PTE Speaking Score Analysis: What AI Actually Penalizes

PTE Speaking Section: An Overview

The PTE Speaking section is the first part of the PTE test that is designed to evaluate your English fluency, comprehension, and pronunciation. This section contains 5 types of questions that you need to complete in 30 to 35 minutes. It is computer-based, recorded via microphone, and AI-scored. The PTE Speaking section runs alongside the Writing section.

Key Aspects

• Integrated Skills: It assesses speaking alongside reading and listening.
• Computer-Based: You will be speaking into a microphone; AI scores responses.
• Scoring: It is judged on Fluency, Pronunciation, and Content (grammar, vocabulary).
• Crucial: High-scoring potential which can impact overall PTE score.

PTE Study Plans

Download

PTE Practice Test

Download

PTE Exam Pattern

Download

PTE Scoring Guide

Download

PTE Vocabulary

Download

How to Excel in Each Question Type in PTE Speaking?

Pearson employs a sophisticated AI mechanism to evaluate your speaking ability. The AI is programmed to test responses on a few important parameters as per different question types.

1. Describe Image

PTE Describe Image requires a candidate to describe images which can be in a form of graphs, maps, or photos within 40 seconds while focusing on pronunciation, fluency, and crucial details. Thus, to do this, they need to use the 25-second preparation time effectively by identifying the key pointers or data. So to excel in this question type, you need to:

• Start with a hooking intro, followed by 2-3 main pointers, and then a conclusion.
• Maintain fluency by avoiding repeating, long pauses, or self-correcting.
• Include all the key data, specific numbers, dates, or percentages in the image.
• Avoid using memorized templates to present the response and generic sentences.

What AI Penalizes?

• Long pauses, self-corrections, and broken sentence flow.
• Score if key numbers, dates, or trends are missed.
• Memorized templates due to unnatural rhythm and repetition.

2. Retell Lecture

Retell Lecture in the PTE Speaking section requires you to summarise a 60-90 second audio within 40 seconds. To do this, you need to focus on the key content, fluency, and pronunciation. For this, the main strategy to implement is note-taking, as without this, you won’t be able to remember the pointers. So, to excel in this question type, you need to:

• Practice active listening and note-taking to jot down key pointers.
• Work on fluency and pronunciation to speak without hesitation and smoothly.
• Use a template to structure your response, ensuring to start with the main ideas and then supporting points.
• Avoid taking long pauses and repeating words, as it can hamper your fluency.

What AI Penalizes?

• Hesitation and fragmented delivery.
• Response that lacks a logical structure.
• Content length is focused over its relevance.

3. Read Aloud

In this, you will be reading a text that will be displayed on the screen aloud. For this task, you will get 30-40 seconds in which you need to read the text and prepare. So you need to skim the entire text first to get the gist of the entire passage, keywords, and pronunciation. After this, you will hear a short tone that indicates you should start speaking. So to excel in this question type, you need to:

• Speak loudly, clearly, and do not rush.
• Finish speaking before the progress bar reaches the end.
• Stress on the word that you think carries importance.
• Avoid hesitation and repeating words or fumbling.
• Use natural tone variations to convey meaning, but avoid excessive intonation.
• Read the text as it is, do not add or skip any word.

What AI Penalizes?

• Skipping or adding words.
• Mispronunciation of content words more than function words.
• If speech ends after the progress bar.

4. Repeat Sentence

PTE Repeat Sentences focuses on fluency by avoiding pauses, chunks of sentences, understanding meaning, and speaking naturally at a steady pace. For this, you do not need to recall the sentence word-for-word, but need to remember 70-80 % while maintaining rhythm. To excel in this question type, you need to:

• Actively listen for keywords, stress patterns, and intonations.
• Focus on the overall meaning to help recall words, even if you miss some of them.
• Speak continuously without pauses and filler words.
• Pace yourself and avoid speaking too slow or too fast than the speaker.
• Do not fake any accent, rather speak in your own rhythm.

