PTE Exam Syllabus 2026 (Section-Wise): Reading, Writing, Listening & Speaking

A  lot of times, candidates are left wondering about a good PTE score. PTE Academic test takers should be aware that every university would have a required PTE score and candidates are expected to achieve the same or a higher value to be eligible for admission to the university. A good PTE score could be a score that would make the candidate eligible for most universities accepting PTE scores. Having a good PTE score not only increases your chances of admission to the university but also makes you a frontrunner for any scholarships the university may provide.  

There is no passing marks for the PTE exam. According to the Pearson PLC Group, PTE test takers should aim to score a minimum of CEFR B2 level, which equals to a PTE Academic score range of 59-75. With that level of English proficiency, the students become eligible to apply for most of the universities abroad.

These scores imply that the student can follow academic-level instructions and participate in academic education both coursework and student life. This level of English is also considered eligible for professional registration, employment and applying for Australian skilled migration visas. 

The PTE exam syllabus is focused on the four key parameters of assessing the English language proficiency, i.e. Speaking, Writing, Reading and Listening. The PTE exam syllabus is-

1. Speaking & Writing  
   
   • Personal Introduction- Involves a brief introduction of you.
   • Read Aloud- Read short passages given on the screen and get tested for pronunciation, fluency and intonation. 
   • Repeat Sentence- Repeat the sentence that you listened to in the recording.
   • Describe Image- You will be presented with an image on the screen, and that image may include a graph, data, or anything. You will then have to describe the image in detail in the given amount of time. 
   • Re-tell Lecture- Listen/watch a lecture and then re-tell it in your own words.
   • Answer Short Question- Answer a question that you listened to on the recording with a single or multiple words.  
   • Summarise Group Discussion (New)- This task requires you to listen to a recorded discussion between 3 people and then summarise the whole of the discussion in your own words. 
   • Respond to a Situation- Listen to and read the description of a situation and then answer a question based on this.
   • Summarise Written Text- On reading a given passage, you will be required to write a summary of it in 1 sentence.  
   • Essay- Write an essay of 200-300 words on a topic within the given amount of time. 
2. Reading 
   
   • Reading & Writing - (Dropdown): On the screen, you will be presented with a text containing several gaps. Select the right word for the gap from the dropdown list. 
   • Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers- After listening to a recording, answer a multiple-choi

The Part 1 of the PTE exam comprises of 10 different question types (including the Personal Introduction which is not scored). The number of questions asked on the PTE exam for each question type varies, except the "Personal Introduction", for which there is only 1 questio/prompt. The total number of questions that will be asked on Part 1 of the PTE exam post the declaration of the major update is not sure yet as the conducting body, Pearson PTE, is yet make an announcement for the same.

Additionally, you do not get a score for personal introduction; however this is shared with your chosen universities abroad along with your score report. 

In total, there used to be 28-36 questions in Part 1 - Speaking & Writing of the PTE exam. However, after the latest update in the PTE exam pattern, the questions in Part 1 will increase to 31 - 44.

There are 5 different types of questions in Part 2 of the PTE exam. And you will be asked 13-18 of such questions in part 2 - Reading of the PTE exam. 

There will be 22 different question types (excluding the personal introduction, which is not scored) in the PTE exam. Part 1 - Speaking and Writing consists of 10 different question types (including Personal Introduction, which is not a part of PTE results and scores). Part 2 - Reading contains 5 different types of questions and Part 3 - Listening contains 8 different question types. 

There are 8 different types of questions in Part 3 of the PTE exam. And in total, you will be required to answer 12-20 questions in Part 3 - Listening of the PTE exam.

There are 8 different types of questions in Part 3 - Listening of the PTE exam. The type of questions asked are listed below:

1. Summarize Spoken Text
2. Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers
3. Fill in the Blanks (Type in)
4. Highlight Correct Summary
5. Multiple Choice, Single Answer
6. Select Missing Word
7. Highlight Incorrect Words
8. Write from Dictation

An AI-based automated scoring system assesses your performance in each section of the PTE exam. Scores are assigned on a 10 to 90 points scale - overall and for communicative skills reports (for Speaking, Writing, Reading and Listening).

After the latest update in PTE Exam Pattern, the Part 1 - Speaking & Writing of PTE now has 10 different question types. These new tasks are introduced as 7th and 8th tasks in Speaking and Writing section of the PTE exam.

The complete updated list of different question types in Part 1 - Speaking and Writing of the PTE exam is given below.

1. Personal Introduction
2. Read Aloud
3. Repeat Sentence
4. Describe Image
5. Re-tell Lecture
6. Answer Short Question
7. Summarize Group Discussion (New)
8. Respond to a Situation (New)
9. Summarise Written Text
10. Essay

As of now there is no bar on the number of attempts allowed to take the PTE exam. Test takers can retake the exam as many times they want to improve their score. However, there are two conditions associated with the allowed retakes. These are-

1. A new PTE exam slot must be booked only after the result of previous attempt is released.
2. Only 12 attempts are allowed in a given 12 months window. If you happen to have exhausted all these 12 attempts for the concerned 12 months window and want another attempt in the same window, then you'll have to submit an application for the same.