PTE Academic band scores are one hundred percent scored using their automated scoring technologies. Some tasks receive points only when the answer or response is correct. The rest are rated according to correctness, quality and formal aspects.
The quality of the answer is evaluated by the enabling skills demonstrated by the response. Formal aspects are defined as the task form requirements such as word limit.
The two types of PTE Academic scoring system are:
- Correct or Incorrect. One point will be awarded for every correct answer. An incorrect answer is equivalent to zero point, not a negative score.
- Partial credit. Points will be given for correct responses. All incorrect answers will be deducted from the points earned for correct ones. If all answers are wrong, no points will be given.
A summary of the PTE Academic item types is charted below. The number of items, scoring method, communicative and enabling skills assessed per item are also given. These facts were gathered from the PTE Academic Official Score Guide:
| Item Type | Time Allowed | Number of items | Scoring | Communicative skills, enabling skills and other traits scored |
| Part 1 Speaking and Writing (approximately 77-93 minutes) | ||||
| Read Aloud | 30-35 minutes | 6-7 | Partial credit | Reading and speaking Oral fluency, pronunciation Content |
| Repeat sentence | 10-12 | Partial credit | Listening and speaking Oral fluency, pronunciation Content | |
| Describe Image | 6-7 | Partial credit | Speaking Oral fluency, pronunciation Content | |
| Re-tell lecture | 3-4 | Partial credit | Listening and speaking Oral fluency, pronunciation Content | |
| Answer short question | 10-12 | Correct/Incorrect | Listening and speaking Vocabulary | |
| Summarize written text | 20-30 minutes | 2-3 | Partial credit | Reading and writing Grammar, vocabulary Content, form |
| Write essay | 20-40 minutes | 1-2 | Partial credit | Writing Grammar, vocabulary, spelling, written discourse Content; development, structure and coherence; form, general linguistic range |
| Part 2: Reading (approximately 32-41 minutes) | ||||
| Multiple-choice, choose single answer | 32-41 minutes | 2-3 | Correct/Incorrect | Reading |
| Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers | 2-3 | Partial credit (for each correct response. Points deducted for incorrect options chosen) | Reading | |
| Re-order paragraphs | 2-3 | Partial credit (for each correctly ordered, adjacent pair) | Reading | |
| Reading: Fill in the blanks | 4-5 | Partial credit (for each correctly completed blank) | Reading | |
| Reading and writing: Fill in the blanks | 5-6 | Partial credit (for each correctly completed blank) | Reading and writing | |
| Part 3: Listening (approximately 45-47 minutes) | ||||
| Summarize spoken text | 20-30 minutes | 2-3 | Partial credit | Listening and writing Grammar, vocabulary, spelling Content, form |
| Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers | 23-28 minutes | 2-3 | Partial credit (for each correct response. Points deducted for incorrect options chosen) | Listening |
| Fill in the blanks | 2-3 | Partial credit (each correct word spelled correctly) | Listening and writing | |
| Highlight correct summary | 2-3 | Correct/incorrect | Listening and reading | |
| Multiple-choice, choose single answers | 2-3 | Correct/incorrect | Listening | |
| Select missing word | 2-3 | Correct/incorrect | Listening | |
| Highlight incorrect words | 2-3 | Partial credit (for each word. Points deducted for incorrect options chosen) | Listening and reading | |
| Write from dictation | 2-3 | Partial credit (for each word spelled correctly) | Listening and writing | |
To give you an example, here’s an illustration of the scoring process of the Summarize Written Text task:
The scores earned for the enabling skills (grammar and vocabulary) add to the total enabling skills scores reflected in the score report.
The total score for this task contributes to the communicative scores for writing and reading.
The scores for content, form and the enabling skills traits contribute to the total overall score.
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