Data and methodology byAli ZaidiBuilds BandLadder's AI scoring and data
What the data says
Key findings
- Summarize Spoken Text had the lowest average score of the 19 question types, at 52.1% of the available marks.
- Reorder Paragraphs scored zero in 17.7% of attempts (about 1 in 6), even though 49.6% scored full marks: answers tended to be all or nothing.
- Only 2.3% of Repeat Sentence attempts earned full marks, against an average of 62.1%.
- Describe Image averaged 80.0%, but just 0.4% of attempts reached full marks.
- Write from Dictation was the most practised task, with 7,086 attempts by 149 learners.
Sorted from lowest average, by skill
Scores by question type
Scores are the share of the marks available on each item. Single-answer tasks (multiple choice, Select Missing Word, Answer Short Question) are right or wrong, so their average equals the share answered correctly and the median is 0% or 100%. Speaking and writing tasks are marked on several traits, so full marks are rare.
Speaking
| Question type | Attempts | Learners | Average | Median | Full marks | Zero |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repeat Sentence | 1,757 | 70 | 62.1% | 73.0% | 2.3% | 1.6% |
| Answer Short Question | 777 | 37 | 64.7% | 100.0% | 64.7% | 35.3% |
| Read Aloud | 2,045 | 74 | 73.3% | 87.0% | 32.4% | 0.6% |
| Respond to a Situation | 235 | 30 | 77.4% | 80.0% | 7.7% | 1.7% |
| Describe Image | 937 | 69 | 80.0% | 81.0% | 0.4% | 0.4% |
Writing
| Question type | Attempts | Learners | Average | Median | Full marks | Zero |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summarize Written Text | 370 | 45 | 62.0% | 67.0% | 6.8% | 14.6% |
Reading
| Question type | Attempts | Learners | Average | Median | Full marks | Zero |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reorder Paragraphs | 3,819 | 142 | 61.8% | 67.0% | 49.6% | 17.7% |
| Reading Multiple Choice (multiple) | 906 | 90 | 67.5% | 100.0% | 54.4% | 20.5% |
| Reading Fill in the Blanks | 4,055 | 148 | 72.2% | 80.0% | 49.1% | 6.6% |
| Reading & Writing Fill in the Blanks | 5,385 | 173 | 75.6% | 75.0% | 44.2% | 2.8% |
| Reading Multiple Choice (single) | 2,596 | 140 | 79.1% | 100.0% | 79.1% | 20.9% |
Listening
| Question type | Attempts | Learners | Average | Median | Full marks | Zero |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summarize Spoken Text | 170 | 27 | 52.1% | 58.0% | 0.6% | 6.5% |
| Listening Multiple Choice (multiple) | 1,474 | 95 | 67.4% | 100.0% | 62.5% | 27.9% |
| Select Missing Word | 1,651 | 98 | 69.5% | 100.0% | 69.5% | 30.5% |
| Listening Multiple Choice (single) | 1,205 | 66 | 69.7% | 100.0% | 69.7% | 30.3% |
| Listening Fill in the Blanks | 2,140 | 112 | 71.8% | 75.0% | 33.6% | 3.2% |
| Highlight Correct Summary | 575 | 44 | 75.8% | 100.0% | 75.8% | 24.2% |
| Write from Dictation | 7,086 | 149 | 77.3% | 83.0% | 27.7% | 0.9% |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | 2,993 | 113 | 79.9% | 100.0% | 56.2% | 5.5% |
Types where 10+ learners passed 20 attempts
Does practice help?
