Speaking Test - PTE (Part 2)

Dear Readers

I welcome you all again to my blog and the second part of the speaking test for PTE.

In this post I will cover the below sections of the Speaking Test

Describe image

Re-tell lecture

Answer Short Questions

So lets start...


DESCRIBE IMAGE

What to expect
You are given an image such as a graph, map, chart, table, flowchart or picture. You have 25 seconds to observe it and need to then describe the image in about 30-40 seconds.
There will be around 7 different images displayed in this section including but not limited to line charts, pie chart, bar charts, image with facts, multiple tables, flowcharts, process diagrams, etc.

How you are scored
Content:
5 Describes all elements of the image and their relationships, possible development and conclusion or implications
4 Describes all the key elements of the image and their relations, referring to their implications or conclusions
3 Deals with most key elements of the image and refers to their implications or conclusions
2 Deals with only one key element in the image and refers to an implication or conclusion. Shows basic understanding of several core elements of the image
1 Describes some basic elements of the image, but does not make clear their interrelations or implications
0 Mentions some disjointed elements of the presentation
Pronunciation: 5 Native-like 4 Advanced 3 Good 2 Intermediate 1 Intrusive 0 Non-English Oral fluency: 5 Native-like 4 Advanced 3 Good 2 Intermediate 1 Limited, 0 Disfluent

Strategy
Keep it simple here. Your description should have 3 mains parts.

1) Start with an introduction,
 2) followed by the main body, and
 3) end with a conclusion.

The goal for you here is to practice enough until you can speak for 35 seconds, without long pauses and hesitations. Needless to say, proper grammatical sentence structure is important as well.
Let’s focus on the 3 parts.

Introduction – Almost all of the content in the introduction will be available in the graph headings and Axis Titles. If the image is not a graph, give a general overview of what the image is about. 

Main body – This should include the key information that the image is trying to display. If it is a graph, any remarkable rise or fall should be noted during this section. You do not need to cover all points in the image. Only key ones will suffice, as quality over quantity is required. Ensure to keep time for the conclusion.

Conclusion – A short line about the conclusion you have come up with after looking at the image. This can be a personal interpretation or opinion of the image. Make sure to save enough time to get your conclusion in. Always include a conclusion. It is an indicator that you were able to analyze the graph/image in a short time.

Stick with a structure of (7-10 sec introduction, 15-17 secs main body, 10 sec conclusion). 

Example

Let’s break the above graph into the three parts

Introduction –The given line chart shows the consumption of Fast Food by Australian Teenagers from the year 1975 to 2000.

Main body – If you follow the graph closely, you can see that the consumption of pizza and Hamburgers have steadily increased over the last few years. Hamburgers were eaten 100 times and pizza was eaten 80 times per year in 2000. The consumption of fish and chips has conversely decreased over the same time period. 

Conclusion – We can conclude from studying the graph, that the overall consumption of fast food has been on the rise, and teenagers should look to switch to healthier food.

General tips:

Don’t be too concerned about the content in your speech. As long as you are speaking something on the lines of what is given in the image you should be fine. Focus on presenting what you have in the 3 parts as given above without breaks in speech. Speak at a steady pace and avoid rushing through.
Don’t pause for more than 3 seconds or the system thinks you have finished recording and will move to the next section. If you still get stuck during the exam use fillers such as ummm or ‘let me think’ instead of not speaking at all. This is not ideal and it will definitely impact your score if used, however it is better than not saying anything at all. 

Important Self Practice Tip

Search IELTS Graph on Google and look under images. You will find hundreds of Graphs to practice. 


RE-TELL LECTURE

What to expect

In this section, you will hear a lecture. After listening to the lecture, in 10 seconds you need to speak into the microphone and retell the lecture in your own words. You will have 40 seconds to give your response
There will be around 3 item sets or lectures in this section. Each lecture will be between 1 to 1 and a half minute long. The lectures can be on a wide range of topics. It can also include an interview or conversational style lecture with two individuals speaking.
There may be background noise in the lecture as well. There will also be a single image displayed during each question. You may use this to guess what the lecture is going to be before it starts.

