Score improvement

Score Guide

The PTE is scored by algorithm, which means the weights are knowable. Use this page to decide where your practice hours will return the most points.

Pearson data

Score distribution by question type

Each question type feeds points into one or more communicative skills. The standout cells: Describe Image for Speaking, Write From Dictation and Essay for Writing, drop-down blanks for Reading, and Summarize Group Discussion for Listening.

Module	Question type	Speaking	Writing	Reading	Listening
Speaking	Read Aloud	7.5
	Repeat Sentences	12.5			13.36
	Describe Image	25.4
	Retell Lecture	10			10.64
	Answer Short Question				3.36
	Summarize Group Discussion	15.04			16
	Respond to a Situation	10
Writing	Summarize Written Text		22.16	18
Writing	Written Essay		24.64
Reading	Drop-Down Fill in the Blanks			22
	MCQ, Multiple Answers			4
	Reorder Paragraph			7.04
	Drag & Drop Fill in the Blanks			15.04
	MCQ, Single Answer			2
Listening	Summarize Spoken Text		14.8		8
	MCQ, Multiple Answers				2.64
	Fill in the Blanks				6
	Highlight Correct Summary				1.36
	MCQ, Single Answer			2	1.36
	Select Missing Words				0.64
	Highlight Incorrect Words			10	6.64
	Write From Dictation		18.48		10

✅ Read the table sideways

Notice how much of Writing comes from the Listening part (Write From Dictation + Summarize Spoken Text = 33+ points), and how much of Listening comes from Speaking tasks (Repeat Sentences, Retell Lecture, Summarize Group Discussion). Cross-scored tasks are the fastest way to lift two skills at once.

Skill profile

The six enabling skills

Alongside your communicative scores, the report shows enabling skills — summaries of performance on specific aspects of language across item types. They tell you exactly what to fix.

Enabling skill	What it measures
Oral fluency	Smooth, effortless, natural-paced delivery of speech.
Pronunciation	Producing speech sounds easily understood by regular speakers of the language.
Written discourse	Structure, internal coherence, and logical development of written text (reported via development/structure/coherence and general linguistic range).
Vocabulary	Precise word choice in written and spoken English, plus lexical range.
Grammar	Correct word form and word order at sentence level.
Spelling	Spelling by the rules of the language — all national variants (e.g. colour/color) count as correct, but stay consistent.

Conversions

PTE ↔ IELTS concordance

Estimated equivalence between PTE Academic scores and IELTS bands:

IELTS band	PTE Academic score
9.0	86–90
8.5	83–85
8.0	79–82
7.5	73–78
7.0	65–72
6.5	58–64
6.0	50–57
5.5	42–49
5.0	36–41
4.5	29–35
No data	10–28

A "perfect 90" sits at the very top of the IELTS 9.0 equivalence — but for most visa and university requirements, 65 (IELTS 7.0) or 79 (IELTS 8.0) are the milestones that matter. Set your target, then work the priority tasks.