Automated scoring
PTE Academic tests are scored using an Artificial Intelligence system automatically. This system is trained by feeding it data from thousands of tests scored by human scorers. This process eliminates any human bias involved in scoring.
Scoring of Written English
To score the written tests Pearson has an automated tool known as the Intelligent Essay Assessor which is powered by their Knowledge Analysis technology(KAT) engine which evaluates writing accurately using an approach known as latent semantic analysis which generates semantically similar words and passages by analyzing large chunks of text.
Scoring of Spoken English
Pearson uses Ordinate technology to score spoken English. This technology analyzes and scores the speech. It can recognize words, relevant segments, syllables and phrases and then assess spoken English using statistical modelling technology.
PTS tests are scored against the Global Scale of English. This is a granular scale which ranges from 10 to 90 points. This scale is a granular numerical scale which makes it easier to track performance.
Scoring Comparisons
Scoring comparison PTE vs IELTS
| PTE Academic score | IELTS score |
| N/A | 9.0 |
| 89–90 | 8.5 |
| 84–88 | 8.0 |
| 76–83 | 7.5 |
| 66–75 | 7.0 |
| 56–65 | 6.5 |
| 46–55 | 6.0 |
| 36–45 | 5.5 |
| 29–35 | 5.0 |
| 23–28 | 4.5 |
| 10–22 | No data |
Scoring comparison PTE vs TOEFL
| PTE Academic score | TOEFL iBT score |
| 85 – 90 | No data |
| 84 | 120 |
| 83 | 119 |
| 82 | 118 |
| 81 | 117 |
| 80 | 115–116 |
| 79 | 114 |
| 78 | 113 |
| 77 | 112 |
| 76 | 110–111 |
| 75 | 109 |
| 74 | 107–108 |
| 73 | 106 |
| 72 | 105 |
| 71 | 103–104 |
| 70 | 102 |
| 69 | 101 |
| 68 | 99–100 |
| 67 | 98 |
| 66 | 97 |
| 65 | 95–96 |
| 64 | 94 |
| 63 | 93 |
| 62 | 91–92 |
| PTE Academic score | TOEFL iBT score |
| 61 | 90 |
| 60 | 89 |
| 59 | 87–88 |
| 58 | 86 |
| 57 | 85 |
| 56 | 83–84 |
| 55 | 82 |
| 54 | 81 |
| 53 | 79–80 |
| 52 | 78 |
| 51 | 76–77 |
| 50 | 74–75 |
| 49 | 72–73 |
| 48 | 70–71 |
| 47 | 67–69 |
| 46 | 65–66 |
| 45 | 63–64 |
| 44 | 60–62 |
| 43 | 57–59 |
| 42 | 54–56 |
| 41 | 52–53 |
| 40 | 48–51 |
| 39 | 45–47 |
| 38 | 40–44 |
| 10-37 | No data |
Scoring comparison PTE vs CEFR(Common European Framework Reference for Languages)
| PTE Academic Score | CEFR level | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| 85-90 | C2 | Highest level of English ability. Not requested by universities or governments. |
| 76-84 | C1 | Very high level of English proficiency. Not required for undergraduate courses. Required for Australian skilled migration visa |
| 59-75 | B2 | Required for undergraduate or postgraduate courses. Required for Australian skilled migration visa. |
| 43-58 | B1 | Maybe required for undergraduate courses. |
| 30-42 | A2 | Too low for academic courses. Maybe needed for the foundation year courses. |
| 10-29 | A1 | Too low for academic or foundation courses. |
Understanding your PTE score
PTE Academic Score Report has 2 main aspects, the Overall score, and the four Communicative Skills score.
- Overall score – As the name suggests, the overall score for the entire test. The test will comprise 52 to 64 tasks from the 20 different task types. The Overall score ranges from 10 to 90 points where 10 is the lowest you can get and 90 is the highest score possible. Please note that the Overall score is not the average of the Communicative Skills Scores.
- Communicative Skills score – There are four Communicative Skills Speaking, Writing, Listening, and Reading. These skills have a score range from 10 to 90 points. Some of the tasks on the PTE Academic exam test integrated skills like Reading and Speaking, listening and Writing, etc. The score of such tasks impacts the scores of each of these Communicative skills.
Task scoring
Two ways in which the tasks in the PTE exam are scored.
- Correct or Incorrect – Responses to some tasks can either be Correct or Incorrect. One point is awarded if the response is correct and no point is awarded if the response is incorrect.
- Partial Credit – Responses to some tasks can be fully correct, partially correct, or incorrect. Such tasks qualify for partial credit. Maximum marks will be awarded If the task is fully correct. Some marks will be awarded if it is partially correct, and no marks will be awarded if it is incorrect.
