1
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
I.
Contents
II.
GENERAL........................................................................................................................... 2
III.
SPEAKING & WRITING .................................................................................................12
1)
General ..........................................................................................................................12
2)
Read aloud .....................................................................................................................13
3)
Repeat sentence ............................................................................................................14
4)
Describe image ..............................................................................................................16
5)
Re-tell lecture .................................................................................................................24
6)
Answer short question ....................................................................................................26
IV.
WRITING........................................................................................................................27
7)
Summarize written text ...................................................................................................27
8)
Write essay ....................................................................................................................31
V.
READING ..........................................................................................................................33 1)
General ..........................................................................................................................34
2)
Multiple choice, choose single answer ............................................................................36
3)
Multiple choice, choose multiple answers .......................................................................37
4)
Re-order paragraphs ......................................................................................................37
5)
Reading: Fill in the blanks ..............................................................................................39
6)
Reading & writing: Fill in the blanks ................................................................................40
VI.
LISTENING ....................................................................................................................40
1)
General ..........................................................................................................................40
2)
Summarize spoken text ..................................................................................................40
3)
Multiple choice, choose multiple answers .......................................................................41
4)
Fill in the blanks..............................................................................................................41
5)
Highlight correct summary ..............................................................................................41
6)
Multiple choice, choose single answer ............................................................................41
7)
Select missing word........................................................................................................41
8)
Highlight incorrect words ................................................................................................42
9)
Write from dictation ........................................................................................................42
VII.
REFERENCE LINK: .......................................................................................................42
1)
Tips: ...............................................................................................................................42
2)
Practice: .........................................................................................................................42
3)
News: .............................................................................................................................43
4)
Dictation & Reader: ........................................................................................................43
5)
Resources download –all: ..............................................................................................43
2
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
II.
GENERAL
3
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
Idea time for Reading:
4
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
1. The first tip is about concentration. I gave PTE and I realized this while giving Practice test exams. Concentration and alertness is very important for exam. Let me give you an example, in Describe Image item type you will be given 25 sec to study the image and 40 sec to answer. Now the question/instruction. will be like like this : Look at the picture/image/graph picture/image/graph and within 25 sec sec describe blah blah blah.
Don’t waste your time reading the instruction. Timer of 25 sec vl start as soon as first image appears so don’t waste time reading instructions. You should know that it is describe image question and what you have to do. As son as describe image question comes, start observing the image/graph/table and utilize 25 sec fully. And same goes for other item types. 25 sec stil is good time. time. In case of listening item type say multiple choice multiple answer, a person will speak on sm topic and you hv to answer a question . for eg. What are the reasons for draught in Australia ? Now the recoring will start playing in 7 secs , so that means you have only 7 sec to read the question. Because after 7 sec, person wil start speaking so if you haven’t read the question how would u know what to hear for .. 2. The next is about headphones. I prepared for the exam using my in-ear canal ear fones that completely cut the outside noice and I raised my laptop volume to 80% which enabled me tolisten for listening talks quite nicely and I thought that I would get the same environment. Though their headphones are good bt don’t ex pect the sound to be as loud as u practices , atleast in my case I should hv taken dis into account. During speaking tasks I could hear other speaking which distracted me but then you have to bring in the first tip into play ie concentration. Concentrate on ur own taks and don’t listen to wat others are saying. Don’t worry about others voice messing up ur score bcz dere microfone is real good nd enabled for outside noice cancellation and wil listen for ur voice only. Try giving the exam on weekday as their might be less people in the room. In my case there were total 5 systems in the room and all were occupied i.e. we all were 5 includingme..i gave on weekday but stil it was full. I drank strong coffee 20 minutes b4 the exam for concentratin and alertness levels. So you might wana do that. 3. Next is regarding erasable notepad. The erasable notepad has 10 pages nd is long like a long resiter. You wil get a market. Notepad Notepad has plenty of pages so u wont wont run out. In rare case if you do then you can ask for more. You cant erase d notepad with ur hands. If it finishes then you rasie ur hand nd d examiner vl get new one. Exam wont be paused or wat for ds time . also here also I would like to mention is that when I was preparing for the exam I used to take notes on notepad on laptop. My typing speed is fast and I could easily take take the notes. But on
real exam I had a terrible time taking notes as I couldn’t even figure out wat I wrote. So for real simulation while u practice take notes notes using pen nd paper. And regarind note taking u hv to
take notes of only main points. Don’t try to take notes word by word 4. Now would give a general overview of different item types that might trouble you. so there are total of 20 diff item types and out of which 3 hav negative marking. Many people including me found describe images and retell lecture tough. So will give few tips on dem.
5
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
Frankly speaking I messed them but stil got 90 in speaking which makes me think that their AI is bit leneitn and as long as u r contiously speaking you are good to go. Yeah also for all speaking types where you hae to speak , if you keep quite for more than 3 sec microfone vl stop recording and your answer will be marked as completed. Don’t that 3 sec giv u jitters as when u actually giv tests(or p ractice test) it is quite a long time ..not like 1, 2, 3 nd over…also if you stil
need time to gather ur thoughts then u can fill the gaps using ums, ahh…now you might be wondering that will ums, ahs etc vl decrease your points. The answer is NO as long as you are not doing them very frequently. So that means during speaking item types you can use ums, ahss etc etc but if you are using very very frequently then it vl casue ur scores to reduce. I did used them during repeat sentence, describe images and retell lectures. HOW DID I PREPARE ? This is the sequence I used in order 1. Read the official book. Bought from amazon for 438 along with 2 practice cd (cds are there on shared drive, in case smbdy has the book but not the cds). Keep in mind the book is 2012, there is no new edition so like I said earlier that don’t expect the order to be same as given in the book, however 80% it was same. Also the book is mostly about the format of each item type so you have to be prepared for the format. What each item type requires so you do not waste time reading the prompt. While reading the book I did all the exercise that came along. I copied the audio cd in my phone, listened to simple responses, and compared with my recorded responses (on phone). 2. After reading the book, I knew I had trouble with describe images and re-tel lecture. So I started watching youtube videos on describe images. Watched more than 20 diferent describe images etc . After this I searched for graphs images on google images and then used to set the timer as per exam timing I used to describe the graph and listened back my response. I wanted to make sure that my describe images were perfect b4 I gave online paid practice test A and practice Test B. if you have bought both test, then I suggest you give practice test b4 10 days from ur exam so that if you fail u need to work on some item type you have couple of days b4 u give practice test B. again this depends upon person to person. I gave practice test A 6 days b4 exam and practice test B, one day b4 the exam. I did not had time to do test boosters provided along with the practice exams but they are useful. You need not do them all just do for item types you find difficult. 3.
After this I read the one thread on expat forum on the exam. It is 177 pages long and I
have summarized important points in a word document (it is on shared drivce). So you don’t have to read that thread. 4. After this I did longsman pdfs. I did al the 20’s as I required 79 + and I didn’t wanted to leave any stone unturned. Now I know that that I could have easily avoided reading longsman pdfs. But they are good and 5-6 pages long. Wont hurt reading them 5. After this I did practice test A and got overall 64. I was scared of my performance on speaking as I got 57. I knew that practice test are tougher and 64 meant I can get 79. But I speaking I was 57. 57 , again because of describe images and retell lecture. So I started
preparing again. This time I did 3 practice test that came with CD’s . they wont assign you marks but they have sampel asnwers which give u ideas how to respond on item types. For 3
practice test I only did speaking, reading and listening. Writing is easy so I didn’t waste time on
6
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
that. After this I gave second practice test B and got 67 overall. Again my speaking was 59 and I was scared that even if I get 79 + in others I would get less than 79 in speaking. 6. Day of final exam. Exam was at 10:30 am in the morning in south Bombay, marine lines at endwise centre. I reached at the venue at 8:30. So I had 2 hours. The centre was closed. It opened at 9 am and they were good enough to allow me to come inside and sit inside ac. I sat there and slept for 30 minutes. Felt good. Then I woke up, whent down, and had a strong strong coffee. I had a samosa pav when I reached i.e 8:30. I knew that I needed concentration and
alertness so I made sure I didn’t east heavy. Finally the exam started . after the exam they gave me printout of the confirmation of the exam. Now wat to brign at the exam. Passport of course in original and also printout of test schedule . I didn’t got printout of test schedule but I had taken screenshot it in my phone and I showed that and it worked. Tips: . 1-2 hours of listening various interviews, podcasts, lecture in YouTube, bbc. 2. Practiced minimum 5 graphs per day 3. Used google dictator software to check your pronunciation. 4. Speak myself and with my family members in English whenever possible. 5. Record your own voice in different rate of speech and assess whether google dictator can recognize your words Taker 2:
I have got 90 overall score and 8 band each in PTE. Though I do not have any experience of giving IELTS but from other people's views I can say that PTE still gives you higher chances of scoring. (Not based on the rumours that they purposely lower your score in either writing or speaking so that you keep on giving money.) Following is the strategy that I can suggest. 1. Familiarity with computer based test. As it is computer based, time bound exam, having a better typing speed will help. I am a software developer and can touch type, this was one of the reason I could finish exam in two hours. So in case you have slow typing speed try to improve it a bit.
2. Get to know each question type in all sections. You can get information on what to expect in each question type under each section on youtube or on ptepractice.com (Paid). You can also learn what are the best way to solve each question type. This is a must for good score. E.g. reorder paragraph can be solved better using instructions given in youtube video and they are (I heard) worth 20 points each. 3. Try to give a sample exam on web
7
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
ptepractice.com sample paper will cost you 35$ ( ~2300INR ) and it will be exact replica of original test. You will get scores for it and will know what sections to improve (Eg. I had low score in written discourse and so read more on how to structure a good essay). Much better than giving exam twice. 4. Make notes on each type of questions (Very important) I had made a list of all question types and marked them easy/medium/hard during my preparation. I had marked re tell lecture/repeat sentence hard, but slowly learned which questions should be made quick notes for (Re tell lecture) and which one should only be solved based on memory (repeat sentences). In the end I had reached all question types marked as Easy. Believe me 3 second rule and even otherwise repeat sentence looks tough but after practice it is one of the easy ones. 5 Make note of flow of exam. This one is included in fourth point as well. Along with notes on each question, make notes section wise, try to learn which question follows which one. Describe image is followed by Retell lecture and is quite a change as Re tell lecture sometime come with a image causing confusion. This will keep you well prepared, though I am not sure if this same flow is always followed. Day to Day instances can be used for practice.