What AI Penalizes?

• Unnatural pauses more than missing a few words.
• Overuse of pauses in sentences
• AI does NOT require 100% accuracy, but penalizes robotic delivery.

Get Familiar with the Real PTE Exam for Free!

Start PTE Mock Test

Start PTE Mock Test

5. Answer Short Question

For the PTE Short Answer Questions, you need to provide a concise answer in 1-2 words. This question type tests your speaking and listening skills at the same time.

• Be quick and start speaking within 3 seconds to avoid the microphone turning off.
• Focus on the number of words to answer and conciseness.
• Don't hesitate, even if you don't know the exact answer, try to say something related in English.
• Ensure you pronounce each word with clarity and accuracy.

What AI Penalizes?

• Silence if the mic turns off.
• Ignores grammar here but penalizes unclear pronunciation.
• AI accepts related answers, but rewards precise vocabulary.

6. Summarize Group Discussion

It is a newly added question type in the PTE Speaking section, where a candidate is required to listen to an audio of approx. 3 minutes, where 3 people discuss a topic. After this, they need to summarize the key pointers in 1-2 minutes. To excel in this question type, you need to:

• Jot down the main pointers for each speaker while listening.
• Structure your summary appropriately: intro, body, and conclusion.
• Aim for a moderate pace while speaking, along with natural pauses.
• Provide a balanced perspective of all the persons in the discussion.

What AI Penalizes?

• Speaking too long or too short (not within the time limit)
• Irrelevant content (missing the main discussion points)
• Only one speaker’s idea (no summary of group views)

7. Respond to a Situation

It is another newly added task in the PTE speaking section. In this, you will have 10 seconds to prepare and 40 secs to respond to a scenario. Here, you need to focus on natural, polite, relevant communication. Besides, you need to address the prompt directly and avoid using pre-memorized, robotic templates. To excel in this question type, you need to:

• Manage your tone and keep in formal for superiors and casual for peers.
• Be direct and immediately address the focus point of the scenario.
• Avoid memorizing the answers to sound less robotic and more natural.

What AI Penalizes?

• Answers that are too short or incomplete.
• Long pauses and excessive hesitation.
• Poor fluency with frequent breaks in speech.

What AI Looks for in Your PTE Speaking Score?

The PTE AI Scoring system evaluates your speaking based on fluency, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and content relevance. Moreover, it prefers the content flow over perfect grammar and uses speech recognition for rhythm.

Pronunciation

AI in the PTE evaluates your pronunciation and speaking, and the scores will be based on how your delivered speech is relative to the native speaker. The AI will not judge on the basis of what accent you have used; British or American, rather, it judges that your words are clear and audible.

How to Improve:

• You must practice emphasizing syllables appropriately.
• Record yourself while you speak in the practice sessions and compare with natives.
• Try to speak at a steady pace, do not rush or drag.
• Use pronunciation tools to enhance the same.

Avoid:

• Speaking too fast or too slow than the native speaker.
• Mumbling or poorly pronounced words.
• Over-emphasizing accents.

Fluency

Fluency is the way you speak smoothly without any hesitation, interruptions, stammering, or pauses. However, AI appreciates a few stammering or “umm” while you speak. In short, AI respects smooth talkers.

How to Improve:

• Practice shadowing, which means to repeat after the natives while listening to them.
• Record yourself to listen to later on and know how smooth you were.
• Practice speaking in thought groups rather than word-for-word.

Don't:

• Think excessively before speaking.
• Repeat unnecessary words.
• Pause between different words.

Content: Stay on Point!

Evaluating strategy for content by the AI is as simple as it needs you to be on point. This means if you are speaking related to the topic, then you are on the right track. But if you deviate from the theme, the AI will deduct your scores.

How to Improve:

• Read the question to understand the theme beforehand.
• Organise your responses strategically from the beginning to the end.
• Incorporate the given keywords to stay on track.
• Do not skip crucial details such as facts, dates, and more.

