PTE Describe Image multiple charts: why two charts need one link
When an image holds two or three charts, the usual mistake is to describe the first chart, then start on the second, and the 40 seconds end before they say how the two connect. What comes out is two short lists. The fix is to choose the relationship between the charts first, say it near the start, and use each chart only to prove it.
So two charts give you two ways to lose Content. Skip one chart and you have not covered all the main features. Describe both with no link and you have features without relationships. One linking sentence fixes both, which is why BandLadder's advice is to find it before you describe either chart.
Four links that join two charts (BandLadder advice)
| Link | Ask yourself | Your link sentence says |
|---|---|---|
| Total and breakdown | Does one chart show how much, and the other what that amount is made of? | How big the whole is, then what it consists of |
| Moving together | Do the charts measure different things over the same years or places? | Both rose or fell together, or one rose as the other fell |
| Same measure, two groups | Are the charts identical in design, but for two places or groups at the same time? | Where the two groups match, and where they differ most |
| Before and after | Do the charts show one place or group at two points in time? | What changed most between the two dates |
If none fits, fall back on the shared subject: "Both charts are about X: one shows…, the other…". That is still a link.
✗ "The first chart shows visitor numbers… The second chart shows transport…" Two separate descriptions, no connection.
✓ "The line graph gives the yearly number of visitors, and the pie chart breaks down how they arrived in the final year."
One sentence names both charts and the relationship. Every figure after it now builds one picture, not two lists.
Premium sheet · 4 more sections
- How to describe two charts in PTE Describe Image: a link-first plan
- PTE Describe Image multiple charts examples
- Three charts in one image, and the traps that cost Content
- Your turn: Describe Image multiple charts check
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Questions
FAQ
How do you describe multiple charts in PTE Describe Image?+
Find the relationship between the charts in the 25-second preparation time, say it in your first or second sentence, then give one headline figure from each chart and a conclusion. BandLadder's four links: total and breakdown, moving together, same measure for two groups, before and after.
Do I have to describe every chart in the image?+
Yes, briefly. Pearson's scoring notes say the best responses deal with all parts of the image, and the PTE Core scale puts a response that deals with only one key element at level 2 (p. 27). One headline per chart is enough.
How long should I spend on each chart in Describe Image?+
Not half the time each. BandLadder's advice is one opening sentence that names both charts and the link, about ten seconds per chart for its headline, and a closing sentence that draws them together.
How many Describe Image questions are in PTE Academic and PTE Core?+
The PTE Academic Score Guide (July 2025) lists 5–6 Describe Image items (p. 18); the PTE Core Score Guide (January 2026) lists 3–4 (p. 27). The timing is the same: 25 seconds to study, 40 to speak.
Can I use a Describe Image template for two charts?+
Use a speaking order, not a script. The Academic guide classes responses with pre-prepared or memorised material as irrelevant, which means 0 for Content (p. 8); the Core guide puts significant amounts of memorised material at Content level 0 (p. 27). Every sentence should come from the charts in front of you.
What if the two charts don't seem related?+
They will share a subject, a place or a period. Say that as your link ("Both charts are about…: one shows…, the other…"), give a headline from each, and end with what they suggest together.
Sources
- Pearson PTE Academic test format page: Speaking and Writing: Describe Image (25 s to study, 40 s to answer; scoring notes: all parts of the image, relationships, disjointed ideas)
- Pearson PTE Core test format page: Speaking and Writing: Describe image (same timing and scoring notes)
- PTE Academic Score Guide for Test Takers (July 2025): p. 8 (memorised material scored as irrelevant); pp. 18–20 (Describe Image: 5–6 items, Content 0–6, Pronunciation, Oral Fluency)
- PTE Core Score Guide for Test Takers (January 2026): p. 6 (memorised material); pp. 27–28 (Describe Image: 3–4 items, Content 0–5, Pronunciation, Fluency)
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