1.
Talk to customer care
2.
Listen to BBC news and try to summarize & re-tell the news,
3.
Repeat the headlines of the news,
4.
Read editorial columns from Hindu news paper and write a short summary about it.
5.
Summarize the Gold; silver; petrol; $USD; daily trend graphs from top of news paper.
TAKER 3:
I'm happy to share my PTE result; LRWS-87/83/89/90. I can't believe my eyes when I saw the result. I appeared yesterday (3rd Jan - Punjab-India) and result was released by 11:00 AM today. My previous tries with IELTS; Monash Uni, Melbourne- Academic (2012)- L/R/S/W - 8.5/8/7.5/7 IDP INDIA (April'2014) - General (2014) - L/R/S/W - 9/7.5/7/7 (result released after 3 weeks) IDP INDIA (Sep'2014) - Academic (2014) - L/R/S/W - 8.5/9/7/6.5 (result delayed by 1 month) I gave the mock test A also and the result of the same was way below my actual result;66/68/72/68. I just practiced using PTE Academic Test Builder(Macmillan) for around 10 days. I will say about IELTS is their methodology is old as they judge your writing on the basis of just two essays, which in my opinion is not justifiable. And speaking is very much subjective.
8
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
I was in need of 20 points and I got the same from PTE Academic. I got one essay it was about global climate change. My reading score is bit low may be it is because the time was not much and I rushed through it. There was another two candidates and I will say it was distracting and I was not able to concentrate during speaking and writing but tried to gave my best shot. Thanks to the friends over here, who shared their experiences and I was able to learn a lot from it. I will advice don't be afraid have confidence and you can crack PTE Academic easily...Practice is the Key. TAKER 4:
BBC radio 4 is best for repeat sentence practice and retell lecture. You can pause while they are speaking and try to repeat or retell you can download bbc radio application if u have an android or just watch yotube videos. For graph you can type ielts graph images on google and try to speak every graph while keeping a eye on the clock as you can speak for 40 seconds only. ALso keep in mind even if u r not able to answer some of the questions in speaking don't lose ur fluency like try not to say uuummm, hhh, aaaa and also pronunciation too. As soon as I entered, Test administrator asked me to provide my Passport, this is the only acceptable ID proof so please make sure you carry it. They have taken the signature and both left and right palm prints. Nothing is allowed inside including the wrist watch , except the Passport and locker key. As a part the security check, I was asked to show my pockets, palms and sleeves. There were around 8 other guys waiting to take the test.I kept on practicing the self-intro which is the first task. Though it is not scored section, I thought if would be good start to keep my confidence levels high for the subsequent modules. Just like any other exam, Test adminutes briefed us about the Do's and Don'ts and escorted us into a small room where I was given an erasable book and a pen, make sure the pen is working fine. I had some issues with that, I had to scribble it a lot before it starts to write. I was alloted my seat. The test taking area resembling an Internet Cafe, it was clean and comfy enough. Please remember that the complete exam is A/V monitored. Fellow test takers would be setting next to each other. However, this should not be a concern as everyone would be focusing on their own test. Center Adminutes will logon with their IDs and everyone will start their tests at the almost sametime. The microphones were of good quality and capable of recording the voice effectively. Some generic advice but important. Work on your flaws which are needed for this exam. No need to work on everything. Play clever. TAKER 5:
+ Get your passport ready a night before the exam. + Be relaxed and never get stressed. + Try to reach 40min earlier at the exam place, before your exam starts.
9
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
+ Never recall the words or notes, try to get relax all the time. + Always get your microphones checked by invigilator.
+ Don’t introduce yourself in full details: Just mention, My name is -------- and I’m taking the PTE Academic Test. + When you get on the record and playback option, always double check your microphones, whether recording properly or not.
+ Fix the position of microphone in a correct position near to your position, don’t play with any other button on the equipment e.g trying to increase microphone volume, always get it done by invigilator. + Click on Next Section to begin the exam. TAKER 6:
Mc millan is a treasure for PTE. I remember, I downloaded it from torrents. Hope would be still available. It has four practice tests, though not timed, would match or I would prefer to say that it will prepare us for the worst... For improving your listening skill, BBC Radio 4 has many podcasts, which might be very helpful. Anyone with an android app can easily get it free from the play store... TAKER 7:
My scores: L/R/S/W: 85/88/90/88 (1st attempt) Before you start preparation: book the test in advance ( lead time 1 to 1.5 months ) provided you know the test format, and are comfortable to make yourself prepared in 1-1.5 months time. Rescheduling is a waste of money & you need to pay almost same money again. ( cost: 11300 INR) For PTE: my suggestions would be: 1) Finish official guide 2) watch youtube videos (navjot brar tips are awesome - my sincere advise dont see any other tips, this is more than sufficient for you to do all the tricks ) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdW...oMl57MDY2w2yqw 3) Finish PTE Academic Practice Test plus 4) Finish Macmillan PTE preparation kit 5) Write Paid PTE-Mock A exam 6) Do more practice depending on your areas of improvement 7) Write Paid PTE-Mock B exam 8) Go for real exam
10
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
Speaking: Speak naturally & fluently in your own native accent, don't panic or worry. PTE software is intelligent enough to understand if you are genuine or faking. Take tips from youtube on "navjot brar" channel, the tips & emergency strategies really helped me as i was struggling to the core in speaking section. Writing: You need to do some practice yourself, grap some hifi vocabs used frequently or can be used frequently such as "inadvertently", "substantiate" etc... you will find the list in internet. Barrons GRE wordlist is useful, but not sure if you will have ample time to master it, i had done it 8yrs ago, hence refreshed my memory. Also frame some opening /closing sentences for essay writing. Reading: if you are a voracious reader, then its easy for you. PTE tests collocations, i gave my best & it worked Also you can practice GMAT RC passages. Beaware - time is a real constraint, and you need to move really faster. i remember i finished my reading section just 10 seconds before. Listening: Listen to BBC Radio 4,4e,5 daily ( free Android app ), it will improve your listening skills. Note: minor mistakes in PTE really does not affect the score, unless you make major mistakes, like cannot finish reading section within alloted time, dont say anything much for a retell lecture. TAKER 8:
The exam will try to stress you out, and that's the point. If you make a mistake in one section just forget about everything that happened before and try do it your best. Making mistakes is normal and people got all 90 with making loads of mistakes. PTE is not IELTS and you are allowed to make mistakes and still get very good marks. Except Reading may be, people have made loads of mistakes and still got 90 in other 3 sections. I made loads of mistakes and wasn't sure if I will get 70+, but got 89 in Speaking. So, try not to stress on previous mistakes and thereby losing your oral fluency, pronunciation and concentration for the rest of the exam. Try speak with an open mouth instead of closed mouth as computer needs to understand what you saying. Accent doesn't matter, Pronunciation and Oral Fluency does PTE Magic
1. SPEAKING: Speaking của PTE được chấm dựa trên FLUENCY, PRONUNCIATION và CONTENT, nhưng trong đó Fluency là quan trọng nhất và dễ lấy điểm tối đa 90/90 nhất. Và có 3 phần ảnh hưởng nhiều nhất đến Fluency là Read Aloud, D escribe Image và Retell Lecture. Vì vậy mỗi ngày bạn nên dành ít nhất 10 -15min tập Speaking và tập trung vào cải thiện Fluency, cố gắng tạo thói quen nói Fluency là điểm speaking sẽ cao. Để giữ được Fluency thì Describe image&Retell Lecture bạn nên chuẩn bị sẵn 1 Template có thể dùng cho tất cả các dạng và luyện nói dựa trên Template đó. 2. WRITING: Writing của PTE dễ hơn IELTS rất nhiều vì là máy chấm, nên bạn không cần phải quá lo lắng về phần này, nhiều bạn viết IELTS chỉ được 5. nhưng thi PTE lần đầu đã được 70( ~7.5 IELTS). Quan trọng nhất của Writing, là bạn nên tập cho mình thói quen tự CHECK và SỬA grammar và spelling, chỉ cần 2 phần này PERFECT cộng với viết kịp thời gian mà đủ chữ thì điểm của bạn đã đủ
11
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
trên 65-70. Giống như Speaking, bạn nên chuẩn bị sẵn 1 Template cho ESSAY có thể dùng cho tất cả các dạng bài, và viết dựa trên Template đó. 3. READING & LISTENING: Cũng như IELTS, 2 phần này bạn chỉ cần luyện tập mỗi ngày một chút, làm đề để tăng tốc độ làm bài là sẽ cải thiện được điểm số của mình. Tập thói quen mỗi lần làm xong, nên kiểm tra kĩ lại và phân tích kĩ xem mình sai ở đâu và sửa thì mới cải thiện được. +) READING không nên tập trung quá nhiều vào đọc hiểu, mà nên tập trung vào Grammar và cách sử dụng của từ như Collocation& Phrasal Verb. +) LISTENING nên tập trung vào nâng cao khả năng nghe tập trung và trí nhớ, vì những câu này chiếm rất nhiều điểm, luyện nghe DICTATION mỗi ngày 10 -20 câu, có thể luyện trên: breakingnewsenglish.com !!!!IMPORTANT!!!!: Sau khi ôn luyện, trước khi thi khoang 2 tuần bạn nên làm thử Mock Score của Pearson( ptepractice.com) để biết mình bị yếu ở phần nào, và tập trung vào phần đó trong 2 tuần cuối để đi thi đạt kết quả cao nhất! II. TÀI LIỆU LUYÊN TẬP và REAL TEST 1. Tài liệu luyện tập: Hiện nay có khá nhiều tài liệu luyện tập cho PTE, nhưng bạn chỉ nên tập trung vào 3 tài liệu sau là đủ để đạt Target, vì trong quá trình ôn luyện từ 55 lên 86 Overall, mình cũng chỉ tập trung vào 3 sách này: +) PTE Practice Test Plus: Đây là quyển cơ bản nhất cho ai mới làm quan với PTE, bạn nên làm quen với quyển này trước để quen với Format đề, mà Writing thì nên practice tren REAL TEST. ++) PTE Test Builder: Quyển này hơi khó hơn Plus 1 chút, nhất là READING, bạn không nên làm Re-order Paragraph trong quyển này, vì đề được thiết kế không giống với REAL TEST lắm. +++) OFFICIAL GUIDE SOFTWARE: đây là tài liệu quan trọng nhất bạn nên làm đi làm lại vài lần trước khi đi thi để quen với Format lúc thi thật, và quan trọng hơn là đề sát với thi thật nhất.
