The basics
- Scale: each skill (listening, reading, speaking, writing) and your overall score are reported from 10 to 90.
- Integrated tasks: many tasks count towards more than one skill. Write from Dictation, for example, counts for listening and writing. (Reading Fill in the Blanks now counts for reading only.)
- AI plus humans: speaking and writing are scored by AI, and Pearson says human experts also review content in tasks such as Describe Image, Retell Lecture, the essay and Summarize Spoken Text before scores are confirmed.
Three kinds of marking
| Type | How it works | Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Correct / incorrect | Full marks or zero | Multiple Choice Single Answer, Highlight Correct Summary, Select Missing Word, Answer Short Question |
| Partial credit | Points for each correct part | Fill in the Blanks, Reorder Paragraph, Write from Dictation, speaking and writing tasks |
| Partial credit with negative marking | +1 for each right choice, −1 for each wrong one (never below 0) | Multiple Choice Multiple Answers (reading and listening), Highlight Incorrect Words |
Speaking criteria
Most speaking tasks are scored on:
- Content: did you say the right things? For Read Aloud and Repeat Sentence, that means the exact words. For open tasks, it means the main points, details and a conclusion, in your own words.
- Pronunciation: are you easy to understand for most English speakers? Regional accents are fine.
- Oral fluency: smooth rhythm and phrasing. Hesitations, repetitions and false starts lower this score.
Silence matters: if you don't start within about 3 seconds, or stop for 3 seconds, the recording ends.
Writing criteria
Four tasks make up your writing score: Write Essay, Summarize Written Text, Summarize Spoken Text and Write from Dictation.
- Write Essay (26 points): content (6), development, structure and coherence (6), general linguistic range (6), form (2, for 200–300 words), grammar (2), vocabulary range (2) and spelling (2). Under 120 or over 380 words scores zero.
- Summarize Written Text (9 points): content (4), form (1: one sentence, 5–75 words), grammar (2) and vocabulary (2). Wrong form or no understanding of the text scores zero.
- Summarize Spoken Text (12 points): content (4), form (2, for 50–70 words), grammar (2), vocabulary (2) and spelling (2). Under 40 or over 100 words scores zero.
- Write from Dictation: one point for each correct, correctly spelled word.
See how PTE writing is scored for what each trait means, and practise with instant marking. - Spelling: US, UK, Australian and Canadian spelling are accepted, but be consistent. Check yours with our spelling consistency checker.
Practise with the same rules
All our practice tests use these point rules for auto-marked tasks, so you learn when guessing hurts. See how our marking works.
Sources: Pearson's official test format pages and the PTE Academic score guide (2025). Pearson may update its scoring. Its pages are the final word.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good PTE score?
It depends on what you need. For many Australian visa purposes, Proficient and Superior English levels need higher scores; check the official tables for your visa.
Does PTE have negative marking?
Yes, in a few tasks: Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers (reading and listening) and Highlight Incorrect Words.
How long do PTE results take?
Pearson usually sends results within a few days, often sooner. Check Pearson's website for current times.