Scoring and skills
How PTE scores are built: communicative and enabling skills
What the 10 to 90 overall score, the four communicative skills and the six enabling skills mean, and how to trace a weak score to tasks.
4 min read
The PTE Preparation blog
Practical help for every PTE task
54 short, specific guides: how to pace Read Aloud, take notes for Re-tell Lecture, build an essay, plan your weeks and keep calm on the day. Written for people who have a few minutes tonight, not a free month.
Start here
Three posts to read first if you are not sure where to begin.
Study plans and strategy
A four-week PTE study plan, day by day
A realistic four-week PTE plan: about 90 minutes a day, one rest day, a mock each week, and one week laid out day by day.
4 min read
Mistakes and mindset
Ten common PTE mistakes and how to avoid them
Ten habits that quietly cost marks in PTE practice and in the test, from memorised templates to trusting a single score, each with a simple fix.
4 min read
All guides
54 posts
Speaking
Read Aloud: how to pace your voice and where to pause
A practical way to read a PTE passage aloud without rushing: how to use the preparation time, where to breathe, and how to recover from a slip.
4 min read
Speaking
Read Aloud: stress, linking and unfamiliar words
How to say long academic words, names, numbers and abbreviations clearly in Read Aloud, with a ten-word drill you can record tonight.
4 min read
Speaking
Repeat Sentence: techniques that make long sentences stick
Why long sentences slip away in Repeat Sentence, and how to hold them with meaning units, keywords, the inner echo and graded practice.
4 min read
Speaking
Describe Image: a simple structure that fits any picture
A three-part frame for Describe Image, what to scan before you speak, flexible sentence starters and a worked bar chart description.
4 min read
Speaking
Describe Image: bar charts, line graphs, maps and processes
The words that change with each Describe Image picture type: bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, tables, maps, processes and photographs.
4 min read
Speaking
Re-tell Lecture: note-taking you can do in ten seconds
What to write while the lecture plays in Re-tell Lecture: a few keywords, a tiny abbreviation system and a retelling shape you can speak from.
4 min read
Speaking
Answer Short Question: building quick-recall vocabulary
Answer Short Question tests how fast you find a word you already know. Build quick recall with topic lists and a 15-question self-quiz.
4 min read
Speaking
Respond to a Situation: what to say and how to say it
A practical frame for Respond to a Situation, how to match formal or relaxed speech to the listener, and sample spoken answers to learn from.
4 min read
Speaking
Summarize Group Discussion: keeping track of several speakers
How to take notes on several speakers in Summarize Group Discussion and turn them into a neutral summary of who said what and where they differ.
4 min read
Speaking
Oral fluency: a fifteen-minute daily speaking routine
A fifteen-minute daily routine for oral fluency: read aloud, shadow, record and review, with a weekly rotation and one fix per week.
4 min read
Writing
Summarize Written Text: a one-sentence method that holds up
How to turn a PTE reading passage into one clear, correct sentence: find the main ideas, join them with connectors, then check the grammar.
5 min read
Writing
Summarize Written Text: the mistakes that cost marks
Eight common slips in PTE Summarize Written Text, from run-on sentences to copied phrases, shown on one weak summary and its repair.
4 min read
Writing
Write Essay: a structure for 200 to 300 words
A time plan and paragraph plan for the PTE essay: about two minutes to plan, fifteen to write and three to check, with a worked outline.
4 min read
Writing
Essay introductions and conclusions that do their job
How to open and close a PTE essay in about 40 words each: restate the prompt in your own words, state a position and avoid memorised templates.
4 min read
Writing
Essay ideas for common PTE topics, and how to use them
Arguments, counter-arguments and example types for seven common essay topics, plus a one-minute method for finding ideas on any prompt.
4 min read
Writing
Grammar for PTE writing: the points that matter most
Seven grammar points that cost marks in PTE writing, with before-and-after corrections and a 60-second self-check you can use on any answer.
4 min read
Writing
Spelling and punctuation: the easy marks people lose
Choose one spelling style, learn twenty tricky academic words, fix capitals, commas and its/it's, and use a 60-second proofreading routine.
4 min read
Reading
Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks: a method that saves time
How to work through the drop-down gaps in Reading and Writing Fill in the Blanks: read first, check each gap four ways, and keep to a time limit.
5 min read
Reading
Reading Fill in the Blanks: collocations and word forms
How to choose the right form, partner word and preposition in the drag-and-drop Fill in the Blanks, with a worked example and a notebook routine.
4 min read
Reading
Re-order Paragraphs: the linking clues to look for
Five linking clues that show which paragraph comes next in Re-order Paragraphs, with a worked example, a cut-up practice routine and common mistakes.
4 min read
Reading
Multiple choice, multiple answers: living with negative marking
A wrong tick can cost marks in multiple-answer questions, so tick only what the text supports. A method, a worked example and a short audit routine.
4 min read
Reading
Multiple choice, single answer: a method for the tricky options
How to answer single-answer reading questions by finding the evidence first and spotting the four usual wrong options, with a worked analysis.
4 min read
Reading
Skimming and scanning for PTE Reading
The difference between skimming and scanning, which PTE reading tasks need each, and two short drills you can do with any news article tonight.
4 min read
Reading
Academic word families: reading faster by knowing more
How word families, prefixes and suffixes help you read academic English faster, with a twenty-minute routine built on the Academic Word List.
4 min read
Listening
Summarize Spoken Text: a note structure that works
A page layout for Summarize Spoken Text notes, with shorthand and a worked example that turns notes into a clear summary of about 50 to 70 words.