LINK DOWNLOAD SÁCH: https://drive.google.com/…/fo…/0B2kr80UTIWD8aFUtZFBpQWtYZEE… 2. REAL EXAM QUESTION Đây là điều đặc biệt nhất của PTE, ngân hàng đề khá hạn chế, nên đề thi thường được lặp đi lặp lại, khác với IELTS, TỦ của PTE có xác xuất ra rất cao và thường xuyên 80 -90%.
Trong quá trìn h ôn luyện cũng như dạy mình luôn UPDATE thường xuyên bộ TỦ này, hom nay xin chia sẻ toàn bộ với các bạn: 2.1. SPEAKING&WRITING: Tủ speaking cho cả 5 phần thi từ READ ALOUD đến ANSWER SHORT QUESTION và Writing với xác xuất gặp 80-90% kèm với Answer.
L DOWNLOAD: - Tủ Speaking: https://drive.google.com/…/fo…/0B2kr80UTIWD8NkdBa3BQSk05aUk… - Tủ Writing: https://drive.google.com/…/fo…/0B2kr80UTIWD8Mzl5WVdha0Noa3M…
12
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
III.
SPEAKING & WRITING 1) General
Speak naturally & fluently in your own native accent, don't panic or worry. PTE software is intelligent enough to understand if you are genuine accent or faking a foreign accent. Take tips from youtube on "navjot brar" channel, the tips & emergency strategies really helped me as i was struggling to the core in speaking section. See this channel: on Navjot Brar: [url]https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWnyAPowoMl57MDY2w2yqw[/url] Tips on speaking is really awesome. Also don't speak way too fast. you will surely messup, PTE software will not understand if you speak fast. Do this (must): Use google speech to text software to see how much google software is able to recognise your voice. If you can get 80% words recognized, then its fine. Also positioning of mic - VERY IMPORTANT, make sure that it is above your mouth, linline with your nose. It might interfere with your visual area while reading, but its okay, manage it and keep it inline with your nose. This strategy helped me big time. TAKER 2:
The much awaited test began and I was trying to make myself comfortable. I completed the self intro.Reading passages, repeat sentences & answer short qu estions were not too tough but tried to keep my focus to understand the different accents.Couple of graphs were manageable, while 1-2 were slightly complex, retell lectures also needs some practice, I think I didn't do well in those sections, pbly it screwed up my speaking score.In graphs, I tried to highlight the key trends, highest and lowest points/values. Please keep in mind that microphone closes and screen advances automatically to next question if a 3 secs pause is detected hence whenever I fell short of words, I tried to fill the gaps with umm...hmm..but ensured there are not many. TAKER 2:
1. You are being scored by a computer so think like a computer giving test 2. Computer has limited ability. It will catch you on spelling error..Less time spoken etc etc 3. Speak slowly in speaking.
4. Don’t think too much about content …But be clear when you speak and speak for the time frame given to you.
5. Do not take a break when speaking…As recorder stops recording if you don’t speak for more than 3 seconds. And your game over.
6. While writing…NO spelling mistakes. 7. Retell lecture – Try to write fast when they speak. Also note important words and try to understand context. It will be easier that way.
13
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
8. in writing the most important is the grammar..you may write the perfect content with high vocabs but if there are grammar mistakes then you wil loose the marks drastically Also before booking center...Visit it once before booking. Check if its congested or not. Faced this issue in my first attempt. I scored 90 in others and 60 in speaking all coz the recorder recorded noises of all people around me. Dumb computer didn’t recognize my answers TAKER 3:
Generally, for speaking, speak under timed condition and never forget to record it yourself and try to replay it for yourself and try to benchmark yourself. Many people say that they weren't able to score good in speaking. The main cause for this could be, they should be either rushing, swallowing words or be very slow to respond with too many pauses lacking the natural flow. I figured it out with the small test from my personal computer. I tried to use the voice recognition tool of Google to recognize the voice of some native English speaker, the tool was able to recognize only very few words. Same was the case when one of my friend used a tool from Microsoft. If the tools from these two major gaints were not able to accurately recognize a spoken sentence, I'm sure the voice recognition tool of PTE would also have just the same or even lower capability. As a result, the speaking score heavily relies on fluency and the pace and very minimally on the content. So continuously speaking something relevant to the topic at a constant pace should yield you Good score... Hope I'm clear here.. TAKER 4:
Try put the microphone above your nose level, I know it sounds weird but it will help you prevent breathing noise interfere which results in lower Speaking marks. I have done it, lots of people have done it and they all got 90s and similar. Record of what you said in each section and try compare that with the model answer and try improve on that. Make sure your Pronunciation is exactly like the one you saw on youtube videos and model answers. In the Listening section, after Summarise Spoken Text (which has its own timing), try do the 1st few sections quickly else you will have to rush on the last few easy sections like Select Missing Word, Highlight Incorrect Words and Write From Dictation an d you will lose marks on your strength.
2) Read aloud TAKER 1:
Be fluent, pronounce words correctly, and give slight pause between sentences.......you get 30seconds to read test before speaking time starts. Use the given 30-40 seconds to read through the text and identify the difficult words were you might struggle. Pay attention to flow of the sentences such as full stop, commas. Try to read the sentence like a news reader with some intonation and purpose. Quite straight forward. We get around 7-8 questions in this section. TAKER 2:
You speaking too fast, slow down and speak at a nice rhythm with proper intonation and pronunciation. Have a look at the links I gave you, see model answers and you will be fine.
14
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
By speaking too fast, you are stuttering. Let your mind and mouth be in sync. By speaking too fast, your mouth is outpacing your mind as it needs time to see the next word. TAKER 3:
+ No. of items are 6 or 7 + Try to give stress on key words and high frequency Vocabulary words. + be smooth and clear + Never hesitate as it will negatively influence your oral fluency + Read aloud score goes in reading as well. + Never try to correct your mistakes by going backwards as you will make more mistakes. + You would be provided 35 seconds in the beginning to read the passage, avail that time to get yourself familiar with anonymous words. + There would be a beep when the recording starts. Keep an eye on recording always.
3) Repeat sentence TAKER 1:
There is one more item type that I missed that people face problem in speaking section viz Repeat sentence. Here you will hear a sentence and you have to repeat it exactly as you hear it. You need not show accent like the speaker but u can use stress and intonation as necessary. The key to repeat sentence is don’t try to remember it (memory do play a role) but try to understand the sentence, meaning of sentence for E.g the library is located northwest of the chemistry lab. If you focus on meaning then our brain has more chance of repeating it. Also in this item type you have to hold the sentence in your brain cache for few sec. what happens is that you will hear a recording and then microphone will open after some time so once it opens you have to start speaking.
In addition, there are some item types in speaking which DON’T HAVE TONE. In addition, they are Repeat Sentence Item types. So in this item type you have to speak as soon as recording appear (of course u can leverage 3 sec period, which believe me is not that panicking as it seems). TAKER 2:
Initially, when I was preparing for PTE-A exams this section seemed overwhelming. However, in the actual exams expect something like 8-10 words. Not very difficult. Just concentrate on the sentence and try to repeat as many words in-order as possible without any major pauses. We get around 8-10 questions in this section. TAKER 3:
15
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
Take notes on first letter of every word. You need to be fast. Look at blog there are links for practice. Remember you score more marks if you repeat words in same order. Imagine train (Indian), Engine first, next is General compartment next is Sleeper wagon and luxury wagon ending by guard cabin. There would be a complex sentence having two parts with some connected words. Try to imagine fully into situation then you will be able to repeat in same order. Otherwise goods come first then luxury in-between comes engine and general compartment. Train won't look like train and you will lose the marks in listening and speaking TAKER 4:
+ Try to grasp maximum ideas or words of the speaker. + Write the second half of the sentence quickly, if you are having a short-term memory concern. + Partially credited-doesn’t weigh too much score. + Always try to deliver maximum information. + NEVER TAKE A SILENCE BREAK OF 3 SEC, as the recording will finish recording. Use gap fillers in every section of speaking, except read aloud section, e.g. let me see/think, I see, as far as I know etc. TAKER 5:
S trateg y 1 Having a good short-term memory is a very important skill that helps us in our daily activities. This skill is also important for spoken language learning and communication. When you try to remember the sentence that you heard a few seconds earlier, you are actually calling on your short-term or working memory. That is why it is important to train your working memory. Spoken utterances will vary in length, and the best way to memorize longer sentences is to break them into small groups of words. You should also understand the speaker’s meaning. You should not just repeat the words. To practice this strategy, do the following activities:
• Make some sentences beginning with short ones and gradually increasing to longer, more complex ones. For example, "Staff make notes available. Te aching staff make notes available. Teaching staff make their notes available. Most teaching staff make their notes available. Most teaching staff make their lecture notes available. Most teaching staff make their lecture notes available online." Have someone read them out loud to you. Repeat each one and record yourself.
• Play back your recorded sentences and a ssess your performance by crossing out words that were omitted, inserting words that were added, putting a checkmark next to sentences that were repeated correctly, etc.
S trateg y 2 The basic word order of English is: Subject, Verb, and Object. You should also be aware that English has a fixed word order, and there are a certain number of sentence structures that you
16
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
should remember. This will help you rebuild the sentences correctly without leaving out words or substituting with the wrong words. To practice this strategy, do the following activities:
• Make a list of all the sentence types in English and their structures that you are familiar with. Use academic vocabulary and topics when you write the example sentences.
• Read some sentences out loud, beginning with the main parts: the subject and the verb, and increase the complexity by adding other parts of speech such as objects, adverbs, adjectives, prepositional phrases, etc. For example, "Adults learn. Most a dults learn. Most adults learn best. Most adults learn best when information is presented. Most adults learn best when novel information is presented. Most adults learn best when novel information is presented through a variety of experiences."
