PTE Score Chart: How Does the PTE Scoring System Work?

Setting a score target before starting your PTE study journey is always the key to success.

However, you should be familiar with the PTE score chart to understand your English proficiency level and perform well in your upcoming exam.

We will give you the most updated PTE score chart, introduce the PTE scoring system, and explain how PTE scores are calculated.

Let’s dive deeper!

Key Takeaways

• The PTE score chart is a detailed summary of the PTE Academic test’s overall and sectional scores.
• The PTE machine-scoring system is entirely automated by advanced algorithms and works without the instructor’s presence.
• The tables below show the PTE score chart to help you understand each score.

Related:

• See our PTE master training that can fast-track you to 79+ effortlessly!
• PTE exam preparation master guide

What is a PTE score chart?

The PTE score chart is a detailed summary of the PTE Academic test’s overall and sectional scores. It uses the Global Scale of English (a detailed scale of 10–90).

The chart describes the available scores, what they represent, and what skills they reflect to demonstrate a test taker’s English proficiency level accurately and objectively.

The PTE score chart aims to provide a consistent and fair method to assess all English skills in the PTE tests. They include vocabulary, grammar, oral fluency, pronunciation, spelling, communication, and writing skills.

Universities and visa services worldwide can use the latest PTE score chart as a criterion for assessing candidates. That is why it is critical to understand the PTE score chart and how it works.

See more:

• How to check your PTE scores easily
• PTE Rescore: Policies, Success Rate and Risks
• Negative marking in PTE

PTE scoring system – How are PTE results calculated?

Pearson employs multiple proprietary, patented technologies to automatically measure PTE test takers’ overall performance.

The PTE machine-scoring system is entirely automated by advanced algorithms and works without the instructor’s presence. This reduces stress, simplifies the scoring process, and makes it more equal and consistent.

The scoring automation relies on thousands of sample questions assessed by examiners and entered into a sophisticated algorithm.

Data has been gathered from over 10,000 field test participants from 158 countries speaking 126 different native languages.

Therefore, your responses are evaluated based on numerous former answers and examiners’ combined expertise to give you the final score with the most pinpoint accuracy.

The PTE Academic test has 20 question types. Each is assigned a different score method. To be more specific, there are two PTE scoring systems:

• Correct or incorrect: Some tasks receive a score as correct or incorrect.

If you answer correctly, you will get 1 point, if you answer incorrectly, no points are given.

• Partial Credit: Other tasks receive scores of correct, partially correct, or incorrect

You will earn the maximum scores if your answers to these questions are correct. You will earn some points if your answers are only partially correct. No points are awarded for incorrect responses.

Here are the scoring systems for each PTE section:

Scoring PTE Speaking & Writing section

Section	PTE Scoring System
Read Aloud	Partial credit
Repeat Sentence	Partial credit
Describe image	Partial credit
Re-tell lecture	Partial credit
Answer Short Questions	Correct or Incorrect
Summarize Written Text	Partial credit
Writing Essay	Partial credit

Scoring PTE Reading section

Section	PTE Scoring System
Reading and writing: Fill in the blanks	Partial credit for each correctly completed blank
Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers	Partial credit for each correct response. Points are deducted for incorrect options chosen
Re-order paragraphs	Partial credit for each correctly ordered, adjacent pair
Reading: Fill in the blanks	Partial credit for each correctly completed blank
Multiple-choice, choose a single answer	Correct or Incorrect
Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers	Partial credit for each correct response. Points are deducted for incorrect options chosen

Scoring PTE Listening section

Section	PTE Scoring System
Summarize spoken text	Partial credit
Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers	Partial credit for each correct response. Points are deducted for incorrect options chosen
Fill in the blanks	Partial credit for each correct word spelled correctly
Highlight correct summary	Correct or Incorrect
Multiple-choice, choose a single answer	Correct or Incorrect
Select missing word	Correct or incorrect
Highlight incorrect words	Partial credit for each word. Points are deducted for incorrect options chosen
Write from dictation	Partial credit for each word spelled correctly

For more details, you can download the full PTE scoring guide here.

So, how do you calculate the PTE score?

The overall PTE score is determined by analyzing performance across all test tasks.

PTE Communicative Skills scores for four skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Each skill has a scoring range of 10 to 90.

