PTE Academic reports a score from 10 to 90 on the Global Scale of English, plus four communicative skill scores. There are two things most preparation material still gets wrong about it, and both matter if you are reading your own score report.
First, the overall score is not an average of the four skill scores. Second, the enabling skills were replaced by a Skills Profile in November 2021 — the six-item list of grammar, oral fluency, pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary and written discourse no longer appears on current score reports.
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| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Overall score | 10-90, on the Global Scale of English |
| Communicative skills | Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing — each 10-90 |
| Skills Profile | Eight groups, replacing the former enabling skills |
| Relationship | Pearson: “the overall score is not an average calculation of the communicative skills scores” |
| Validity | 2 years |
| Turnaround | Within 5 working days, typically within 48 hours |
These replaced the enabling skills in November 2021. If a preparation site still lists grammar, oral fluency, pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary and written discourse as separate scored items, it is describing a score report format that no longer exists.
| Skills Profile group |
|---|
| Open Response Speaking and Writing |
| Reproducing Spoken and Written Language |
| Extended Writing |
| Short Writing |
| Extended Speaking |
| Short Speaking |
| Multiple-skills Comprehension |
| Single-skill Comprehension |
The grouping is by task behaviour rather than by linguistic feature, which is why it maps onto what you practise more directly than the old list did.
| Consequence | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| You cannot compute your overall from four skill scores | Any calculator that averages them is guessing |
| Two candidates with identical skill scores can differ overall | The item-level performance behind the skills differs |
| A weak skill does not translate mechanically into a fixed overall deduction | Improving the weakest skill is still the best strategy, but the gain is not arithmetic |
| Institutions often set both an overall minimum and per-skill minimums | Check both, because meeting one does not guarantee the other |
Several PTE Academic tasks score two skills, which makes them worth more practice time per minute than single-skill tasks.
| Task | Skills scored |
|---|---|
| Read Aloud | Speaking, Reading |
| Repeat Sentence | Listening, Speaking |
| Describe Image | Speaking |
| Retell Lecture | Listening, Speaking |
| Answer Short Question | Listening, Speaking |
| Summarize Group Discussion | Listening, Speaking |
| Respond to a Situation | Speaking |
| Summarize Written Text | Reading, Writing |
| Write Essay | Writing |
| Reading Fill in the Blanks (dropdown) | Reading, Writing |
| Reading Fill in the Blanks (drag and drop) | Reading |
| Summarize Spoken Text | Listening, Writing |
| Listening Fill in the Blanks | Listening, Writing |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | Listening, Reading |
| Write from Dictation | Listening, Writing |
Write from Dictation, Repeat Sentence and Listening Fill in the Blanks each feed two skills and are all mechanical rather than judgement-based, which is why they are the most efficient tasks to drill.
| Part | Name | Time | Question types |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Speaking and Writing | 76-84 min | 9 |
| 2 | Reading | 23-30 min | 5 |
| 3 | Listening | 31-39 min | 8 |
| Total | About 2 hours | 22 | |
All PTE tests are taken at a test centre. PTE Academic Online is no longer offered, and the current products are PTE Academic, PTE Core, PTE Academic UKVI and PTE Home.
| Task | Rule |
|---|---|
| Reading Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers | Marks deducted for incorrect selections |
| Listening Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers | Marks deducted for incorrect selections |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | Plus one for a correct click, minus one for an incorrect click |
| Everything else | No deduction — answer every item |
Pearson does not publish a PTE-to-IELTS conversion table, and any figure claiming one is an estimate. Duolingo does publish an official DET-to-IELTS-and-TOEFL table, which is reproduced here because it is the only officially published cross-test mapping among these three.
| CEFR | DET | IELTS | TOEFL iBT |
|---|---|---|---|
| C2 | 160 | 8.5-9 | 120 |
| C2 | 155 | 8 | 119 |
| C1 | 150 | 8 | 117-118 |
| C1 | 145 | 7.5 | 113-116 |
| C1 | 135 | 7 | 104-108 |
| B2 | 125 | 6.5 | 93-97 |
| B2 | 115 | 6 | 82-86 |
| B2 | 100 | 5.5 | 65-69 |
| B1 | 90 | 5 | 53-58 |
| B1 | 75 | 4.5 | 35-40 |
| B1 | 60 | 4 | 18-23 |
Use this to compare a DET score with an IELTS requirement. It does not convert to PTE, and no official table does.
| Not published by Pearson | Practical response |
|---|---|
| A raw-score to scaled-score conversion table | Use the official scored practice tests for an estimate rather than a chart |
| A PTE-to-IELTS conversion table | Check the requirement in PTE terms; institutions publish their own PTE minimum |
| Per-item preparation times for Reading and Listening | Practise the whole section under its published section time |
| A country-by-country fee table | The Pearson test centre search shows local pricing |
| Profile | Push | Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Writing behind the rest | Writing | Write Essay, Summarize Written Text, Summarize Spoken Text, both Fill in the Blanks tasks that score Writing |
| Listening behind | Listening | Write from Dictation, Repeat Sentence, Listening Fill in the Blanks |
| Reading behind | Reading | Reading Fill in the Blanks, Reorder Paragraph, Read Aloud, Highlight Incorrect Words |
| Speaking behind | Speaking | Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence, Describe Image, Retell Lecture |
| All four close together | Write from Dictation and Repeat Sentence | Each feeds two skills and both are pure practice effects |
No. Pearson states explicitly that the overall score is not an average calculation of the communicative skills scores, which means any calculator that averages your four skill scores is guessing.
They were replaced in November 2021 by a Skills Profile of eight groups: Open Response Speaking and Writing, Reproducing Spoken and Written Language, Extended Writing, Short Writing, Extended Speaking, Short Speaking, Multiple-skills Comprehension and Single-skill Comprehension. Score reports no longer list grammar, oral fluency, pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary and written discourse as separate items.
No. Pearson does not publish one, so every conversion chart online is an estimate. Institutions publish their own PTE minimum alongside their IELTS minimum, and that requirement is the number to work from.
Within five working days, and typically within 48 hours. Scores are valid for two years from the test date.
The ones that score two skills and are mechanical rather than judgement-based: Write from Dictation, Repeat Sentence and Listening Fill in the Blanks. Each raises two skill scores and each responds directly to volume of practice.
No. All PTE tests must be taken at a test centre. PTE Academic Online is no longer offered, and the current products are PTE Academic, PTE Core, PTE Academic UKVI and PTE Home.
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