• Repeat the activity with other sentence structur es. For example, "There are some structural and behavioral adaptations. It is estimated that 40% of the nation’s energy comes from petroleum. The federal government advised people to evacuate their homes. People were advised by the federal government to evacuate their homes."
S trateg y 3 Accurate pronunciation is an important aspect of this item type, and you should improve your pronunciation so that you are understood and sound natural. There are two areas you should pay attention to: 1) sounds and 2) word and sentence stress. To practice this strategy, do the following activities:
• Identify which sounds you have difficulty pronouncing. This will depend on your first language. For example, for Chinese learners, pronouncing some diphthongs as in how/now or phone/cone
is a problem. Find some pronunciation exercises on ‘minimal pairs’ to listen to and repeat, e.g., John and Joan. (There are lots of games and activities on the Internet).
• Study different sentences and learn to distinguish between content and fu nction words, and learn where the stress on syllables should be.
• Learn to identify the sentence stress, i.e., the last content word which usually provides new information.
• Repeat a selection of utterances without looking at the written sentences paying attention to content words and sentence stress.
4) Describe image TAKER 1:
5. Most of the tips for describe images are in the book so you may refer that. Here I would like to mention is how to start the describe images questions. So you will get a graph and u hv to describe main points in 40 sec. there will be title or heading given for e.g. Rainfall, UK, 2001. Followed by graph
17
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
So you start that this graph shows/depicts/describes average rainfall in mm in UK for year 2001 from Jan to Dec, or during 1999 to 2010 etc. etc. . . .after this you can start summarizing main points, high , lows of graph. If time permits try giving conclusion. TAKER2: This section was daunting for me as there were two much information to comprehend in a short span of time (35-40 sec) before you start speaking. Try to speak about most of the information from the image in an organized manner than sharing (all/most of) the information in an unorganized manner. We get maps, graphs (run-chart; bar graphs; pie-chart; trend graphs etc). We get around 6-8 questions in this section. TAKER 3: I think the foll owing format that I've followed for "Describe images" has helped me.. 1. Overview about the graph/map/process.. I.e, to paraphrase the heading of the image and what it is trying to convey.. 2. Highlight the major/evident point first.. i.e, if there is a line chart for 2 different category wherein 1 has more larger revenue/percentage, then I would state that as "During the year, Category 1 has generated much greater revenue when compared to Category 2".. something like this.. 3. To highlight other key points based on priority.. but there is no time to add all details.. For example in a process diagram... I used 1 long sentence and covered all other key process areas.. The example that I had for process diagram was to generate paper from tree after being through different key cycles.. 4. The last important point that I would say is an conclusion/implication of the diagram.. For example when there is a graph that shows garbage waste collected and recycled for a particular year, then I would say... "As there was always a rise seen throughout the year on the collection of garbage, it is expected to rise in the next year too and hence people would need to t hink ways for reducing the garbage...." something like this.. Although I tried following the above points, I was not too correct to follow all of them in entirety.. I think it is ok to make minimal mistakes which I'm sure I had made all through... I did not expect to score 90 in speaking and I was surprised to see the score myself TAKER 4: For describing an image. You should memorize the start up words like: This graph shows ----This picture shows ---This image reflects ---Keep in mind you just have to tell the key points of the image/picture/graph, NOT everything, because time is short. It will be like 2 steps: Tell about the main purpose/title of the image. Then Key points only. You will be scored on all this. You can even, during Practice prepare and memorize the main Script having fill in the blanks. This main script should be developed like you are a teacher in a classroom and you have t o teach about an image in 3 minutes. The main problem is flow of words while looking at the image. So if are already trained to speak out quickly these words such as, increasing, declining, trend, development, growth,
18
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed margins, profits, loss etc then it will be easy for you to speak in flow while describing everything or most of the things in an image. TAKER 5:
Sometimes you get too much or too less information in explaining the graphs which may include Line Graphs, Bar Graphs, Pie Charts to name a few. So what is the best strategy to tackle this problem. You have to make a right strategy within 25 seconds so that you can easily explain the graph in 40 seconds. Here are some of the tips that works 1) Identify the inputs given in the graph. Check the inputs/ variables given in the X axis and Y axis. For example - You are sometimes given population, sales etc in the Y axis and years range in the X axis. 2) Check what the overall graph is about. It may be related to population density of different countries, sales in different companies etc. So you may start by saying - This line or bar graph illustrates / gives information about.................................. 3) Sometimes there are too many lines in a single graph. Firstly check the highest point then the lowest point, check the similar patterns, trends (increasing or decreasing or fluctuating etc). For instance you can start by saying that the highest population among all the countries was recorded by USA which was around 50 millions in the year 2002 and the country with lowest population was France with a population of approximately....... The two countries namely India and China has witnessed an almost similar trends in their population over the past 10 years. However, the population of India showed a dramatic increase after 2010.................................. 4) You can use some connectors also to improve your speaking. You can use - However, It is interesting to see.............. , Although, Similarly, Overall, on the contrary. 5) Some terminologies that can be used for expressing the trends - Dramatic increase, Significant increase, Exponential increase, decreasing/ increasing trend, fluctuating trend , declined considerably, huge increase, rapid fall, etc. 6) You can also use - population of X was almost 3 times then Y country. The sales of company X was Almost 1/3rd then the sales of company Y. If the information is too less then it is advised to speak slowly and can add some Additional information as well related to the topic. TAKER 6:
Whether you are understanding the graph or not, the only prime thing to keep in mind is that it is a speaking task so you have to speak and show that you can speak, keep on speaking for describing image or graph. When you describe the graph and if you are not getting what to say, you can
19
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
· Firstly describe what the image is depicting with words like the graph shows, illustrates or depicts. · You can say about the numbers which are on the vertical axis and the years which are on the horizontal axis, · following this you can add the units like the graph has degree Celsius as unit or the million dollars or percentage. Please say these things if you feel weak as a speaker, your main focus should be to say at least 3 sentences. 1. You can say about the topic . 2. you can say the unit 3. you can say the horizontal and vertical axis points like years or percentage. TAKER 7:
Many have given best solution here. I have to say again that this is English test. Don't impress the computer with your math ability but you should show-off your English. Make 3-4 sentences around graph with vocabulary involving pattern of graphs/chart etc. Once you reach 60-70% recording. Then start your conclusion. Conclusion is g oalkeeper in football. Without him there won’t be team. He may not be the world’s best, but he should be there. Try to restrict to 35 sec. TAKER 8:
+ What kind of graph it is. i.e. line graph/pie chart/bar graph etc. + What is the title of graph + Time span i.e. from the year ---- to ------. + Highest percentage/proportion + Lowest percentage/proportion + Use specific vocabulary of graph. + Never hesitate + Use gap fillers, if unable to deliver information on time TAKER 9:
Template: Introduction: 10 s
This graph/bar chart/pie/etc shows the from to or or similar depending on the question. 2 Body points: 20s
20
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
Choose any point you like, it doesn't matter if you leave the most important data, just don't stop talking. For example, you can say, 1. the maximum is this. 2. the minimum is this That's just the simplest of example, you can say a variety of that. That's 2 points, you can also say more points if you have time. Conclusion: 10 s
Most people don't say conclusion and hence lose marks. It is one of the most important thing. Official guideline say you should try give a conclusion. You should definitely use either overall or In conclus ion to start the conclusion with so the computer understands you are saying a conclusion. E.g. In conclusion, the trend shows its rising, or In conclusion, A is always higher than B, etc. Most important: Don't correct yourself if you make a mistake - it's quite hard as it's our habit to do so, just say the next word, even if it’s ********, just keep on talking : Yes this tip is from Pearson. Computer doesn't care what you say, but how you say it!!! You write as much as you can of what said and you say as much as the speaker said - even saying the exact same thing back works - though try not to, paraphrasing is better ! Start with, “The speaker said" and End with a conclusion if you can, but it's not mandatory like Describe Image. Try listen everything and get what the speaker is saying but also have a glance at the answers and try eliminate them if you can, if not no harm. It’s the hardest section in listening so don't worry too much if 65+ is your target. Spend more on Select Missing Word and Write from Dictation and such. And yes, you have to select at least 2 or more (depending on the questionminimum select 2) else you get 0 even if you get one right!!! TAKER 10:
The introduction should be easy and smooth as there is nothing to think about it, just read it as it is, but you are still having too many pauses. You also trying to speak too fast and then 2-3 seconds pause, this is not going to help your oral fluency. By trying to speak too fast after pauses you are also losing Pronunciation mark. Content doesn't matter, just don't stop speaking, say whatever it is in your mind even if incorrect and off topic but say it at a smooth pace with proper stress and intonation. Just think of what your cat is doing and talk about it, if you can't think of anything - though try not to, just don't stop talking! Look at the youtube links I gave you regarding Pronunciation and Speaking. Also try to think computer is your friend and you’re speaking to it. With practice, it will come. Be a theatre actor, try speak like you are auditioning for a movie or drama. TAKER 10:
21
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
The notes here shows keywords to crack any graph and words to use for indicating pattern of graph. Important: 1: Pitch 2: Tone 3: Intonation 4: Statistical Trend 5: Fractional Words
Standard Strategy: 1. Identify the type of grapth: a) Line graph
b) Pie Chart
c) Bar graph
d) Hitograam e) Venosgram
2. Word after graph: Shows, Depicts, Illustrate, represents, explicitly states, demonstrates, manifests, elucidates, vividly states 3. Word to use for measurement: Units, Calculated, measured, calibrated The data is ………………….….. in ……………………… units calibrated
in term of
calculated
Stipulated time
measured
period of time the time span of
4. at the first glance, it is : evident / noticeable / clear / vivid / clearly states 7. Dramatic rise Significant rise Marked growth
Steep rise Sudden abrupt sharp rise Transitions However, finally, whereas, in contrast
1. Turbulent year with up and down 2. gradual rise of sales 3. sels rocketing – reaching peak at…
22
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
4. sales leveld off 5. plummeted – dropped dramatically
to increase, go up, rise, goes, ascend
to decrease, fall, drop, descent, decline
Increase in leaps and bounds
a period of fluctuation/variation
reach a peak
reach a plateau, stable , static, constant, stagnant
exponentially /….
slow & steady increase
sales rocketed / sharp increase in sales / sale rise
gradual fall / continuous drop
Peakd / bottomed/ low
leveled off & remain constant
23
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
Fluctuated rose/felt TAKER 11:
The best way to receive high marks in Speaking is to practice (speak) within 40 seconds. In case of graphs, follow the vocabularies that PTE exam expects. For instance in case of graphs, dramatic increase, leveled off, rose modestly. I used to speak four to five sentences within 40s:
1. Speaking about the bar graph. Example: The bar graph is about ……. 2. Speaking about the overall picture: Overall, the graphs shows that the unemployment rates were highest during the whole period of study- between 1970 and 2010. (Don’t f orget to include maximum/minimum items if any) 3. Add description of an item-1. 4. Add description of an item-2 5. Concluding your speaking at last. If there small small differences in pie chart/bar diagram, be very quick in responding the whole things by grouping the items together. For example: Residents of all other regions emitted Carbon dioxide between about 7 and 8 per cent. Never leave to speak about things that hits the major changes (maximum/minimum items). If we have to speak about people of different age, use Standard English from COLLINS WRITING for IELTS book by Anneli Williams. Example: The employment rates for the people between the ages of 16 and 20 was 50% in
2001. (When you use “between”, the sentence should be followed by “and”) For other age group you can say using a different structure. For example: The rates for 18 to 20
age group was ……. Other example: The rates for the people aged 23 to 24 was ….. So, what I am trying to say is that you should use variety of structures to rocket your score.
