In part 1 of the PTE test, once you have done your Personal Introduction, the next step is the Read Aloud exercise. A text of up to 60 words will appear on the screen, which you are required to read aloud.
Here are the 9 tips to help you prepare for PTE Read Aloud:
- During your 30–40 seconds preparation time, split the text into meaningful chunks of words, using punctuation as a guide.
- Speak clearly, at a moderate pace — not too fast or too slow.
- Speaking too quickly, in particular, can cause you to omit words or not read words exactly as they appear on the screen. This will count as an error for each mistake you make.
- Contractions should be read exactly as they are. For example: “can’t” should not be read as “cannot” and “we’ve” should not be read as “we have”.
- Pause slightly when you come across punctuation marks. The pause for a full stop should be slightly longer than for a comma.
- Do not mix up singular and plural nouns. Pronouncing “girl” as “girls”, or “houses” as “house” will count as an error.
- Pronounce numerical values correctly. Don’t skip the “th” in “27th”. Read “the 1970s” as “the nineteen seventies.”
- Make a distinction between the start and end of each sentence. A rising intonation is needed at the beginning of sentences. A falling intonation indicates the end of a sentence.
- The text will contain keywords related to the fundamental idea of the overall text. Use a slightly louder voice to highlight these keywords.
Your response is evaluated according to:
- Content (reading the exact words without changing any part of text).
- Oral fluency (using a smooth, effortless, natural voice).
- Pronunciation (producing speech sounds in a similar way to native speakers).
How to practice and improve your reading aloud skills
The only way to practice reading aloud is to read aloud! Every day you should be reading something in English. It might be a newspaper, a magazine, a novel or online articles.
Find somewhere quiet where you won’t be disturbed by others and start reading aloud. An actual newspaper or magazine is good for this as you can use a pen to highlight keywords and key syllables in words.
Use your phone to record yourself reading aloud, then listen to yourself. This will help you to know if you are making errors, such as omitting words.
For faster results, log on and practice our 79 Read Aloud Questions.
