PTE Describe Image | FREE PTE Tutorials

PTE is a test of your English speaking abilities in an academic setting. So it tests the kind of English you will need for studying or working in an English speaking country.

One of the key academic situations is the ability to understand information in visual form and to convey it to others. For e.g. if you go to Australia for higher studies you will come across charts, graphs, tables, etc. in your academic texts. You will have to understand those and convey your understanding.

This is essentially what PTE Describe Image tests! You will get 5-6 questions of this type in the exam. For each question you will have 25 seconds to understand the image, and then get another 40 seconds to record your response which is basically the information in the image.

Let’s see how the scoring for this question type is done:

Like all speaking questions your fluency and pronunciation is very important here. Please also note that it is important to get the content right. The content is of the type you will usually see in academic situations – news reports, seminars, presentations etc. If you spend 10 minutes on a newspaper website like cnn.com you are likely to see a number of such graphics.

At various places on Internet or YouTube you will find statements like – “Say anything in describe image just speak fast” or “It is a test of speaking not your understanding”. These statements are false and very misleading. Please ignore these.

PTE software is advanced and smart enough to differentiate between a random response and a correct response. It will only give you any points if your answer is correct.

What makes a great response in PTE Describe Image questions?

Let’s try to understand that:

Content of your response

If you are able to understand the key points in the image and convey them properly in your spoken response, you will get a good score. Key points are sometimes very obvious – as in a graph – you can quickly see and identify. However, most images also have an implied meaning or a conclusion that can be drawn from them. If you can draw that conclusion in your response, you will get even better marks.

(Note: Our expert tutors have put together a full series of PTE Tutorials and PTE Tips and Tricks articles. Make sure to read all! Also, check out the PTE Mock Test packages for mock tests with score cards, section tests, mini tests – all with authentic questions and real PTE like software!)

Fluency of your spoken response

You have only 40 seconds to record your answer. It is important that you come across as someone who is confident in English speaking skill. That means there shouldn’t be any hesitations in your response. Quickly decide what to say and then say it with confidence without stopping.

Your pronunciation

The PTE Academic test software is smart enough to understand the most common accents – and it will not penalize you for not speaking like a native British or American. However, if your pronunciation is very different from the normal then you will lose marks. Think of it in a natural situation – if you speak or try to explain something in an English language environment – are the people around you able to understand you in one shot? If yes, that means your pronunciation is more or less alright.

Remember to check out the PTE Describe Image Tips and Tricks article for more suggestions and tips on how to score better in describe image questions.