“COLLINS WRITING for IELTS book by Anneli Williams” is the best book to improve writing and speaking. Since Describing Image in PTE is similar to IELTS Task 1 Academic Writing, please follow the Anneli Williams to see how she compares the graphs using different structures with various varieties. This gives a great impression to PTE examiner that you are a creative /dynamic person and can speak in ample ways. You can refer to how she use her standard english to describe Pictures/Graphs/Process Diagrams. First see the questions in each chapters and the see how she responds at her answers given in the last pages of this book. If you are already acquainted with her style then please start to follow PTE ACADEMIC TEST BUILDER
24
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
MACMILLAN Book. Now this book will assist you how to make yr speaking a concise one. Try to memorize the structures from this book and throw it while speaking.
In Exam, please don’t stop to speak. When time starts, you should attack with the fir st sentence, “The image shows”, “the picture is about”, the bar graph illustrates”, “The bar diagram elucidates”, “The image shown is a water cycle process”. Please don’t say “the image shows” all the time. You have to really show the variety to score yr high marks. As depicted above use variety for each image by starting in a different way. Use synonyms. Practice always with yr watch within a time frame of 40 seconds for Describing Image section. I am sure, you will get high marks if you don’t stop speaki ng. Fluency is the main thing here.
5) Re-tell lecture TAKER 1:
Next is retell lecture. So re-tell lecture item types comes after describe images item types. Th ere will be 7-8 describe images question and 2-3 re-tell lecture questions. Now what happens is that re-tell lectures sometimes are accompanies by image/picture which might make u think that this is another describe image question. So dis might throw u out of balance so be aware of this. For re-tell lecture grab ur erasable note board and marker and get alert .listen to the recording , making notes of main points, support points, numbers, dates , percentages etc. If there is a name of the person in the recording for eg. Dr Henry kabutz or some other name you need not repeat the name while giving ur response. A simple doctor, or researcher or person is fine. Re-tell lecture means you have to speak the SUMMARY. So you need not repeat everything word by word. You just have to give main points. So if there is an example in the recording then you need not describe it completely. You can shorten it. Here also the key is that
don’t stop speaking. Keep speaking. Proper note taking helps a lot. Also one more tip suppose recording starts and you are not able to listen or understand some words, don’t panic. I repe at don’t panic. Listen remaining of the recording and keep taking notes. Don’t worry about w hat u have missed or didn’t understood. After the recording is over, repeat what u understood in your own words. If you panic then you might mess up the whole re-tell lecture. So ignore what you haven’t understood and move one. There are only 2 -3 re-tell lecture so don’t worry much about them. TAKER 2:
Yet another demanding section. Luckily we get around 2-3 questions in this section. The image gives a bit of idea about the narration. Try to note the key points and don’t waste time on examples too much. Understand the theme of the lecture and try to start with that. Something like Topic sentence, references or examples if any and conclusion in 40 secs. TAKER 3:
Close your eyes and focus on the sentence spoken. It is one sentence only. U have 10 Secs to Speak. That's the hard part. You need to remember for 10 secs TAKER 4:
25
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
No need to memorize whole lecture, you are not required to re-tell the whole lecture as it is: MUST TAKE Notes, of only Key Words/points Again 2 steps: 1. Give overall idea of lecture: e.g. the lecturer is telling about a spaceship. 2. Speak only the Key point/s in your own words. You are not required to use the same words as used by the lecturer. From Sneha Patil
Before starting your test, write on your erasable notepad these three lines 1. The speaker highlights 2. The professor throws light on 3. The lecturer focuses on then when re-tell lecture starts, recording will play for around 2 minutes, listen patiently and see the image/graph/table/pie chart (if any), during this time try to note as many keywords spoken in the recording as possible, u will have around 10-12 seconds to prepare yourself with what to speak. When time starts for recording answer, start with any 1 of 3 lines u have written on your erasable notepad, mention the keywords u have noted down and try to fill in text by yourself to present a story. Keep necessary pauses between sentences, but not more than 3 seconds. Use the three different lines for the different lectures, generally people don’t get more then 3 retell lectures, follow this strategy you shall be clear TAKER 6:
• Study the picture if there is one. It will give you a general idea about the c ontext of the lecture. From the picture, try to predict what the lecture will be about. You will have three seconds to get Ready for the start of the lecture.
• Take notes. Use the erasable note board Booklet and pen provided. Do not try to write down every Word you hear. Unless you are able to write quickly and accurately, you will probably fall behind and Miss important information. Instead, focus on key words.
• Writing quickly is a key skill to master. Use abbreviations whenever possible. Ignore arti cles (e.g., a, an, the) unless they are necessary. Omitting the vowels from words is one way to increase writing speed.
26
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
• Key words include names, numbers, dates, times, and words and phrases that are stressed. Words and Phrases that are repeated are usually central to the main idea.
• Focus on understanding the main idea of the lecture and the key points that support it. If the speaker Draws a conclusion, be sure you have identified it. Try to identify the overall purpose of the lecture.
• Listen for clues to the speaker's attitude, opinion, or stance. Be aware of the speaker's tone of voice and delivery, and try to detect any emotions that are being conveyed.
• When the lecture ends, you will have approximately 10 seconds to review your notes. Use this time to organize what you will say. When you hear the tone, begin speaking. You will have 40 seconds to complete the task.
• While you are speaking, if you lose your train of thought, or find yourself at a loss for words, do not remain silent. The microphone turns off automatically if there is no sound for three seconds. If you need to pause to think or to check your notes, use pause fillers such as um, uh, let me see, and so on. Saying something - anything - is better than saying nothing because once the microphone turns off, you cannot turn it on again. Tips by Sanjeev
Have organization chart method to take notes. Manager (Mgr), Team Leader (TL), important team members (ITM). Manager is introduction. TL is key pts and ITM are supporting ideas. There would be junk. Avoid all of them. It is your English that computer is interested than the content. Have 7 sec rule. 7sec for intro, 7-8 sec for key point1+support, 7-8 sec key point 2+idea, By the time you reach 60% of recording plan to start your conclusion. Without conclusion do not DO NOT DO NOT hope to score more marks. Try to restrict the talk to 5-6 properly constructed sentences with good grammar. Don't worry about the content but worry about the English. Stick to 35 sec. TAKER 9:
+ Note down key-words, points and ideas.
+ Start with” The speaker/lecturer/lecture depicts about ----+ Introduction of topic + Causes and effects/advantages and disadvantages/comparison + Conclusion
6) Answer short question + Recall answers/information that sound familiar with the q uestion. + Everyday life/calendar/scientific general knowledge questions relevant to academic subjects.
27
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
IV.
WRITING
1) General Your writing should be coherent and cohesive with minimal spelling and grammar mistakes.. So how to achieve cohesion? Use words like: moreover, furthermore, also, first and foremost, first of all, finally, on the other hand, not only but also, firstly, secondly , for example, to illustrate, etc. Also make sure you have an intro part, two to three body and a conclusion... Each body paragraph should have a topic sentence at the start in simple tense. This will give more info about the following ideas in the paragraph... Avoid proverbs and idioms. Avoid any famous quotes. Concluding para can start with phrases like, To conclude, To summarize, Summing up, In conclusion, All in all, etc.. For improving the reading ability, try to go through my previous post in page 151... Also, if you can afford, it is wise to buy two practice tests from Pearson.
2) Summarize written text TAKER 1:
The other task in writing is summarizing written text. Here there will be a parag raph and you have to summarize it in ONE LINE. I repeat 1 LINE AND should be between 5- 75 words. There is another item type in listening namely SUMMARIZE SPOKEN TEXT. Here you will listen to a recording and summarize, however the difference is that in latter you can write more than 1 line. However in former you have to summarize in ONE LINE. You will get 10 minutes for this. Many ppl find this as tough as how to summarize a paragraph. Key here is to find topic sentences,
main points and using your words, synonyms to summarize the paragraph. I don’t think so you will find issues in this. You can easily do it. Just keep in mind that you have to summarize a paragraph so you have to understand what the paragraph is about and what it is trying to communicate. Try to show range of vocabulary, spelling. Since we are talking about writing one important tip is punctuation. It is very important in all writing tasks. So things like Capital letters appropriately (start of sentence, nouns), then commas, semicolons, etc should be put wherever necessary. Another is to practice spelling of confusing words like believe , achieve etc . Lastly don’t worry much about writing as it is easiest of all. TAKER 2: The trick is to write in ONE sentence. Try using transition words. Strategy would be to understand what the given para is t rying to convey. Be objective, don’t dwell over finer example. Try to use as many own words as possible. A sample would be – “Agriculture has fallen into a debt; loans; high cost for seeds and manual labor, resulting more barrowing and loans and further example stating bad shape of farming and farmers relative to debt; barrowing etc etc” –
28
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed Agriculture is caught-up in a vicious cycle; that should suffice. We get around 2-3 questions in this section. TAKER 3:
It tests your notes taking ability. Unlike, Toefl IBT , the sentences are about 90 Secs. So, take all the points in short forms, do not concentrate on spellings while taking notes. Next, you have 10 minutes to write. Check your notes, write key points. Plan for 3 minutes. Write 60 words in 5 minutes and revise 2 minutes. Check spelling and grammar TAKER 4:
two question of this type, you get 10 minutes to answer each i.e. 20 minutes read the given text to scan general idea, read second time to get connecting details (cause, effect), read third time to relate to any example etc if any While reading keep writing the key points, connection, example which you find relevant to main idea of the text Now start writing actual summary, it should start with a capital letter, avoid using capital letter anywhere else (even if you feel its required), In 1st line write the main point indicated in text put a comma then write supporting detail and finally put a full stop at end
Key points to take care of - your summarize text shall cover the main Idea and a supporting statement or inference, it should be a single line summary starting with a capital letter and separated by commas, full stop only to be provided at end. TAKER 5:
1. Write in present tense 2. Use independent clauses with dependent clause 3. Use main ideas with supporting points. exclude personal opinion, Examples, unnecessary info TAKER 6:
For jumbled paragraph look for independent sentence which does not need any one support. Look for cue words like “since” “then” They represent the timeline. So place a timeline before this word. Pronouns needs nouns. So place them. You will have to practice a lot to get them right. I ask all to practice CAT test. They have tougher ones. But with pr actice you will do lot better in main exam. TAKER 7:
Read the paragraph, Bring in your MGR, TL, ITM strategy mentioned above (Retell Lecture).