Traits scored
- Content – The response’s content should be relevant to the content expected in the task.
- Form – This score is based on the number of words in the response. If the task expects an Essay of 200 to 300 words, then less than 200 or more than 300 would mean that the form has not been adhered to and will negatively impact the score.
- Vocabulary – Strong collections of words to choose from to enable correct expression of what one means.
- Pronunciation – Pronouncing words with the correct pronunciation, like a native speaker of the language.
- Oral fluency – Speak at a natural pace that is smooth, without any hesitation, pauses, or self-correction. Oral fluency is scored by determining if your rhythm, phrasing, and stress are smooth.
- Rhythm – English speakers tend to stress certain syllables at regular intervals, this reoccurrence of stressed syllables is rhythm. The rhythm consists of intonation, stressed syllables, weak syllables, and pauses in speech.
- Phrasing – A phrase is a collection of words used to express an idea.
- Stress – This is the degree of emphasis given to a sound or syllable. Incorrect stress can often change the meaning of the sentence so care should be taken to stress the right words to convey the correct meaning.
- Spelling – Write the correct spelling for words.
- Grammar – constructing grammatically correct sentences.
- Development structure and coherence – Response should display good development of ideas and a logical structure. A good response is one in which the ideas are connected and these connections are explained. there is a clear structure with an introduction to the task followed by a body which usually has 2 to 3 paragraphs and a conclusion. There is a smooth flow between paragraphs and ideas are clearly explained with examples.
- General linguistic range – A good response is one in which words are used to correctly express ideas and remove ambiguity
- Written discourse – can be adhered to by creating a structure of the written text, the logical development of the central idea of the text, and the use of linguistic resources to express the meaning correctly.
Example of Scoring – Write Essay
The scoring for the Write essay task starts with the scoring for Content / Form, Content checks if the content of the essay matches the content that is expected as per the topic of the essay. Form checks of the response are within the specified length for the task(e.g.200 to 300 words) if the Content and Form are not as per specification the scoring stops here and a 0 is given, no further scoring happens on the remaining traits.
If the Content / Form score is greater than 0 then the remaining traits of Vocabulary, Spelling, Grammar, Development, Structure and Coherence, and General linguistic range are scored which contribute to a total score.
The total score then contributes to the Communicative score and the PTE Academic overall score.
Scoring criteria
Speaking & Writing
| Items | Duration | Count | Scoring | Skills scored | Traits scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54-67 | |||||
| Read aloud | 6-7 | Partial credit | Reading & speaking | Content: every replacement, omission or insertion of a word counts as one error. Maximum score: depends on the length of the task prompt. 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 | |
| Repeat Sentence | 10-12 | Partial credit | Listening & speaking | Content: Any replacements, omissions and insertions are considered an error. Hesitations, filled or unfilled pauses, and leading or trailing material are ignored in the scoring of content. 3 All words in the response from the prompt in the correct sequence 2 At least 50% of words in the response from the prompt in the correct sequence 1 Less than 50% of words in the response from the prompt in the correct sequence 0 Almost nothing from the prompt in the response 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 | |
| Describe image | 3-4 | Partial credit | Speaking | 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. May not deal properly with the prompt due to significant amounts of pre-prepared/memorized material. 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 | |
| Re-tell lecture | 1-2 | Partial credit | Listening and speaking | 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 Content: 5 Re-tells all points of the presentation and describes characters, aspects and actions, their relationships, and 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 the 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. May not deal properly with the prompt due to significant amounts of pre-prepared/memorized material. | |
| Answer short question | 5-6 | Correct/incorrect | Listening and speaking | Vocabulary: 1 Appropriate word choice in response 0 Inappropriate word choice in response | |
| Summarize written text | 1-2 | Partial credit | Reading and writing | Form: 1 Is written in one, single, complete sentence 0 Not written in one single, complete sentence or contains fewer than 5 or more than 75 words. The summary is written in capital letters. Form: 1 Is written in one, single, complete sentence 0 Not written in one single, complete sentence or contains fewer than 5 or more than 75 words. The summary is written in capital letters. Grammar: 2 Has the correct grammatical structure 1 Contains grammatical errors but with no hindrance to communication 0 Has a defective grammatical structure which could hinder communication. Vocabulary: 2 Has appropriate choice of words 1 Contains lexical errors but with no hindrances to communication 0 Has defective word choice which could hinder communication. | |