How you are scored
Content:
5 Re-tells all points of the presentation and describes characters, aspects and actions, their relationships, the underlying development, implications and conclusions
4 Describes all key points of the presentation and their relations, referring to their implications and conclusions
3 Deals with most points in the presentation and refers to their implications and conclusions
2 Deals with only one key point and refers to an implication or conclusion. Shows basic understanding of several core elements of the presentation
1 Describes some basic elements of the presentation but does not make clear their interrelations or implications
0 Mentions some disjointed elements of the presentation
Pronunciation: 5 Native-like 4 Advanced 3 Good 2 Intermediate 1 Intrusive 0 Non-English Oral fluency: 5 Native-like 4 Advanced 3 Good 2 Intermediate 1 Limited, 0 Disfluent

Strategy
The goal for you here is the same as in describe image, speak for 35 seconds, without long pauses and hesitations in grammatically correct English.

You only have 40 seconds to speak and make sure that you include all the main points of the lecture. If you repeat ideas, correct yourself or hesitate, you will use up valuable time and lose score points. So keep talking and ignore any mistakes that you make. 

This section involves listening and note taking skills as well. Try to understand what is being said and the main point that is trying to be conveyed. Make sure you take notes. You may not get time to right down full sentences. If you can write incredibly fast, then that’s great. Most probably you are not going to be able to write entire sentences, so try writing down key points on whatever you hear. Try to include any facts, figures, numbers or dates given as these should be relatively easier to note down.

The lecture will be longer than the time allotted so you do not need to cover all points when you speak. So do not worry if you miss out on few things while taking notes.

Taking notes is one aspect. Even more important is to ensure that you are able to translate those notes into full sentences while speaking. You may have some excellent notes taken down, but if you can’t frame these into grammatically correct sentences while speaking they go to waste and will reduce your score.
You only have 10 seconds before you speak. You don’t want to be writing down notes ideally during these 10 seconds, but instead, you would want to quickly review your notes and get have an idea of what you are going to say.

Correct smooth English, delivered at a natural rate, has higher weightage over content here as well. You get fewer points if your content is correct and your English is bad. This doesn’t mean you talk about ‘life on mars’ if the topic is on ‘conserving nature’. Stay broadly to the topic all the way.
This may seem a difficult section at first but remember that ‘re-tell lecture’ is a skill and you should see improvements after continuous practice. 

ANSWER SHORT QUESTION

What to expect
You will hear a question and need to give a simple and short answer. Often just one or a few words are enough.

There will be around 11 item sets or questions played in this section. The questions are general knowledge in nature and probably related to topics you would have come across in school or daily life. In some instances, you may also be given an image and be asked a question based on the image.

Example:
They show an '@' picture sign and ask where is this symbol commonly used? Answer: Email (address)
There may be up to two or three options given in few a questions.

How you are scored
Correct/incorrect:
1 Appropriate word choice in response
0 Inappropriate word choices in response

Strategy
There isn’t a lot to talk about on this question type. The questions that are asked are general knowledge type and will most likely be something that you have come across during school or day to day life.
There is no use in speaking extra. Marks are awarded for a short, accurate answer. There are no extra marks for additional words so keep it short. Make sure you pronounce the answer as clear as you can as well.
After the question is asked the recording status box will change to recording. Start your answer as soon as you see this. If you wait for more than 3 seconds, the recording will stop and the item status will change to ‘completed’, which means that you have lost your chance to give your answer. 


Guys, this now completes the Speaking Test section of PTE. 

IMPORTANT NOTE

Guys, I've getting lot of emails asking if i tutor for the exam. Unfortunately, I don't. I have a chosen career which keeps me really busy. These posts are just meant to help students out. If you do need tutoring for PTE and if you're in Sydney check the below institute out. I did mention them in my first post as well

http://ptesydney.com


Happy Reading Guys !

If you have any questions for me please don't hesitate to email me at shristiarya42@gmail.com and if you like my work please share with your friends and follow my posts

All the best (Keep an eye out for my post on Listening for PTE)

Cheers!