Reading
Reading question types
PTE Academic and PTE Core
A passage of up to 200 words has several gaps. Each gap has a drop-down list, and you choose the one word that fits both the grammar and the meaning.
All 75 sets, scoring and tips →PTE Academic and PTE Core
A short text of up to 80 words has gaps, and a box below holds more words than you need. You drag the right word into each gap.
- Acoustic Communication in Dolphins
- Airship Engineering and Operation
- Amphibian Decline and Extinction Crisis
PTE Academic and PTE Core
You read a short text and answer one question about it by choosing the single correct option.
All 75 sets, scoring and tips →PTE Academic and PTE Core
You read a text of up to 350 words and choose every option that answers the question. More than one is correct, and wrong choices cost marks.
- Advanced Exoplanet Detection Methods
- Antibiotic Resistance and Clinical Challenges
- Aspects of the Bilingual Mind
PTE Academic and PTE Core
Several text boxes appear in a random order. You drag them, or move them with the arrow buttons, back into the order of the original text.
All 75 sets, scoring and tips →Writing
Writing question types
PTE Academic (PTE Core has its own version)
You read a passage of up to 300 words and write a one-sentence summary of it in 5 to 75 words, in 10 minutes.
- Adolescents in the Digital Age
- Advances in Solar Panel Technology
- Alternative Financing through Digital Crowdfunding
PTE Academic
You get a prompt of two or three sentences and 20 minutes to write an argumentative essay of 200 to 300 words.
- Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing
- Architecture and Design of Theatres
- Art Forgery and Authentication
PTE Core
You read a short everyday situation and write an email in response, covering three points, in 9 minutes.
All 75 sets, scoring and tips →Practise under exam conditions
Question-type drills build accuracy. A full PTE mock adds every item type, Pearson's timings and a score on the 10–90 scale.
Try a free PTE mock →Frequently asked questions
Are these real PTE questions?+
No. They are original practice questions written by BandLadder in the format Pearson publishes for each item type, with Pearson's text lengths, timings and marking. They are not taken from the real test or from other question banks.
Do I need an account?+
No, to read every question and to answer and check the first question of each set. To answer the rest, log in with a free account and practise that question type in the BandLadder app.
How are my answers marked?+
The way Pearson's Score Guides describe: one mark per correct blank in fill-in-the-blanks, minus marks for wrong choices in Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers, and one mark per correct adjacent pair in Reorder Paragraphs. Writing answers are checked for length and form here; the app scores every trait.
Where are the speaking and listening types?+
They need audio, so they live in the app for now: Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence, Describe Image, Write from Dictation and the rest, with speaking scored by BandLadder AI.
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