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A Guide to the PTE Speaking Exam's Scoring Criteria

Each section in the PTE exam has a unique scoring criterion. As a PTE test taker, it is crucial that you know how each component is scored to increase your chances of getting excellent results. Consider getting PTE review packages to help you understand the exam score system.

Most PTE review center instructors discuss the test’s score system at the beginning of their classes. They teach their students how scores are computed, what communicative skills are tested, and what enabling skills (i.e., grammar, oral fluency, pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary, and written discourse) are gauged in each section. Most PTE instructors, however, seldom go into detail about how each component’s score criteria.

The PTE Speaking Exam

Speaking is the first communicative skill that is assessed in the PTE exam. The examinee has 30–35 minutes to complete five sections: “read aloud,” “repeat sentence,” “describe image,” “retell lecture,” and “answer short question.” Although it focuses on gauging the test taker’s speaking abilities, the speaking exam also considers other communicative skills during scoring. Here’s an overview of each section.

  1. Read Aloud
    Number of items: 6–7
    Communicative skills scored: speaking and reading
    Enabling skills scored: oral fluency and pronunciation
    Other traits scored: content

  2. Repeat Sentence
    Number of items: 10–12
    Communicative skills scored: speaking and listening
    Enabling skills scored: oral fluency and pronunciation
    Other traits scored: content

  3. Describe Image
    Number of items: 6–7
    Communicative skills scored: speaking
    Enabling skills scored: oral fluency and pronunciation
    Other traits scored: content

  4. Retell Lecture
    Number of items: 3–4
    Communicative skills scored: speaking and listening
    Enabling skills scored: oral fluency and pronunciation
    Other traits scored: content

  5. Answer Short Question
    Number of items: 10–12
    Communicative skills scored: speaking and listening
    Enabling skills scored: oral fluency and pronunciation
    Other traits scored: vocabulary

Enroll in a PTE review center to get in-depth knowledge about the contents and coverage of the speaking examination.

Pronunciation and Oral Fluency

All items in the speaking exam are rated based on two enabling skills: pronunciation and oral fluency. Here’s how they are rated in the speaking exam.

Pronunciation

Score: 5

Skills Status: Native-like

Description: The test taker used appropriate assimilations and deletions during verbal discourse. Vowels and consonants are enunciated clearly. Stress is applied correctly in words and sentences.

Score: 4

Skills Status: Advanced

Description: The test taker enunciated vowels and consonants clearly but with a few minor distortions. The vowel, consonant, consonant sequences, and stress distortions do not affect the discourse’s intelligibility.

Score: 3

Skills Status: Good

Description: The test taker enunciated most vowels and consonants correctly. There are consistent distortions, omissions, and mispronunciations that affect the discourse’s intelligibility. Stress errors and vowel reductions also occur.

Score: 2

Skills Status: Intermediate

Description: The test taker mispronounced consonants and vowels in a non-native like manner consistently. Listeners may need to adjust to the test taker’s accent. Some statements and words are incorrectly stressed, consonants are omitted, and consonant sequences are simplified. At least 2/3 of the discourse is intelligible.

Score: 1

Skills Status: Intrusive 

Description: The test taker exhibited strong intrusive foreign accent due to many mispronounced, omitted, and distorted consonants and vowels. Listeners had difficulty understanding the discourse. Stress placement and consonant sequences are applied in a non-English manner.

Score: 0

Skills Status: Non-English 

Description: The test taker mispronounced, omitted, distorted, or misordered many vowels and consonants, rendering more than half of the discourse unintelligible. Stress placement is applied in a non-English manner.

Do you want to get a high score in pronunciation? Enroll in a PTE review center to hone your verbal communication skills.

Oral Fluency

Score: 5

Skills Status: Native-like

Description: The test taker’s speech exhibits smooth rhythm and clear phrasing. There are no false starts, repetitions, hesitations, and non-native phonological simplifications.

Score: 4

Skills Status: Advanced

Description: The test taker’s speech exhibits acceptable rhythm and phrasing. There are no significant non-native phonological simplifications, and there is no more than one false start, repetition, or hesitation in delivery.

Score: 3

Skills Status: Good

Description: The test taker’s speech has acceptable but uneven speed. Speech delivery does not sound staccato, but there is a lack of long pauses. There is more than one error in delivery.

Score: 2

Skills Status: Intermediate 

Description: The test taker’s speech delivery is staccato or uneven. There are less than two long pauses. If the speech is greater than or equal to six words, the test taker committed at least one smooth three-word delivery with a minimum of two or three false starts, repetitions, and hesitations.

Score: 1

Skills Status: Limited 

Description: The test taker’s speech has inconsistent rhythm and phrasing. It also exhibits syllabic timing, poor phrasing, and/or multiple false starts, repetitions, and hesitations.

Score: 0

Skills Status: Disfluent

Description: The test taker’s speech is poorly delivered. It exhibits barely understandable phrase grouping and slow and delivered delivery. It has numerous false starts, repetitions, hesitations, and non-native phonological simplifications. There is more than one long pause.

 

Learn how each PTE exam component is scored to increase your chances of test success. Avail excellent PTE review packages! Enroll at JRooz PTE Academic and learn more.

 

REFERENCES:

“Score Guide.” Pearson PTE. October 2017. Accessed October 11, 2017. https://pearsonpte.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Score-Guide.pdf

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