For each learner we compared their first five attempts at a question type with every attempt after their twentieth. Different items vary in difficulty and learners who keep going may differ from those who stop, so read this as a rough signal, not proof that practice causes the change.
| Question type | First 5 attempts | After 20 attempts | Change | Learners past 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Listening Multiple Choice (single) | 58.8% | 72.0% | +13.2 pts | 12 |
| Repeat Sentence | 57.4% | 65.5% | +8.1 pts | 17 |
| Listening Fill in the Blanks | 66.1% | 72.2% | +6.1 pts | 33 |
| Reading Multiple Choice (multiple) | 65.0% | 70.5% | +5.5 pts | 11 |
| Reorder Paragraphs | 59.1% | 64.4% | +5.3 pts | 43 |
| Reading Fill in the Blanks | 69.3% | 74.2% | +4.9 pts | 35 |
| Read Aloud | 72.2% | 76.2% | +4.0 pts | 26 |
| Describe Image | 78.5% | 82.0% | +3.5 pts | 13 |
| Answer Short Question | 65.2% | 66.4% | +1.2 pts | 13 |
| Select Missing Word | 69.7% | 70.6% | +0.9 pts | 21 |
| Reading & Writing Fill in the Blanks | 76.8% | 75.1% | −1.7 pts | 62 |
| Listening Multiple Choice (multiple) | 64.4% | 62.6% | −1.8 pts | 27 |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | 80.9% | 78.8% | −2.1 pts | 39 |
| Reading Multiple Choice (single) | 79.9% | 75.6% | −4.3 pts | 39 |
| Write from Dictation | 84.5% | 76.6% | −7.9 pts | 56 |
Using the numbers
What this means for your preparation
The tasks with the lowest averages are not always the ones that matter most for your score: Pearson weights some tasks more heavily, and several feed more than one skill. See how PTE is scored and work out where you stand with the PTE score calculator.
All-or-nothing tasks such as Reorder Paragraphs reward method over volume: find the opening sentence first, then link pairs. Speaking tasks reward steady fluency and clear pronunciation over long answers. Practise your lowest task in short daily sets on free PTE practice and check progress with a full PTE mock test.
How the numbers were made
Methodology and limits
The data is every scored PTE practice attempt on BandLadder from 10 January 2026 to 1 October 2026 by learner accounts; staff and test accounts are excluded. Each attempt's score is the share of the item's available marks it earned, as scored by BandLadder: objective tasks by answer key, speaking and writing tasks by BandLadder's AI marking against Pearson's published criteria. Question types with fewer than 100 scored attempts are left out of the table.
These are practice results, not real PTE scores, and BandLadder learners are not a random sample of PTE candidates. Learner numbers for some types are small, shown in each row. Treat differences of a few points as noise.
Free to quote with credit
Cite this data
Journalists, teachers, coaching centres and students may quote these figures or the CSV with credit to BandLadder and a link to this page, under our content use policy.
BandLadder (2026). PTE practice statistics: scores by question type (40,412 attempts). Retrieved from https://bandladder.com/pte-practice-statistics
<a href="https://bandladder.com/pte-practice-statistics">PTE practice statistics by question type</a> (BandLadder, 2026)Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
Which PTE question type is the hardest?+
In BandLadder practice data (40,412 attempts, 10 January 2026 to 1 October 2026), Summarize Spoken Text had the lowest average score at 52.1% of the available marks, followed by Reorder Paragraphs (61.8%) and Summarize Written Text (62.0%).
How often do learners score zero on Reorder Paragraphs?+
17.7% of 3,819 practice attempts scored zero, and 49.6% scored full marks. Each correct adjacent pair earns a mark, so getting the opening sentence wrong often costs most of the item.
Is full marks on Repeat Sentence common?+
No. Only 2.3% of 1,757 practice attempts earned full marks, though the average was 62.1%. Content, oral fluency and pronunciation all have to be strong at once.
Are these official Pearson statistics?+
No. They come from BandLadder's own practice platform: scores from BandLadder's marking of practice items, not from real PTE tests. They show how learners perform on each task type in practice.
Can I use these numbers in an article or report?+
Yes, with credit to BandLadder and a link to this page. A CSV of the full table is free to download.
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© 2026 BandLadder. Written and checked by the BandLadder team. You may quote or cite this page with credit to BandLadder and a link to it; republishing it in full needs our written permission. Content use policy