PTE Academic and PTE Core

PTE Read Aloud practice: free questions with sample answers

PTE Read Aloud practice with original texts in Pearson's format. A text of up to 60 words appears on screen, you get 30–40 seconds to prepare, then you read it aloud. Try a free question below with the real timers, play back your recording and compare it with a model reading, then work through the sets.
  • 75 sets
  • 353 questions
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  • Pearson's marking
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The task

What is Read Aloud in PTE?

Text
Up to 60 words
Section
Part 1: Speaking and Writing (PTE Academic and PTE Core)
Preparation
30–40 seconds to read the text before the microphone opens
Time to answer
Varies with the length of the text (this page gives 40 seconds)
Recording
One attempt only; start speaking right after the tone
Skills
Speaking in PTE Academic (since July 2025); Reading and Speaking in PTE Core
In the test
6–7 items in PTE Academic and in PTE Core

Source: Pearson's PTE test-format pages and Score Guides (PTE Academic July 2025, PTE Core January 2026).

Marks

How PTE Read Aloud is scored

  • •Three traits: Content, Pronunciation (0–5) and Oral Fluency (0–5).
  • •Content counts errors: every word you replace, leave out or add is one error, so the maximum depends on the length of the text.
  • •Pronunciation and Oral Fluency use Pearson's 0–5 scales, from Non-English or Disfluent up to Highly proficient. Hesitations, repetitions and false starts lower Oral Fluency.

In the test

How many Read Aloud questions are in the PTE test?

Six or seven, in both PTE Academic and PTE Core. They come early in Part 1, straight after the unscored personal introduction.

Two tests

Read Aloud in PTE Academic vs PTE Core

PTE AcademicPTE Core
Questions6–76–7
Preparation and speaking30–40 s to prepare; time to speak depends on the textThe same
Counts towardsSpeakingReading and Speaking
TraitsContent, Pronunciation 0–5, Oral Fluency 0–5Content, Pronunciation 0–5, Oral Fluency 0–5

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PTE Read Aloud sample question with answer

1

Acoustic Resonance in Timpani

Free to try, no login

Look at the text below. You have 30–40 seconds to prepare, then read it aloud as naturally and clearly as you can after the tone.

When a timpanist strikes the membrane, sound waves propagate rapidly across the surface and reflect against the copper bowl. Because this enclosed cavity modifies air pressure, certain harmonic frequencies are reinforced, which produces a distinct pitch rather than indeterminate noise.

Your recording stays in this browser: it is not uploaded or stored.

From the set Acoustics and History of Percussion.

Tips

PTE Read Aloud tips and tricks

  1. 1

    Use the preparation time to split the text into meaningful chunks, using the punctuation as your guide: these are the places for a tiny pause.

  2. 2

    Stress the words that carry the information (nouns, main verbs, numbers, contrasts) and let small words like of, the and to stay light.

  3. 3

    Read at a steady, natural pace. Rushing loses clarity; slowing down word by word sounds disfluent.

  4. 4

    Practise the long words before the microphone opens so they do not stop you mid-sentence.

  5. 5

    If you slip on a word, keep going. Going back to fix it adds a repetition and costs Oral Fluency as well.

75 sets

PTE Read Aloud practice questions

All 75 Read Aloud sets

Practise against the clock

One type at a time builds accuracy. A timed sectional test or full mock adds the real timings and a score on Pearson's 10–90 scale.

Try a free PTE mock →

Read Aloud: frequently asked questions

What is Read Aloud in PTE?+

The first scored speaking task: a text of up to 60 words appears on screen, you get 30–40 seconds to read it silently, and then you read it aloud once after the tone. It is in both PTE Academic and PTE Core.

How do I practise Read Aloud for PTE?+

Time yourself: 30–40 seconds to prepare, then read aloud and record it. Play it back and check three things against a model reading: every word said, pauses at the punctuation, and stress on the information words. Question 1 of every set on this page runs that loop free.

How many Read Aloud questions are in the PTE test?+

Six or seven, in both PTE Academic and PTE Core, according to Pearson's Score Guides.

What if I make a mistake while reading?+

Keep going. Content counts each wrong, missing or extra word once, but stopping to go back adds hesitation and repetition, which lowers Oral Fluency too.

Can I get a Read Aloud score for free?+

This page does not score you. With a free BandLadder account you can practise Read Aloud in the app and get a BandLadder AI score for content, pronunciation and oral fluency, within the free plan's limits.

Does Read Aloud count towards Reading?+

In PTE Academic, the July 2025 Score Guide counts it towards Speaking only. In PTE Core it still counts towards Reading and Speaking.

Other question types

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