29
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
Write 3 simple sentences. Use connecting words to make one complex sentence. With all this done on your Notepad, now move to screen.. Start capital letter and put full stop immediately. Move your cursor in-between them and type. Remember any other full stop you will lose marks. Write around 25-30 words If you write more, the first thing that goes out of the window is your friend grammar. TAKER 8:
+ Try to give main point of the passage in one sentence only. + Separate the sentence using punctuation. + Always start from Research shows/Study reveals/The lecture depicts about----+ Try to focus on words limit mentioned in the question. + Keep an eye on time frame i.e. 10 minutes for each summary. + Set aside a minimum of 1 minute approx. for checking mistakes, spellings, grammar and vocabulary. + Never mention irrelevant idea as it will affect your written disclosure (idea mentioned properly). Use these strategies when summarizing a text. For long texts apply the steps for each section.
Find the most important information that tells what the paragraph or group of paragraphs is about. Use this information to write a topic sentence. Find 2 – 3 main ideas and important details that support your topic sentence and show how they are related. Keep the ideas and facts in a logical order that expands on your topic sentence. Combine several main ideas into a single sentence. Substitute a general term for lists of items or events. Do not include unimportant or minor details. Do not repeat information. Write the summary in your own words — do not copy information directly from the text. From
http://hotshot24.com/pte-academic-writing-write-good-summary.html
How to Write a Summary Writing a good summary demonstrates that you clearly understand a text…and that you can communicate that understanding to your readers. A summary can be tricky to write at first
because it’s tempting to include too much or too little information. But by following our easy 8 -
30
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
step method, you will be able to summarize texts quickly and successfully for any class or subject.
1) Divide…and conquer. First off, skim the text you are going to summarize and divide it into sections. Focus on any headings and subheadings. Also look at any bold-faced terms and make sure you understand them before you read.
2) Read. Now that you’ve prepared, go ahead and read the selection. Read straight through. At this point, you don’t need to stop to look up anything that gives you trouble— just get a feel for the author’s tone, style, and main idea. 3) Reread. Rereading should be active reading. Underline topic sentences and key facts. Label areas that you want to refer to as you write your summary. Also label areas that should be avoided because the details—though they may be interesting —are too specific. Identify areas that you do not understand and try to clarify those points. 4) One sentence at a time. You should now have a firm grasp on the text you will be summarizing. In steps 1 –3, you divided the piece into sections and located the author’s main ideas and points. Now write down the main idea of each section in one well-developed sentence. Make sure that what you include in your sentences are key points, not minor details. 5) Write a thesis statement. This is the key to any well-written summary. Review the sentences you wrote in step 4. From them, you should be able to create a thesis statement that clearly communicates what the entire text was trying to achieve. If you find that you are not able to do this step, then you should go back and make sure your sentences actually addressed key points. 6) Ready to write. At this point, your first draft is virtually done. You can use the thesis statement as the introductory sentence of your summary, and your other sentences can make up the body. Make sure that they are in order. Add some transition words (then, however, also, moreover) that help with the overall structure and flow of the summary. And once you are actually putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys!), remember these tips: Write in the present tense. Make sure to include the author and title of the work. Be concise: a summary should not be equal in length to the original text. If you must use the words of the author, cite them.
Don’t put your own opin ions, ideas, or interpretations into the summary. The purpose of writing a summary is to accurately represent what the author wanted to say, not to provide a critique. 7) Check for accuracy. Reread your summary and make certain that you have accurately represented the author’s ideas and key points. Make sure that you have correctly cited anything directly quoted from the text. Also check to make sure that your text does not contain your own commentary on the piece. 8) Revise. Once you are certain that your summary is accurate, you should (as with any piece of writing) revise it for style, grammar, and punctuation. If you have time, give your summary to someone else to read. This person should be able to understand the main text based on your
31
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
summary alone. If he or she does not, you may have focused too much on one area of the piece
and not enough on the author’s main idea. Bonus Info! What are book summaries? A summary by definition is something that is comprehensive yet brief. A book summary, therefore, consists of the most important elements of
a work. It retells (in condensed wording) a book’s beginning, rising action, climax, falling action, and ending. Good book summaries also capture essential elements about th e central characters and the setting or settings in which the action unfolds.
3) Write essay TAKER 1:
Writing is the easiest of all. Writing is the part where ielts makes us fool. In PTE it is the easiest. I need not talk much about writing but jst exhibit range of vocabulary, spelling should be accurate and jst follow normal ielts tips that we know. I.e. introduction, main body (2 or more para , conclusion. This is for essay type. In essay type cover evathing that the essay is trying to ask you. if it asks you to give examples, references then don’ t forget dem. Next question you would ask is hw we wil write 200-300 words essay in 20 minutes. Then I think since we are from IT we wont have any issues. Also there is cut, copy paste available which you can utilize. Also word count will appear below the area where you are typing so don’t worry about you exceeding the number of words unlike ielts 9.
After reading section there will be 10 minutes break. Insructino for break wil be communicated you in start of the test so don’t worry about that. After 10 minutes the last section is listening section and it is also easy. After writing this is the easiest section. Here also you have to show in your concentration and listening skills. You can increase your headset volume . this should be done infact at the start of the test. In listening section there can be multiple speaker with different accents so it is possible one person is speaking first 4 lines and rest by other speaker. Don’t let that distract you. most of the item types are easy and I feel you wil be good to go. TAKER 2:
In writing take special care of your spellings. Try to make no spelling error as it may bring down your score significantly. For this, practice on notepad a nd then check your answers by using Ms Word. You can also use Grammarly.com. This site helps you with silly grammar and spelling errors. I used it. Everyone who is troubled with vocabulary, I think Pte does not require very hi-fi vocabulary. I didn't use many good words but was still able to get 90. I have got a good structure for writing an essay. the essays are generally repeated from a list of 35-40 essay. You can find that list in this forum itself so that you have enough points on any topic that may come. Try to complete the essay in 16-17 minutes and use the remaining time to see any grammar, punctuation or spelling errors. Keep the word count around 230-250 TAKER 3:
The difficulty is on-par with IELTS for essay writing but here in PTE-A we are going to type in a system than writing using a pencil. So, erasing, correcting and re-ordering of the text will be
much easier. Trust me, it saves lot of time. That’s the reason we are able to write around 250+ words in PTE-A even though the given time is just 20minutes. Most of the times the essays are
32
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
something like give your opinion and do you agree or disagree. Try to follow Ryan (IELTS Argumentative essays) writing videos from youtube. That will be of great help. TAKER 4:
As I mentioned before, most of the essay types are argumentative or persuasive types. So , take any IELTS or TOEFL essays and practice . Now, to write between 200-300 words. 50 Words Introduction, 75 words Para1,75 words para 2, 50 Conclusion . You can juggle between word count in Intro and conclusion. The timings - 3 Minutes planning, 7 Minutes Intro and Para 1, 7 Minutes para 2 and Conclu and finally 2-3 Minutes revision. Hence, typing speed (around 30 WPM) and thinking English is utmost important. Essay Topics compiled from the thread: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FJz_mjVsn_k27RTvIt4p1ylWO_qkzERsUXOxXaocZnE/edit#g id=0
TAKER 5:
This list is fixed. Help yourself by practicing beforehand. This saves planning time in exam. Write good introduction with intention to impress. Blog has many suggested methods. Write first paragraph with key points suggesting your key point with examples. Use suggested essay vocabulary. Please write globally recognized example. Don't write something close to your building or local example. This shows your deeper understanding of topic. Once you are done with first paragraph, immediately conclude. Write 3-4 lines in conclusion and move back to write 2nd para, In case you don't write conclusion then essay is not complete and you will not get marks. Your 2nd or 3rd para can remain incomplete. You may loose marks for written discourse but not structure. TAKER 6:
+ Word limit should not be less than 200 and not more than 300 as your essay will not get checked by the computer. + Mentioned paragraphs and ideas properly. + Keep an eye on time frame i.e 20 min for each essay + Use proper grammar and high frequency vocabulary words as they will entail (increase) your score. + Leave 2 minutes at the end for re-checking the essay. (Skip to Next Question after completing each section, as computer will not do it by itself) TAKER 7:
Unlike IELTS, I don't think Essay is worth more than 30-35% of the Writing Section, so don't worry too much about Essays. There are 25-30 essays which are common in every PTE Test. You can memorize them if you want. You can google it.