Avoid:

• Providing generic or concise responses.
• Discussing something off the topic.
• Rephrasing the same sentence to increase the length.

Grammar & Vocabulary: Select Your Words Carefully

The grammar and vocabulary are accessed by the AI to ensure variety and correctness of the words you are using. Thus, poor or vague vocabulary will definitely reduce your scores by the AI scoring system.

Improvement:

• Use diverse sentence structures like simple, complex, and compound.
• Listen to podcasts and audios to learn a variety of new words.
• Learn expressions daily and use them in practical situations.
• Use paraphrasing to ensure you avoid repeating the same words frequently.

Do not:

• Use many words in a single sentence.
• Use words that you are not sure about.
• Use incorrect grammar or vocabulary.

How Is the PTE Speaking Section Scored?

The PTE Speaking section is evaluated by the AI and not human examiners. Thus, it focuses on both “what you say” and “how you say it”. Besides, here the accent and grammar are not accessed directly; it is done through content and clarity. Furthermore, PTE Score Calculator tool works on a 10-90 scale that analyzes your responses on three parameters:

• Pronunciation: It measures how clearly sounds, words, and sentences are spoken. The AI checks your speech, clarity, stress patterns, and accuracy of intonation.
• Fluency: It assesses the rhythm and flow of the speech. This includes speech rate, presence of unnatural pauses, smoothness, and breaks.
• Content: It analyzes whether your response addresses the task requirement or not. It evaluates the correctness, relevance, and completeness of the spoken sentence.

Scoring Across Speaking Task Types

Join Our PTE Coaching to crack Exam in First attempt!

Enroll for the best PTE Coaching classes online and get desire score in your first Attempt

Book Free PTE Masterclass

Common Errors in PTE Speaking & How to Prevent Them

Errors are common in the PTE Speaking section, but if you know them in advance, you can avoid them in the real test. Thus, here is a list of them along with the solutions:

Error #1: Talking Too Fast

It is a common belief that speaking fast will make one become fluent, but the case it that it leads to mispronunciations. Thus, AI does not understand and deducts your scores.

Slow down to speak in your natural tone and focus on each word clearly. To practice this, you can use a PTE speaking mock test, where you will get hands-on experience with your speaking skills.

Error #2: Pausing Too Long

Fluency is crucial in the PTE Speaking section, as taking too many pauses makes you sound unprepared. Besides, the AI will not judge your content as much as your fluency and cohesiveness. Thus, you must ensure to speak continuously at a steady pace.

Train your brain by taking multiple mock tests for organised speaking. Besides, incorporate phrases like “let me explain”, “for instance”, and more to have some time to think in between.

Error #3: Depending Too Heavily on Fillers

Using fillers are allowed, but too many of them can make you lose scores. This makes you sound less confident and affects the flow of your speech.

You must practice to replace fillers with brief pauses. Besides, reading out loud from books, articles, or scripts with focused articulation can also improve clarity and systematic thinking.

Error #4: Failing to Use Intonation & Stress

Using a flat tone in the entire speech will reduce your scores. Thus, you must use proper intonation, stress patterns, and more while speaking. Intonation is the increase and decrease of your voice while speaking, while stress emphasizes crucial words in a sentence. With no change of pitch and emphasis, the speech sounds flat and lacking in life.

Try to mimic native speakers while practicing. Besides, you can also take a free PTE mock test with AI score to know how well you are doing and where you need to enhance your skills.

Final Thoughts

PTE Speaking is not about flaunting the vocabulary, but it is about maintaining fluency, pronunciation, and content. This is what AI will evaluate and score you on. Thus, instead of worrying about being perfect, you must focus on speaking smoothly and confidently. Therefore, rather than studying for PTE speaking, train yourself to speak better in general. The more you work on it now, the more natural you will speak on the test day.