PTE Academic · Speaking
PTE Read Aloud
A short text appears on screen. You read it aloud, clearly and smoothly.
A short text of up to 60 words appears on screen, and it may have a few long words in it. You get a short time to read it silently, then the microphone opens and you read it out. The words are all there for you, so the task is not about ideas. It is about reading them accurately, in natural phrases, at a steady pace.
How the task works
Read first, then speak once
The text stays on screen the whole time. What changes is what you do with it.
Read and prepare
Read the text silently. Look for the long or unfamiliar words, and notice where the commas and full stops fall, because they tell you where to pause. The exact time depends on the length of the text.
The microphone opens
Speak only once the microphone is open. Anything you say before that is not recorded. Read at a steady pace and do not rush the first line.
Finish before the progress bar does
A progress bar shows how much recording time is left. Aim to reach the last word before it runs out, and then stop. You can record your answer only once, so a slip is best left behind you, not fixed by starting again.
How Pearson scores it
Three things are marked, and the words come first
Pearson marks Read Aloud on three traits. The task is scored by computer, and you can earn part of the marks, so one small slip does not sink the whole answer.
Content
How closely your words match the text. Each replacement, omission or insertion of a word counts as one error, so a word you skip, swap for another, or add costs you. The highest score you can earn depends on the length of the text.
Oral Fluency
How smooth your speech is. The best speech has a smooth rhythm and phrasing, with no hesitations, repetitions or false starts. Speech that is staccato, or that stops and restarts, scores lower.
Pronunciation
How clear and easy to understand your speech is. Pearson looks at how you say vowels and consonants and where you put the stress in a word. You do not need a particular accent.
Read Aloud counts towards your Speaking score. A wrong word costs Content, but a stumble or long pause costs Fluency as well, so the aim is to read every word in smooth, connected phrases.
What usually goes wrong
Where students lose marks
Reading one word at a time
Pearson's top Fluency description is smooth rhythm and phrasing, and the lower ones describe staccato speech. Read in groups of words, and let your eyes run a few words ahead of your voice.
Stopping to restart
Repetitions and false starts lower Fluency, and you cannot record again. If you stumble, carry on from where you are. Finishing the text is worth more than one perfect sentence.
Ignoring the punctuation
Pearson's own tip is to use punctuation to find the natural places to pause. A comma is a short breath and a full stop is a longer one. Running them together makes a sentence hard to follow.
Rushing to the end
Pearson advises speaking clearly without rushing. The last sentence is where speed tends to creep in, and skipped or swallowed words at the end are still errors. Slow down for the final line.
A worked example
One text from our practice, and how to read it
Here is a text of the kind you will read. Read it silently first. Then look at the words and phrasing that trip people up, and try saying the text aloud with them in mind.
Words and phrasing to plan for
- Difficult word bleaching Say it as BLEE-ching, with the stress on the first part.
- Difficult word ecosystems Say EE-koh-sis-tumz: four parts, with the stress at the start. A word this long is easy to rush and clip.
- Difficult word resilience Say ri-ZIL-yuns. The stress falls on the second part.
- Difficult word biodiversity The last word of the text. Say BY-oh-dy-VER-sit-ee, and leave every part in, even though you are nearly done.
- Phrasing “…coral reefs, disrupting ecosystems that sustain nearly a quarter of all marine species.” Take a short pause at the comma, then read “that sustain nearly a quarter of all marine species” as one phrase.
- Phrasing “…researchers warn that the growing frequency of thermal stress now exceeds the rate…” A long stretch with no comma. Read “the growing frequency of thermal stress” together and take your breath before “now exceeds”.
The text to read
Rising ocean temperatures have accelerated the bleaching of coral reefs, disrupting ecosystems that sustain nearly a quarter of all marine species. Although certain corals display remarkable resilience, researchers warn that the growing frequency of thermal stress now exceeds the rate at which these fragile organisms can recover, threatening the long-term viability of reef biodiversity.
Strategy tip: While you read silently, run your eye along each sentence and mark, in your head, where you will breathe. Put the stress on the words that carry the meaning, such as “bleaching”, “resilience” and “thermal stress”. A plan for the breaths means you never have to stop in the middle of a phrase.
Notice how much of this text is easy words. The marks are lost mostly on a handful of long ones and on the second sentence, where the phrasing needs care. Plan for those and the rest looks after itself.
Practising here
See which words you got right
You read a text, record yourself, and see the reading word by word. Then you hear how each word should sound and try again.
The text, then the microphone
The text is on screen while you read it silently. Then the recording opens by itself, so you practise the same rhythm of read first, speak next.
Your reading, word by word
After you speak, the text comes back with your reading marked on it. You see the words you skipped, the words you read as something else, the words you added, and any filler sounds such as “um”.
Words to watch
The words that gave you trouble are listed together, so you know what to say slowly before your next try.
Tap a word to hear it
Tap any word in the text to see how it is pronounced, and to hear it. This works on the passage while you prepare, and on the words of your reading afterwards.
A model reading
While you are reading the text, before the recording starts, you can play a model reading of it. It gives you a target for pace and phrasing, and it is switched off while you record.
Fluency shown separately
How smoothly you read is shown on its own, next to the words you got right, so you can tell whether it was the words or the delivery that held you back. You can also play your own recording back.
Common questions
Read Aloud, answered
How long is the text, and how long do I have to prepare?
The text is up to 60 words. You get 30 to 40 seconds to read it and prepare, depending on how long the text is. Then the microphone opens and you read it aloud.
How many Read Aloud texts are there in the test?
Six or seven, according to Pearson's score guide.
How is Read Aloud scored?
By computer, on three traits: Content, Oral Fluency and Pronunciation. Content counts your errors, where a replaced, missing or added word is one error. Fluency looks at rhythm and phrasing, and Pronunciation at how clear your speech is. You can earn part of the marks.
Does Read Aloud count towards Speaking or Reading?
Speaking. Pearson lists Speaking as the skill this task is scored for.
Can I record my answer again?
No. In the test you can record your response only once, and only after the microphone opens. Anything you say before that is not captured.
What if I make a mistake while I am reading?
Carry on. A repetition or a restart lowers your Fluency mark, and stopping to begin again wastes recording time. Keep the rhythm going and finish the text before the progress bar ends.
Should I read fast to fit everything in?
No. Pearson advises speaking clearly without rushing. Read at a steady pace, and if you are running short, keep going to the end rather than skipping words.
Do I need an accent to score well?
No. Pearson looks at how clearly and easily you can be understood, including your vowels, consonants and word stress. It does not ask for a particular accent.
How do I practise Read Aloud here?
Sign in, open Read Aloud and read the text on screen. Then record your reading and see it marked word by word, with your words to watch, a way to hear any word, and a model reading to compare with.
Read the text, then hear how it went
Read a short passage aloud, then see which words came through cleanly and which need another look.