| Write essay | 1-2 | Partial credit | Writing | Content: 3 Adequately deals with the prompt 2 Deals with the prompt but does not deal with one minor aspect 1 Deals with the prompt but omits a major aspect or more than one minor aspect 0 Does not deal properly with the prompt. This includes responses that contain a significant amount of pre-prepared/ memorized material. Form: 2 Length is between 200 and 300 words 1 Length is between 120 and 199 or between 301 and 380 words 0 Length is less than 120 or more than 380 words. Essay is written in capital letters, contains no punctuation or only consists of bullet points or very short sentences Development, structure and coherence: 2 Shows good development and logical structure 1 Is incidentally less well structured, and some elements or paragraphs are poorly linked 0 Lacks coherence and mainly consists of lists or loose elements Grammar: 2 Shows consistent grammatical control of complex language. Errors are rare and difficult to spot. 1 Shows a relatively high degree of grammatical control. No mistakes which would lead to misunderstandings 0 Contains mainly simple structures and/or several basic mistakes General linguistic range: 2 Exhibits smooth mastery of a wide range of language to formulate thoughts precisely, give emphasis, differentiate and eliminate ambiguity. No sign that the test taker is restricted in what they want to communicate 1 Sufficient range of language to provide clear descriptions, express viewpoints and develop arguments 0 Contains mainly basic language and lacks precision Vocabulary range: 2 Good command of a broad lexical repertoire, idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms 1 Shows a good range of vocabulary for matters connected to general academic topics. Lexical shortcomings lead to circumlocution or some imprecision 0 Contains mainly basic vocabulary insufficient to deal with the topic at the required level Spelling: 2 Correct spelling 1 One spelling error 0 More than one spelling error |
Reading
| Items | Duration | Count | Scoring | Skills scored | Traits scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 – 30 Mins. | |||||
| Reading and writing: Fill in the blanks | 5-6 | Partial credit (for each correctly completed blank) | Reading and writing: 1 Each correctly completed blank 0 Minimum score | ||
| Multiple choice, choose multiple answers | 1-2 | Partial credit (for each correct response. Points deducted for incorrect options chosen) | Reading: 1 Each correct response 1 Each incorrect response 0 Minimum score | ||
| Re-order paragraphs | 2-3 | Partial credit (for each correctly ordered, adjacent pair) | Reading: 1 Each pair of correct adjacent textboxes 0 Minimum score | ||
| Reading: Fill in the blanks | 4-5 | Partial credit (for each correctly completed blank) | Reading: 1 Each correctly completed blank 0 Minimum score | ||
| Multiple-choice, choose single answer | 1-2 | Correct/ incorrect | Reading: 1 Each correctly completed blank 0 Minimum score |
Listening
| Items | Duration | Count | Scoring | Skills scored | Traits scored |
| 30-43 Mins. | |||||
| Summarize spoken text | 1-2 | Partial credit | Listening and writing | Content: 2 Provides a good summary of the text. All relevant aspects are mentioned. 1 Provides a fair summary of the text, but one or two aspects are missing 0 Omits or misrepresents the main aspects Form: 2 Contains 50-70 words 1 Contains 40-49 words or 71-100 words 0 Contains less than 40 words or more than 100 words. Summary is written in capital letters, contains no punctuation or consists only of bullet points or very short sentences. Grammar: 2 Correct grammatical structures 1 Contains grammatical errors with no hindrance to communication 0 Defective grammatical structure which could hinder communications Vocabulary: 2 Appropriate choice of words 1 Some lexical errors but with no hindrance to communication 0 Defective word choice which could hinder communication Spelling: 2 Correct spelling 1 One spelling error 0 More than one spelling errors. | |
| Multiple–choice, choose multiple answers | 1-2 | Partial credit (for each correct response. Points deducted for incorrect options chosen) | Partial credit (for each correct word spelled correctly) | ||
| Fill in the blanks | 2-3 | Partial credit (for each correct work spelled correctly) | Partial credit (for each correct word spelled correctly) | ||
| Highlight correct summary | 1-2 | Correct/ incorrect | Listening and reading 1 Correct response 0 Incorrect response | ||
| Multiple choice, Choose single answer | 1-2 | Correct/ incorrect | Listening 1 Correct response 0 Incorrect response | ||
| Select missing word | 1-2 | Correct/ incorrect | Listening 1 Correct response 0 Incorrect response | ||
| Highlight incorrect words | 2-3 | Partial credit (For each word. Points deducted for incorrect options chosen) | Listening and reading 1 Each correct word -1 Each incorrect word 0 Minimum score | ||
| Write from dictation | 3-4 | Partial credit (for each word spelled correctly) | Listening and writing 1 Each correct word spelled correctly 0 Each incorrect or misspelled word |