5 min read
Listening
Write from Dictation: how to catch more words
Habits that help you catch more words in Write from Dictation: typing in chunks, guarding endings and spelling, and keeping a log of the words you miss.
4 min read
Listening
Listening Fill in the Blanks: typing while you listen
How to read ahead, predict each missing word and type as you listen in Listening Fill in the Blanks, with a worked example and a transcript drill.
4 min read
Listening
Highlight Correct Summary: how to rule out the wrong ones
A step-by-step way to pick the right summary in Highlight Correct Summary by spotting four kinds of wrong option, with a worked example.
4 min read
Listening
Select Missing Word: predicting how the recording ends
How to use topic, grammar and collocation to predict the missing word in Select Missing Word, with two worked examples and a ten-minute drill.
4 min read
Listening
Highlight Incorrect Words: reading while you listen
A method for Highlight Incorrect Words: follow the text, read ahead, click only when sure, and spot the usual changes, with a worked example.
4 min read
Listening
Listening multiple choice: keywords, distractors and timing
How to read the question first, pick out keywords, see through distractors and handle multiple answers in Listening multiple choice, with an example.
4 min read
Listening
Getting used to different accents in listening practice
A practical way to get used to unfamiliar English accents: listening cold, shadowing, stress and intonation, and a weekly schedule of fifteen minutes.
4 min read
Scoring and skills
How PTE scores are built: communicative and enabling skills
What the 10 to 90 overall score, the four communicative skills and the six enabling skills mean, and how to trace a weak score to tasks.
4 min read
Scoring and skills
Understanding the 10 to 90 scale without the myths
What the PTE 10 to 90 scale means, four myths about it, how organisations set their own requirements and how to choose a realistic target.
4 min read
Scoring and skills
What a practice score can and cannot tell you
Practice scores are estimates. Here is what a run of them can show, what they cannot, and how to use them without being thrown by one bad day.
3 min read
Scoring and skills
One answer, several skills: why some tasks count twice
Some PTE tasks feed more than one skill score. This post explains what that means for practice and gives an example week, but not the exact weights.
4 min read
Scoring and skills
Content, fluency and pronunciation: what to fix first
What content, oral fluency and pronunciation mean in speaking answers, what to fix first, and how to turn a practice result into a drill.
4 min read
Study plans and strategy
A four-week PTE study plan, day by day
A realistic four-week PTE plan: about 90 minutes a day, one rest day, a mock each week, and one week laid out day by day.
4 min read
Study plans and strategy
An eight-week plan for people with a job or classes
An eight-week PTE plan for adults with a job or classes: short weekday sessions, a longer weekend block, and what to do when you miss days.
4 min read
Study plans and strategy
Using mock tests well: when to take them and what to do after
When to take a PTE mock test, how to set up the room and timer, and a two-day review routine that turns the result into practice you can act on.
4 min read
Study plans and strategy
Keeping an error log that actually changes your scores
How to keep a simple PTE error log: what to record, how to group mistakes, three sample entries, and how to turn repeats into short daily drills.
4 min read
Study plans and strategy
A vocabulary routine for PTE that fits into twenty minutes
A twenty-minute daily vocabulary routine for PTE: five words in context, collocations, spaced review and speaking practice, without long word lists.
4 min read
Study plans and strategy
Time management during the test: pacing a two-hour sitting
How to pace a PTE sitting of about two hours: work with each task's timer, split time on a shared clock and recover quickly from a bad answer.
4 min read
Study plans and strategy
Planning around score requirements for study or work plans
How to turn a score requirement into a study timeline: find the official source, ask the right questions, measure your gap and add a margin.
4 min read
Study plans and strategy
Choosing between English tests: questions to ask yourself
A neutral set of questions for choosing an English test: who accepts it, how it is delivered, when results arrive, and which format suits you.
4 min read
Study plans and strategy
Practising with a partner: speaking and feedback exercises
Five partner exercises for PTE speaking and writing, plus simple feedback rules, a checklist and ways to find someone to practise with online.
4 min read
Study plans and strategy
Reading AI feedback on your practice answers sensibly
AI feedback on practice answers is an estimate. Learn to read it for patterns, check the transcript, ignore tiny changes and know when to ask a person.
4 min read
Exam day and setup
Before exam day: a practical checklist
A practical checklist for the weeks before your PTE test: paperwork and ID, the journey, what to bring, the last week, and what to do if something goes wrong.
5 min read
Exam day and setup
Headset, microphone and a quiet place to practise
How to set up a headset and microphone, cut background noise and practise speaking in a shared home, with a ten-minute setup test you only do once.
5 min read
Exam day and setup
Typing habits for the PTE keyboard
Why typing accuracy matters for PTE essays, summaries and dictation, with a copy-typing drill, a speed check and a four-week plan of ten minutes a day.
5 min read
Exam day and setup
A calm routine for exam-day nerves
A short, practical routine for steadier nerves on test day: mock tests as rehearsal, slow breathing, kinder self-talk and what to do when your mind goes blank.
4 min read
Mistakes and mindset
Ten common PTE mistakes and how to avoid them
Ten habits that quietly cost marks in PTE practice and in the test, from memorised templates to trusting a single score, each with a simple fix.
4 min read
Mistakes and mindset
Staying motivated while you prepare
Practical ways to keep studying for PTE when enthusiasm fades: small weekly goals, simple tracking, rest days, study partners and a sample week.
4 min read
Mistakes and mindset
Deciding whether to retake, and what to change if you do
How to read a disappointing PTE score report skill by skill, check the current rules and change your plan before you book another attempt.
4 min read