33
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B5GBbYQDrSmNRXl6dG5TTG9xRE0 https://www.scribd.com/doc/295822511/PTE-Essays-With-Answers
Most people worry too much about Essay but PTE is not IELTS! Most of the Writing marks are in Summarise Written Text, Summarise Spoken Test in Listening (This counts towards Writing and Listening Mark) and Write From Dictation in Listening (which also counts towards Writing and Listening Mark) and to a some extent in Fill In The Blanks in Reading. So, concentrate on those than essay. TAKER 8:
Honestly speaking, my writing was very bad but I nailed it down with the help of dcielts.com and writing band descriptors available in British Council Website. These Band Descriptors will help you to realize what PTE examiner seeks from you from your answer. If you hit those things, you will certainly be able to achieve more than 80. Furthermore, this website is the perfect one if you look at the models of essays given by Dominic Cole, the IELTS examiner/founder of this website in Australia. This was recommended by one of my friends studying at The University of Melbourne. Remember four criteria to achieve high score in Writing in PTE as well as IELTS: 1. Task Response- you should be able to fully address all parts of Question 2. Coherence and Cohesion: Connecting each sentences from beginning till end of essays or connecting paragraphs using linking words and so on. Developing essay.
3. Lexical Resources: Wide range of vocabulary (don’t use bombastic words that you know but does not create any meaning in the sentence. You have to select high level of words as possible in a sentence). I got 90 in Vocabulary in PTE in Enabling Skills. I am happy with it: D 4. Grammatical range and accuracy: In addition to simple sentences which is used by everyone, I request you to learn and use Complex Sentences, Compound Sentences, and Compound Complex Sentences as much as possible. In essay you should use at least one or two Active and Passive voice structures.
No matter what you learn during your preparation, don’t forget to practice within a time frame of 20 minutes. In order to speed up your writing, follow DC IELTS website. It will help you to learn general structures like:
“It is almost universally accepted that”, “While governments must take prime responsibility for reducing climate change, individuals too can play a part” “Political leaders across the globe need to cooperate so that” “Perhaps the most significant of these is that”
34
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
“This phenomenon is likely to be harmful to society at two different levels. At the personal level, Then on the social level……..” “This is particularly the case with” “Although almost everyone agrees about the” “There are good grounds for arguing that” You have to memorize all these sentences which are general sentences that can be adopted to most of the scenarios. It is because in PTE, you will be asked questions like in IELTS and if you remember these structures, you will type these sentences in EXAM without having any difficulty
to form a new sentence because these are already established “Standard English Structures”. So, you can make an essay in a fill in the blanks format. Did you understand what I mean? If not please visit this website (DCIELTS.COM) then you will solve your writing problems. To see the writing band descriptors (task 2 of IELTS) in the British Council Page. Please follow this descriptor because this not only applies to your IELTS writing, but it will help you to improve your overall writing skills. I bet you will be able to see the difference after you reach the next higher level.
V.
READING
1) General TAKER 1:
There are generally no strategies for reading section. I read a newspaper every day for a month to improve my reading. Reading can be improved with practice if you have time. Try to read the editorial column of a good newspaper to improve reading. There is a small strategy that I followed for re-order paragraphs. I tried to find the pairs first and then reorder the whole paragraph. TAKER 2:
Do not let difficult vocabulary slow down your reading. Just ignore the difficult vocabulary on your first reading and understand as much as you can. Often the first sentence in a paragraph will give you a general idea of the whole paragraph. Remember to look carefully at the question word. Who? wants a name or person. When? wants a time. Where? wants a place. How long? wants a time or distance. Why? wants a reason. Examine the reading task carefully after your first reading. Some tasks require general or detailed understanding. Other tasks require searching for specific information.
35
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
Learn to 'skim' – that is to read through the whole text quickly to get a general idea of the meaning. Learn the skill of 'scanning' the text looking for key words. Then read around the key word to find the answer. If the task requires detailed understanding, read the questions carefully and have a clear idea in your mind of what you are looking for before you read the text a second time.
Don’t be afraid to read the text a third or fourth time to get the information of ideas you need. This is much better than ‘inventing’ your answers. Remember that fast, repeated reading is much more effective than slow, careful Reading TAKER 3:
Reading - we need to do a good time management If u r aiming for 79+, then have a strategy, practice more and more on fill in blanks, I found them scoring. The options in fill in blank seem very close to each other, so during practice get to know meaning of each and every word, this will develop your vocabulary and later on give explanation with correct choice of that particular answer Read a lot of standard material online - newspaper website are good Blogs - they sometime have low Standard English with grammatical mistakes, so avoid r eading miscellaneous blogs for some time. CNN, BBC, First post, Hindu website are good -their English vocabulary is a level better than others If possible take an article, read it and paraphrase it in some notepad - it will increase your reading and writing skill Last not least, don't be demotivated at any stage, understand the pattern, practice and practice, nothing else. TAKER 4:
Speaking and Writing will happen in one go i.e. together. In case of writing you have 10 minutes for summarizing text. Don’t think that if you complete it b4 10, then remaining time will be added in next section. After this we have reading section which is a bit tough because time is less. Time for reading varies between 32-41 minutes and in this time you have to complete 1317 item types. The reading item types ARE NOT indivual item types. So once you complete the question, move on to next. In reading the tip I can give u is read fast. When u read fast it not only will save time but when we read fast we understand and fathom much easy compared to when we read slow and word to word. Here also keep track of time. Don’t panic. Don’t rush. Read the question for multiple choice question clearly. Sometimes they put NOT so beware of that. For e.g. what is the speaker NOT trying to say? In reading section there is one item type namely multiple choice, choose more than one option that has got negative marking so choose the options wisely. A similar item type is there in listening as well. Re-order paragraphs are not difficult and you will do them. For rest of sections key is to read fast and try to understand what
36
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
the topic is about, what the writer is trying to say. Understanding the writer’s intention is very important. TAKER 5:
In this section, I just use to write about one idea which according to me was the most important one. Be grammatically correct. Write in only one sentence. I used to write about 30-40 words in this section. Perhaps the most difficult of all is to win this Reading section. Some important tricks will be highlighted here.
Trick 1: “Read Aloud” is the easiest part of PTE. So, if you want to score high marks in Reading, please don’t make mistakes in this Section because points from Read Aloud is going to be added in yr Reading Score.
Trick2: Give emphasis more on “Fill in the Blanks” rather than “Reading Passages”. Please be advised that PTE inserts lots of English Collocations in this section. So, nail it down by becoming familiar with familiar English collocations or you can get it from PTE Website. In exam, when you are going through Fill in the Blanks, never and ever choose answers randomly thinking that you have to finish all fill in the blanks section. You may end up making all false answers. You can get it from Pearson website. Also, you can upgrade yourself by following MACMILLAN answers. You can notice that in
answers it says “ … word collocates with … word”. So, go fot it. Trick3: While reading passage read questions carefully and search for answers in the passage. Make sure that you make a full concentration while going through the passage text. It is
because when you don’t find an answer and you repeat passage for the second time, it is certain that you are killing time for Re-order Paragraphs and Fill in the blanks. This happened to me. In case of Multiple Choice Questions, it is a risk. So, n ever tick options which you don’t feel confident because you will end up being negatively marked. So, just move on with your confident options, otherwise leave it unanswered. It will at least help you to retain your marks. Trick4. For Reorder paragraphs, I cannot exactly tell how it goes. You have to consult with a teacher or PTE books [/QUOTE]
2) Multiple choice, choose single answer Taker 1:
We get around two to three questions. Might be little bit tricky however read with purpose and don’t read the options before going through the text. This strategy helped me. Understand the purpose of the para and match the summary sentence. Difficult ones would be inferring the paradox of a given sentence from the para. Having said that, this section is OK to handle. Watch out for the timer, do not spending too much time. Taker 2:
take a quick glance at paragraph, then read the question, try to relate question and portion of paragraph which has the keyword asked in question, now go through the portion which contains that keyword, search for your answer and click the option which is best
37
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
3) Multiple choice, choose multiple answers Taker 1:
Same as above. But, try to select only the most appropriate answers as there is a negative marking for this section. Most of the times two options will be correct out of the five given option. Taker 2:
same technique, just be cautious, the options are very close and select option only if u r 100% confident, else leave it.
4) Re-order paragraphs TAKER 1: Item Type Strategies
Strategy 1 Quickly and quietly read the content of the text boxes to yourself. While you are reading, listen for one text box that sounds complete by itself and is clear on its own. This sentence is likely be the most logical introduction to the paragraph or topic. Strategy 2
Once you have identified the introduction or topic sentence, quietly read the remaining boxes to yourself again to listen to how they sound together. While you are reading, look for language patterns that will help you identify a sequence. Check the language patterns in each box to
confirm your sequence (i.e., use of connectives, use of indefinite articles forfirst reference, definite articles for further reference, use of pronouns, etc). Strategy 3 Quietly read the boxes to yourself in the order that you have sequenced them. This will help you check whether the sentences run smoothly from one to the other, and whether the passage makes sense and sounds logical and correct as a whole TAKER 2:
I got a bit easier stuff. While practicing I struggled big time in this section. Also this section, if I am not wrong has more marks under direct reading section. Strategy would be to identify the topic sentence and they just follow the flow of the message this para is trying to convey. Got three questions in this sections. Couple of questions with four sentences to be placed in order and one question with just three sentence to order. Hopefully, I have done all of them correctly. Pretty straight forward, if you identify the topic sentence. OK, what is a TOPIC sentence? Sentence which can stand alone and looks like a statement then having some kind of reference or relation to other sentence in the given list. Sometimes a concluding sentence would also sound similar; however, major difference b/w topic and concluding sentence is that conclusion sentence try to recommend or predict or draws a conclusion. TAKER 3:
38
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
Reorder paragraphs are like jigsaw puzzle, u need to fit in the pieces, see the start and end of a line and compare with other lines, in 2-3 glances u will be able to set it in order TAKER 4:
For jumbled paragraph look for independent sentence which does not need any one support.
