PTE Reading score contribution: which tasks count?
Your Reading score is not a score for Part 2 alone. Pearson counts some tasks towards two skills, so a weak Highlight Incorrect Words in Listening, or a weak Read Aloud in PTE Core, can hold Reading below 79 even when Part 2 goes well.
Every task that feeds Reading
| Task | Part of the test | PTE Academic | PTE Core |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks | Part 2 Reading | 5–6 items · Reading | 5–6 items · Reading and Writing |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers | Part 2 Reading | 2–3 items · Reading | 1–2 items · Reading |
| Reorder Paragraphs | Part 2 Reading | 2–3 items · Reading | 2–3 items · Reading |
| Reading: Fill in the Blanks | Part 2 Reading | 4–5 items · Reading | 4–5 items · Reading |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answer | Part 2 Reading | 2–3 items · Reading | 1–2 items · Reading |
| Summarize Written Text | Part 1 | 2 items · Reading and Writing | 1–2 items · Reading and Writing |
| Highlight Correct Summary | Part 3 Listening | 2–3 items · Listening and Reading | Not in PTE Core |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | Part 3 Listening | 2–3 items · Listening and Reading | 1–2 items · Listening and Reading |
| Read Aloud | Part 1 | Speaking only | 6–7 items · Reading and Speaking |
PTE Academic Score Guide (July 2025) pp. 15, 32, 40, 44; PTE Core Score Guide (January 2026) pp. 24, 31, 35, 38.
Count the items. In PTE Academic, Part 2 has 15–20 Reading items and other parts add 6–8, so roughly 3 in 10 items that feed Reading sit outside the Reading part. In PTE Core it is 13–18 plus 8–11: closer to 4 in 10. Items are not points, and Pearson publishes no weights, but a Reading plan that ignores those tasks ignores a large part of the score.
The overall score is not an average of the skill scores (Academic guide p. 6), and each institution sets its own minimums (p. 9), so check your target on its website. The full scale is on the PTE score chart. For Speaking, Listening and Writing, see PTE 65 to 79, skill by skill. The rest of this sheet covers how each task is scored, a plan ordered by contribution and worked examples.
Premium sheet · 4 more sections
- How PTE Reading is scored, task by task
- PTE Reading 79 plan: practise by task contribution
- PTE Reading examples: where 79-level points are won
- Your turn: PTE Reading 79 check
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FAQ
How do I score 79 in PTE Reading?+
Plan by contribution: make Fill in the Blanks your daily practice, score Reorder Paragraphs by pairs, avoid wrong clicks in the minus-marked tasks, and train the integrated tasks outside Part 2 that also feed Reading. No method guarantees a score; a mock test shows which task is holding you back.
Which questions contribute to the PTE Reading score?+
In PTE Academic: the five Part 2 Reading tasks, Summarize Written Text, Highlight Correct Summary and Highlight Incorrect Words. In PTE Core: the five Part 2 tasks, Read Aloud, Summarize Written Text and Highlight Incorrect Words (score guides, July 2025 and January 2026).
Does Read Aloud count towards PTE Reading?+
Not in PTE Academic: the July 2025 Score Guide lists Speaking only (p. 15). In PTE Core it feeds Reading and Speaking (January 2026 guide, p. 24).
Is there negative marking in PTE Reading?+
Yes, in two tasks: Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers and Highlight Incorrect Words take one point off for each wrong choice, with a minimum of 0 per item. Fill in the Blanks and Reorder Paragraphs have no penalty.
What is the PTE Reading weightage of each task?+
Pearson does not publish weights. The score guides give item counts and counting rules, which show that Fill in the Blanks has the most items in Part 2 and that integrated tasks outside Part 2 also feed Reading.
What IELTS score is PTE Reading 79 equal to?+
There is no exact equivalent. Pearson's July 2025 alignment table places PTE Reading 75–80 beside IELTS 8.5, as an estimate (PTE Academic Score Guide p. 12).
Sources
- PTE Academic Score Guide for Test Takers (July 2025): p. 6 (integrated questions, overall score); p. 9 (institution minimums); p. 12 (IELTS alignment); p. 15 (Read Aloud); pp. 32–33 (Summarize Written Text); p. 40 (Part 2 Reading); p. 44 (Highlight Correct Summary, Highlight Incorrect Words)
- PTE Core Score Guide for Test Takers (January 2026): p. 5 (integrated tasks); p. 9 (CLB alignment); p. 24 (Read Aloud); p. 31 (Summarize Written Text); p. 35 (Part 2 Reading); p. 38 (Highlight Incorrect Words)
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