ScoreFluentPTE Speaking, task by task.
PTE Academic has no separate Speaking test. Seven spoken task types sit inside one Speaking and Writing part of about 76 to 84 minutes, recorded on a computer with no examiner. Here is what each task asks, how long you get, which ones feed your Speaking score, and where to find a full guide.
How is PTE Speaking structured?
| Task | What you do | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Read Aloud | Read a text of up to 60 words aloud | 6–7 | 30–40 s to prepare; speaking time varies with the text |
| Repeat Sentence | Repeat a sentence of 3–9 seconds, heard once | 10–12 | 15 s to answer |
| Describe Image | Describe an image in your own words | 5–6 | 25 s to study, 40 s to speak |
| Retell Lecture | Retell a lecture of up to 90 seconds | 2–3 | 10 s to prepare, 40 s to speak |
| Answer Short Question | Answer a short spoken question | 5–6 | 10 s to answer |
| Summarize Group Discussion | Summarise a three-person discussion of up to 3 minutes | 2–3 | 10 s to prepare, 2 min to speak |
| Respond to a Situation | Respond to a scenario of up to 60 words, heard once | 2–3 | 10 s to prepare, 40 s to speak |
A Personal Introduction opens the part. Pearson says it is a familiarisation recording and does not contribute to your score. The spoken tasks share their part with the two Writing tasks, so Pearson times the part as a whole, not Speaking alone. Question counts are Pearson’s published ranges and vary by test.
Which spoken tasks count towards your Speaking score?
| Task | Skills Pearson credits |
|---|---|
| Read Aloud | Speaking |
| Repeat Sentence | Listening and Speaking |
| Describe Image | Speaking |
| Retell Lecture | Listening and Speaking |
| Answer Short Question | Listening |
| Summarize Group Discussion | Listening and Speaking |
| Respond to a Situation | Speaking |
Answer Short Question is spoken but credited to Listening only. Three tasks credit both Listening and Speaking, so on those you are scored on understanding the audio as well as on how you speak. The attribution comes from the score guide’s task table. Pearson’s format page words Read Aloud less consistently and also mentions Reading.
How is PTE Speaking scored?
Each task is scored on its own traits. Where Pearson lists Content, it is rated on a band scale that differs by task. On the tasks that list them, Pronunciation and Oral Fluency are each rated 0 to 5. Oral Fluency descriptors count hesitations, repetitions and false starts, and the top band has none of them.
Pearson says AI scores every response. A human expert also reviews Content on Describe Image, Retell Lecture, Respond to a Situation and Summarize Group Discussion before the task score is confirmed, and Pearson says humans never check pronunciation or fluency.
For the trait-by-trait breakdown across every task, see how PTE Academic is scored task by task. We do not repeat it here.
A guide for each task.
The task facts are Pearson’s. The technique in each guide is ours, and each one includes practice items from the ScoreFluent bank. Those items are not real exam questions.
Read Aloud →
What the content, pronunciation and fluency traits check, and a routine for the 30 to 40 seconds of preparation.
Repeat Sentence →
What is scored on a sentence you hear once, and what to do with sentences too long to hold in memory.
Describe Image →
A five-part planning structure for the 25 seconds before you speak.
Retell Lecture →
Note-taking shorthand and a four-part structure for turning a 90-second lecture into a summary.
Answer Short Question →
Why one correct word is enough, and why a full sentence earns nothing extra.
Summarize Group Discussion →
A note layout for three speakers and a structure for the two-minute response.
Respond to a Situation →
A four-move structure for 40 seconds, and how to match your register to the listener.
Straight from Pearson.
Checked 15 and 16 October 2026. ScoreFluent is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Pearson. The facts here come from Pearson’s published pages:
- PTE Academic Speaking and Writing format page — task prompts, preparation and speaking times.
- PTE Academic Test Taker Score Guide (PDF) — question counts, skills credited, traits and the human-review list.
- PTE Academic 2025 updates — the two new Speaking tasks and the statement on human review.
- Pearson automated scoring — computer-based delivery with no human examiner.
Exam details change, and Pearson revises these pages during the year. If a decision hangs on a detail here, check the official pages first. They outrank this page.
Keep going: the PTE Academic overview, Writing, Reading, Listening, full mock tests.
Speaking questions, answered.
How many speaking tasks are in PTE Academic?
Seven spoken task types: Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence, Describe Image, Retell Lecture, Answer Short Question, Summarize Group Discussion and Respond to a Situation. They sit in the same part as the two Writing tasks, and a Personal Introduction at the start is not scored.
Is PTE Speaking a separate section or a live interview?
Neither. Pearson combines Speaking and Writing in one part of about 76 to 84 minutes, and says the test is fully computer-based so you do not face a human examiner.
How long do you get to speak in each PTE task?
It varies by task: 15 seconds for Repeat Sentence, 40 seconds for Describe Image, Retell Lecture and Respond to a Situation, and 2 minutes for Summarize Group Discussion. Read Aloud gives 30 to 40 seconds to prepare, and its speaking time depends on the length of the text.
Which tasks count towards the PTE Speaking score?
Pearson’s score guide credits Read Aloud, Describe Image and Respond to a Situation to Speaking only. Repeat Sentence, Retell Lecture and Summarize Group Discussion count towards both Listening and Speaking.
Does Answer Short Question count towards Speaking?
No. It is a spoken task, but Pearson’s score guide credits it to Listening only.
Is PTE Speaking marked by AI or by a human?
Pearson says AI scores every response. A human expert also reviews Content on Describe Image, Retell Lecture, Respond to a Situation and Summarize Group Discussion, and humans never check pronunciation or fluency.
What are the two newest PTE Speaking tasks?
Summarize Group Discussion and Respond to a Situation, which Pearson added in August 2025. They took the test from 20 to 22 task types.
What traits are PTE Speaking tasks scored on?
Content on the tasks where Pearson lists it, plus Pronunciation and Oral Fluency, each rated from 0 to 5. The Content bands differ from task to task.
Do hesitations and false starts matter in PTE Speaking?
They matter to Oral Fluency. Pearson’s descriptors count hesitations, repetitions and false starts, and its top band has none of them.
Can I practise every PTE Speaking task on ScoreFluent?
Yes, all seven spoken task types are available. Answer Short Question, Read Aloud and Repeat Sentence are scored free within a daily limit, and the other four get an examiner report paid with credits, at 8 credits each. New accounts start with 40 free credits.
Practise PTE Speaking today.
All seven spoken task types are on ScoreFluent. Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence and Answer Short Question are free within a daily limit, and the other four cost 8 credits each. Scores are practice estimates, not official PTE scores.
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