PTE Score Guide: Question Count & Marks by Task
How many questions does PTE Academic have, and how much is each one worth? This score guide breaks down every task type — the typical number of questions and the score it carries — section by section. PTE does not publish a fixed number of raw marks per question; instead it uses partial credit and converts your performance to the 10–90 Global Scale of English. The tables below show the typical question counts and exactly how each task contributes to your scores.
How PTE scoring works (in brief)
- Every task contributes to one or more of the four Communicative Skills: Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing.
- Many tasks are 'integrated' — a single answer is scored for two skills at once (e.g. Read Aloud counts for Speaking and Reading).
- Most tasks award partial credit, so every correct element earns marks — always attempt every question.
- A few tasks use negative marking, where a wrong selection cancels a correct one.
- Your raw performance is scaled to a 10–90 overall score plus four skill scores.
Question counts vary by test version
PTE Academic does not give every candidate an identical number of questions. The counts below are the typical ranges you can expect — prepare for every task type rather than memorising an exact number.
Speaking & Writing — questions & scoring
| Task | Questions | Skills scored | Marking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Introduction | 1 | Unscored | Not counted |
| Read Aloud | 6–7 | Speaking + Reading | Partial credit |
| Repeat Sentence | 10–12 | Speaking + Listening | Partial credit |
| Describe Image | 6–7 | Speaking | Partial credit |
| Re-tell Lecture | 1–2 | Speaking + Listening | Partial credit |
| Answer Short Question | 5–6 | Speaking + Listening | Correct / incorrect |
| Summarize Group Discussion | 1–2 | Speaking + Listening | Partial credit |
| Respond to a Situation | 1–2 | Speaking | Partial credit |
| Summarize Written Text | 1–2 | Writing + Reading | Partial credit |
| Write Essay | 1–2 | Writing | Partial credit |
Reading — questions & scoring
| Task | Questions | Skills scored | Marking |
|---|---|---|---|
| R&W: Fill in the Blanks | 5–6 | Reading + Writing | Partial credit, no penalty |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple | 1–2 | Reading | Partial credit, negative marking |
| Re-order Paragraphs | 2–3 | Reading | Partial credit (adjacent pairs) |
| Reading: Fill in the Blanks | 4–5 | Reading | Partial credit, no penalty |
| Multiple Choice, Single | 1–2 | Reading | Correct / incorrect, no penalty |
Listening — questions & scoring
| Task | Questions | Skills scored | Marking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summarize Spoken Text | 1–2 | Listening + Writing | Partial credit |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple | 1–2 | Listening | Partial credit, negative marking |
| Fill in the Blanks | 2–3 | Listening | Partial credit |
| Highlight Correct Summary | 1–2 | Listening + Reading | Correct / incorrect |
| Multiple Choice, Single | 1–2 | Listening | Correct / incorrect, no penalty |
| Select Missing Word | 1–2 | Listening | Correct / incorrect |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | 2–3 | Listening + Reading | Partial credit, negative marking |
| Write from Dictation | 3–4 | Listening + Writing | Partial credit |
Which tasks carry the most weight?
Because integrated tasks feed two skills at once, they give the best return on practice. Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence, Summarize Written Text, Write from Dictation, and Summarize Spoken Text each lift two of your skill scores from a single answer — so drilling them moves your overall score faster than studying any one skill in isolation.
| Task | Boosts |
|---|---|
| Read Aloud | Speaking + Reading |
| Repeat Sentence | Speaking + Listening |
| Summarize Written Text | Writing + Reading |
| Write from Dictation | Listening + Writing |
| Summarize Spoken Text | Listening + Writing |
For the full marking detail of any single task — including templates and common mistakes — open its dedicated guide from the section task lists.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions are there in PTE Academic?
Roughly 70–80 across the whole test, spread over about 20 task types. The exact number is not fixed and varies by test version, so prepare for every task type rather than a specific count.
How many marks is each PTE question worth?
PTE does not publish a fixed number of raw marks per question. Most tasks award partial credit for each correct element, and your overall performance is scaled to the 10–90 Global Scale of English. The tables above show how each task is marked and which skills it scores.
Which PTE tasks are worth the most?
Integrated tasks that score two skills at once give the best value — Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence, Summarize Written Text, Write from Dictation, and Summarize Spoken Text. Focusing practice on these lifts multiple skill scores together.
Do all PTE questions count towards my score?
Almost all do, with one exception: the Personal Introduction is unscored and is not counted. Every other task contributes to one or more of your four Communicative Skills.
Continue Reading
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