high scores if they maintain a natural pace and good phrasing. On the other hand, if you hesitate or struggle to talk, your score will be affected badly.

Overall, these criteria will be the main factors affecting your score in the PTE Read Aloud. Therefore, understanding these scoring criteria is a good move to help you focus on what’s important when preparing for your PTE Core test.

What to Avoid in the PTE Core Read Aloud?

The first problem many test-takers need to improve in this section is speaking too fast. Some people only want to finish quickly rather than pronounce words correctly, which can cause mispronunciations, intonation failure, and increased stress. 

Another problem is focusing too much on pronunciation, which results in speaking slowly. This type of speech makes you unable to finish it and creates a monotone and lifeless response. 

So, how to maintain a stable pace in the PTE Core Read Aloud? The answer is to find the balance. You should spend more time skimming the given text to familiarise yourself. This helps boost your confidence and manage your speaking time better.

For more useful practical tips, read below.

Best 5 PTE Core Read Aloud Practice Tips

For test-takers who want to achieve a high score on your PTE Core speaking test, here are our top five tips:

Practice on Pronunciation

Some stand-alone sounds are hard to pronounce, which is a challenge for most test-takers who are non-native English speakers. The solution is to focus on how to place your tongue and control your voice. Additionally, moving your lips can affect your pronunciation, so remember this when practising.

You can learn from sources providing standard pronunciation as references. Some dictionary websites or apps have integrated word pronunciations, typically from United States and United Kingdom speakers, to help English learners study better. 

Moreover, you can also learn how native speakers talk through sources such as movies, shows, and music. This is ideal for combining content that interests you with studying English.

Focus on Stressing

The English language has a rhythmic pattern, as people stress on some syllables more than others. Therefore, learners need to understand this to achieve higher scores in this task.

When you emphasise words and phrases in the text, your speech will naturally flow. This flow helps the listeners and the computer understand the meaning more effectively.

Like practising pronunciation, you should watch TV shows or films featuring native English speakers to improve your stress skills. We suggest paying attention to their rhythm and intonation. A rhythmic speech always delivers better than a monotonous voice, therefore try to mimic how they speak.

Know When to Pause

Learning how to pause is important. You should utilise commas, question marks, and exclamation points to break the sentence into smaller parts. This creates breaks in your speech, which helps you read more fluently and gain clarity.

However, too many delays can disrupt your reading flow. You must decide carefully where to pause; otherwise, your speech will be separated and sound disconnected.

Pearson gives you around 15 seconds to preview the text. Use this time to break the given text into smaller, meaningful parts. You can use punctuation as a guide to make small pauses and adjust your speech. 

One great tip is to raise your voice at the beginning of the smaller parts and drop it slightly when you reach the pausing points. This method increases your intonation skills, thus making your speech sound more natural.

Control Your Timing

As mentioned above, you have 30-40 seconds to prepare. The timing varies depending on the length of the question, therefore, knowing how to manage your time is crucial.

For best results, you should use a timer while practising the Reading Aloud task. Accordingly, setting a timer helps you get used to the time limit.

Moreover, practice with a timer enhances your ability to adjust your speaking pace to fit the given time. This part is hard because you must keep your pronunciation and stress properly while speaking within the time limit. For that reason, practising is key to improving your speaking performance.

Record to Recheck

Self-evaluation can be difficult because you need to record yourself and review that record. However, it’s a good start, as you can identify your weak areas for improvement.

While recording, one might not realise their wrong pronunciations and stresses. However, these mistakes can be easily found once you listen to your records.

PTE Magic recommends comparing your recording with native speakers reading the same given text. Websites like Speechling and Elsa Speak or language learning platforms like iTalki and HelloTalk can assist you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are the most common questions from PTE Core test-takers. Scroll down below to see if any of them match your queries.

Do Pauses Affect My PTE Scores?

Unfortunately, yes. Unnecessary pauses can lower your score because they show your lack of fluency. You should practice frequently to find the right pace, thus maintaining a smooth and natural speech to get a high score on this task.

How Much Time Should I Speak in the PTE Read Aloud?

As mentioned above, you have 30 to 40 seconds to prepare and read the text, depending on the length. Pay attention to the short tone; you must speak immediately after hearing it. 

To avoid recording stops, try not to pause for longer than three seconds and continue to speak until the end of the text. 

Do I Need to Pronounce Every Word?

Yes. You need to pronounce every word clearly in the Read Aloud task to get the best scores. For your information, skipping words will lower your score in content and pronunciation. Therefore, aside from speaking pace and flow, attention to detail is also important.

Final Thoughts

PTE Core Read Aloud is more than just re-reading text. Test-takers must maintain their fluency, clarity, and proper timing to get the highest scores in this section. 

Following our PTE Core Read Aloud tips will improve your performance. Also, remember to visit us frequently to see more related content. Cheers!

Last updated on 28/06/2024