Some tasks examine more than one single skill at once. They are “Integrated skills” tasks, evaluating reading and speaking, listening and speaking, reading and writing, listening and writing, or listening and reading).

The scores on these tasks add to the score for both communicative skills assessed at the same time.

See more:

• PTE score validity & expiry date

PTE score ranges and your level of English proficiency

PTE score ranges from 10 to 90.

The table below shows the PTE score chart to help you understand what each PTE score represents:

PTE score range	CEFR equivalent	Required for	Skill representation
85-90	C2	Not typically required for university admissions or visa applications.	This is the highest English proficiency level in the PTE exam. This scoring range measures the ability to: Understand audio or visual materials thoroughly. Summarize spoken and written information. Reconstruct arguments. Express information coherently, clearly, and fluently.
76–84	C1	Required for Australian Skilled Migration visa applications.  Not typically required for undergraduate courses.	This is a very proficient proficiency level. This scoring range measures the ability to: Understand complex long texts and implicit meanings. Express fluently, clearly, and naturally. Use English correctly for various purposes. Create thorough and well-structured content on difficult topics.
59–75	B2	Require for Professional registration and employment. Australian skilled migration visa applications. Academic level education (undergraduate or post-graduate coursework).	This scoring range measures the ability to: Identify the key ideas in a complex text. Interact with native speakers fluently and spontaneously. Create clear, informative writing and explain a viewpoint on various topics.
43–58	B1	Typically required for undergraduate-level study.	This scoring range measures the ability to: Know the main ideas on daily matters. Solve most personal-related situations. Write short simple text on familiar topics. Share your experiences, objectives, dream, and ambitions briefly.
30–42	A2	May be required for Foundation Year courses. This score range is typically too low for academic education.	This scoring range measures the ability to: Understand basic information-related sentences and expressions. Describe briefly the simple aspects of personal information and the immediate environment.
10–29	A1	This scoring range is typically too low for academic or Foundation Year courses.	This scoring range measures the ability to: Understand and use common daily expressions in very simple words. Introduce yourself and can ask and respond to questions about personal information. Communicate simply as long as the speaker talks slowly and clearly.

Additionally, if you are curious about the conversion between PTE and IELTS or TOEFL, check the two tables below.

PTE and IELTS score comparison table

PTE Academic	IELTS
N/A	9.0
89–90	8.5
84–88	8.0
76–83	7.5
66–75	7.0
56–65	6.5
46–55	6.0
36–45	5.5
29–35	5.0
23–28	4.5
10–22	No data

See more:

• The difference between PTE and IELTS
• Convert PTE scores to IELTS scores

PTE and TOEFL score comparison table

PTE Academic	TOEFL iBT	PTE Academic	TOEFL iBT
85-90	No data	61	90
84	120	60	89
83	119	59	87–88
82	118	58	86
81	117	57	85
80	115–116	56	83–84
79	114	55	82
78	113	54	81
77	112	53	79–80
76	110–111	52	78
75	109	51	76–77
74	107–108	50	74–75
73	106	49	72–73
72	105	48	70–71
71	103–104	47	67–69
70	102	46	65–66
69	101	45	63–64
68	99–100	44	60–62
67	98	43	57–59
66	97	42	54–56
65	95–96	41	52–53
64	94	40	48–51
63	93	39	45–47
62	91–92	38	40–44
		10-37	No data

FAQs

What is the maximum score for a PTE test?

PTE maximum score is 90. Each PTE test has a score range of 10 to 90 based on the Global Scale of English. A score of 90 indicates the highest level of overall English proficiency.

Why are PTE results scored using automated systems?

Research shows that an AI-powered scoring system produces more analytical, impartial results than human scoring.

An automated scoring system is more unbiased and error-free than human judgment influenced by various factors. Besides, it makes a seamless scoring process and reduces human tasks to make consistent and fair PTE scores.

How long should you wait for your PTE scores?

A maximum of five business days, if not sooner.

PTE results are typically available in five business days, if not sooner. Once your PTE score is out, PTE will send you an email notification. You can access your myPTE account to view your results.

Conclusion

Have you mastered the PTE score chart? It’s time to set a goal and predict your potential overall score.

Practicing PTE mock tests is a great way to get the most accurate prediction score possible.

PTE Magic provides a practice test bank to help you assess your English proficiency level and build a study plan effectively. Contact us to get it now!

Last updated on 09/05/2024