Look for cue words like “since” “then” They represent the timeline. So place a timeline before this word. Pronouns needs nouns. So place them. You will have to practice a lot to get them right. I ask all to practice CAT test. They have tougher ones. But with pr actice you will do lot better in main exam. TAKER 5:
a) The best approach to solving RoP questions is the ‘go through’ one. That is, devel op a high reading speed and scan all 4-5 sentences. Try to get a feel of what the passage is about, b) Look at the options and find the one which suits best as opening sentence, place/mark it at top for meanwhile c) Look at the other options and find the once which suits best as concluding statement or ending statement, place/mark it at bottom for meanwhile d) Look at the remaining options and try to find linking words in them, place them accordingly
RoP strategies to save time and increase accuracy Strategy 1: Once upon a time long ago... / ...and they lived happily after: Identify the opening/closing sentence using what we discussed above. Either the tone of the paragraph or the option elimination method. Strategy 2: Where's the interlock dude? Identify links between two sentences and try to see if that link exists in multiple answer options (a sure way to know that you are on the right track). A combination of 1 and 2 will take you home most of the time. Place your magnifying glass on the following, Strategy 2a: Make it 'personal'. Look out for personal pronouns (he, she, it, him, her, you, they). Personal pronouns always refer to a person, place or thing. Therefore, if a sentence has a personal pronoun without mentioning the person, place or object it is referring to, mark it in your head and scan the paragraph for the original person, place or object that it refers to. For example if you go back to the opening jumbled paragraph of this article, the third sentence starts with 'it'. We now need to figure out what 'it' refers to and the sentence containing the original 'it' will come before this sentence. Strategy 2b: Look for 'Poriborton' (Change, in Mamata Banerjee's tongue). Certain words called 'transition words' help the author to shift from one thought flow to another. In other words, they usher in change. Some transition words that appear regularly are --- hence, besides, simultaneously, in conclusion, etc. While you practice RoPs whenever you come across a transition word --- note it down. Make a list!
39
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
Strategy 2c: Demonstrate! Look for demonstrative pronouns --- this, that, these, those, etc. Again, if you look at our opening paragraph, the first line starts with 'for this' --- now we know that we need to figure out what 'this' refers to and the sentence containing the original 'this' will come before this sentence. Strategy 3: Main samay hoon! Sometimes the events mentioned in the paragraph can be arranged in a chronological order making it easy for you to identify the sequence. Example, A: Alexander Bain, Scottish clockmaker, patented the electric clock. B: The next development in accuracy occurred after 1656 with the invention of the pendulum clock. C: Clocks have played an important role in man's history. D: Spring-driven clocks appeared during the 15th century, although they are often erroneously credited to Nuremberg watchmaker Peter Henlen around 1511. It is quite obvious by studying the chronology what the sequence should be. Strategy 4: The abbreviation Approach. Sometimes you will find that for some terms in the paragraph both the full form and the abbreviation have been used. For Example IMF --International Monetary Fund, Charles Dickens --- Dickens, Dr Manmohan Singh --- Dr Singh. In these cases where both the full form as well as the abbreviation is present in different sentences, then the sentence containing the full form will obviously come before the sentence containing the abbreviation.
Strategy 5: What an Idea! If there are two sentences, one containing an idea and another giving examples of the same idea then the sentence containing the idea should come before the sentence containing the examples. But they need not necessarily be exactly side by side. Example, A: Nicaragua possesses the largest stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction in the world. B: 489 missiles carrying up to 1,788 warheads and 12 submarines carrying up to 609 warheads form a looming threat. A will come before B in this case, even though there might be sentences in between. Strategy 6: An article of faith. It is highly unlikely that the definite article 'the' will be part of an opening sentence. If 'a/an' and 'the' both are used for the same noun then the sentence containing 'the' will come after the sentence containing a/an.
5) Reading: Fill in the blanks TAKER 1:
Yet another easy section, I would say. (My results are yet to come so I will not go over the board). Strategy should be not to see the drop down options. Read the para and understand the purpose and meaning it is trying to convey. Post-which you will know what word to fill-in even
40
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
without seeing the drop-down options. Now, if you check on the available options, it will make life easier. Manage your time carefully for reading sections
Taking optional break, its upto each individual. I took the break. TAKER 2:
Work on your grammar and collocation list from your favourite website. This is paramount importance for filling the blanks. Understanding the synonyms will help you score more. Grammar rules will tell you when to use wherever, however, thus, so.
6) Reading & writing: Fill in the blanks
VI.
LISTENING
1) General TAKER 1:
Try to listen to a good English news channel for about an hour daily, like BBC or CNN. It will help you in Listening section. In summarise spoken text, try to write your answer in 7-8 minutes and use the remaining time to see that there is no grammar or spelling error Listening was the easiest, do take note of the time during your listening and don't procrastinate on the summarize spoken text section too much. I almost lost time due to it. TAKER 2: I wrote 50-60 words for Summarize passages and tried to adhere to punctuations.For fill i n the blanks kept my focus on listening to the passages and wrote the missing words in the notes then typed it. For Highlighting the correct summary, I didn't go through the option while listening, just listened to the passage and then answered the questions. For Highlight the incorrect words, the speaking pace was too fast and just followed the narrator and moved the cursor accordingly
2) Summarize spoken text TAKER 1:
Listen attentively to what the lecture is trying to convey. Strict to the word limits. Use synonyms and more effective words to convey the message. OK let me use the same example:
“Agriculture has fallen into a debt; loans; high cost for seeds and manual labor, resulting more barrowing and loans” – Agriculture is caught-up in a vicious cycle; that should suffice. We get 2 questions in this section. Then comes identify the missing word replaced by BEEP, select the correct summary for the lecture from the given options, multiple choice single answer, for all these sections listen carefully and take notes, you will be able to identify the answer quite easily. TAKER 2:
Follow same strategy of retell lecture on notes taking. Write 5-6 full grammar sentences. You should be good. One usually write 8-10 words in sentence. 6 Sentence 6*10=60 words.
41
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed Tip shared by Mukesh Dawar
Lines mentioned in image can be used as a template for summarize spoken text by filling in the gaps you listen in recording. 1. The speaker delineates the information about……….
first and foremost, …………..moreover, ……………also,………. in conclusion,……………. 2. The lecture describles the information about……….. To begin with, ………..in addition to this,…………., lastly……….
To conclude,……………….. 3. The speaker provides the brief information about………. First of all,……….. secondly,…………… In a nutshell, ………….. 4. The speaker explains the major information about……….. According to the speaker,……. Furthermore, ……….
To summarize,…………
3) Multiple choice, choose multiple answers 4) Fill in the blanks 5) Highlight correct summary Skim through the text before the audio starts and identify key words as sign posts. Move the cursor as the audio begins and identify the wrong words. If you miss the audio the sign post words which you have identified earlier will help you regain your attention and will bring you back on track.
6) Multiple choice, choose single answer 7) Select missing word
42
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
select missing word is an item type that tests your ability to predict what a speaker will say based on contextual clues in a recording. 'before listening read the instruction. The first sentence of the instructions describes the topic of the recording. Knowing the topic of the recording helps you prepare for it. While listening focus on the general content of the recording. You need to understand the main points as well as the details. pay attention to the audio progress indicator. this helps you anticipate the end of the recording.
8) Highlight incorrect words The sentences are 8-10 words in-length, write in the provided notebook because I am sure it will be difficult to type in system as the audio plays. Its more like a media persons taking notes during a press conference. You should be FINE!!!
9) Write from dictation Write after dictation, this one is similar to repeat sentence, the difference being in repeat sentence we have to speak and this one we have to write. Here since my typing speed is real fast so I thought I will write as the speaker is speaking. While this is possible I couldn’t do it and used to miss few words. So what I did is I heard d complete sentence, kept in short term memory (just like repeat sentence) and then wrote it.
VII.
REFERENCE LINK:
1) Tips: https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-best-way-to-prepare-for-PTE-Pearson-Test-inEnglish/answer/Ashish-Jain-181 http://1ptetips.blogspot.in/ navjot brar: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIISv-lbYpmvnVnSQieRKMZXNh3ix-Yh E2 Language: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvSdD8_0DAKn-ThHWhAhoAg E2 PTE, IELTS and TOEFL Core Skills: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfV4dbtVZnyqSrKc6zbDtg PTE Academic: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWwYNW70pyYpLAFZ7kYhUqw Pte Trainer: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU-Gne0bFvXXDx5U0Ei2VjA PTE GOLD: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmfdDoEJmPtIop6GWm68Tbg PTE Success: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6WmUQas0E-V9wQuIZnAs2w Vicky KuK's: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-sGBeVe6neHnM-yfQlbrOw https://dylanaung.blogspot.com/ http://thevsquare.blogspot.kr/ http://thevsquare.blogspot.kr/?view=flipcard Expatforum: http://www.expatforum.com/expats/australia-expat-forum-expats-livingaustralia/672738-pte-exam.html http://allaboutpte.blogspot.com/
2) Practice:
http://pearsonpte.com/test-takers/preparation/free-pte-academic-preparation/ http://whenbo.tv/ trang này tiếng anh không hiểu giọng gì( giọng China) mà hay đọc sai âm, k chuẩn. Not recommended
43
PTE Tips Compiled & Indexed
https://www.enflares.com/index.php http://www.manythings.org/ http://www.talkenglish.com/ http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/dictation.html Pronunciation exercises: www.eslgold.com Pronunciation tips: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/pron/ Pronunciation dictionary: http://www.macmillandictionary.com/british-and-americanpronunciation.html http://hotshot24.com/
3) News:
http://www.bbc.com/news https://www.forbes.com http://edition.cnn.com/ http://www.newsy.com/
4) Dictation & Reader:
https://speechnotes.co/ https://dictation.io/ https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/demos/speech.html http://ttsreader.com/
5) Resources download – all:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B1UHFyxeHa1zS01vb1hKMFh2ZW8 PTE advance Academic Module (download) o 1.PDF:https://www.dropbox.com/s/ldxvdutw7n3joz6/PTE%20advantage%20Acad emic%20Module.pdf?dl=0 o 2.Audio:https://www.dropbox.com/s/uf78wrog37k2zd7/PTE%20advantage%20bo ok.rar?dl=0
6) Read and Practice:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B1AAAk8zTJxWMXhDY2FUS1RiWUU https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B5GBbYQDrSmNRXl6dG5TTG9xRE0
7) Most Important:
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/australia-expat-forum-expats-living-australia/672738pte-exam-16.html#post6535025 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWnyAPowoMl57MDY2w2yqw/videos https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFT-BRiYgocAAT0SXSYskCQ/videos
8) Pronunciation:
https://www.youtube.com/user/englishfriend https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0Hg2Ks00kCekyjZG_LxOmg https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz4tgANd4yy8Oe0iXCdSWfA
9) Rest:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWwYNW70pyYpLAFZ7kYhUqw/videos