🔄 Major Changes in PTE Academic 2025: What Test Takers Must Know
As we step into 2025, Pearson has introduced a set of significant updates to the PTE Academic Exam to enhance its reliability, fairness, and alignment with real-world communication skills. Whether you’re a student planning to take the PTE this year or a trainer helping learners succeed, understanding these changes is crucial for effective preparation.
At MKS Education, we’re always ahead of the curve—here’s a complete breakdown of the new updates and what they mean for you.
🗣️ 1. Two New Speaking Question Types Introduced
Pearson has added two new question types in the Speaking section:
1.1 Summarize Group Discussion
- Format: You’ll listen to a 3-person discussion (~3 minutes), get 10 seconds to prepare, and then speak for up to 2 minutes.
- Scoring: Based on content, pronunciation, and oral fluency.
- Skills Tested: Listening + Speaking, with a focus on summarizing main ideas, speakers’ opinions, and the overall outcome.
1.2 Respond to a Situation
- Format: You’ll be presented with a spoken and written scenario. After 10 seconds of prep, you’ll speak for 40 seconds.
- Scoring: Evaluates content, pronunciation, and fluency.
- Skills Tested: Speaking only—assesses how well you respond in real-life, contextual scenarios.
📝 These additions bring the test closer to real-world communication tasks, especially helpful for academic and workplace scenarios.
🔁 2. Beep Sound in Repeat Sentence
Pearson has now added a ‘beep’ sound before the microphone starts recording in the Repeat Sentence task. This serves three purposes:
- Alerts you that recording is about to begin
- Reduces anxiety and boosts readiness
- Ensures fairness by standardizing timing cues for all test takers
🎯 3. Changes in Scoring Contribution
Several question types now have adjusted scoring weights, affecting how they contribute to your overall score.
- Read Aloud now counts only toward Speaking, not Reading.
- Reading & Writing Fill in the Blanks now affects Reading only, no longer contributing to Writing.
- Write Essay is now assessed using additional criteria such as:
- Development
- Structure and coherence
- Linguistic range
Additionally, Content Score has changed for some tasks:
| Task | Old Score | New Score |
|---|---|---|
| Describe Image | 5 | 6 |
| Re-tell Lecture | 5 | 6 |
| Summarize Written Text | 2 | 4 |
| Summarize Spoken Text | 2 | 4 |
📊 These changes mean students and instructors need to revisit scoring strategies when preparing.
🔁 4. Frequency of Questions Updated
Pearson has revised the number of questions per task. Here’s a simplified view of the changes:
| Task | Old Count | New Count |
|---|---|---|
| Describe Image | 3-4 | 5-6 |
| Re-tell Lecture | 1-2 | 2-3 |
| Summarize Written Text | 1-2 | 2 |
| Write Essay | 1-2 | 1 |
| Multiple Choice (Reading) | 1-2 each | 2-3 each |
| Summarize Spoken Text | 1-2 | 1 |
| Highlight Correct Summary | 1-2 | 2-3 |
🔍 Expect more variety and frequency in certain question types, making practice even more essential.
📝 5. Task Name Changes
Pearson has simplified task names for clarity:
| Old Name | New Name |
|---|---|
| Reading: Fill in the Blanks | Fill in the Blanks (Drag & Drop) |
| Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks | Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown) |
| Listening: Fill in the Blanks | Fill in the Blanks (Type In) |
These changes reflect the input method used in each task and help students understand exactly what to expect.
🕐 6. Total Test Time Increased
With the addition of the two new tasks, the overall test duration has now increased slightly to:
🕒 Approx. 2 hours and 15 minutes
While the increase isn’t drastic, it’s essential to adjust your time management strategies accordingly.
🖥️ 7. UI/UX Improvements
The PTE platform interface has received several updates aimed at improving user experience:
- ✅ Removed keyboard check
- ✅ Microphone check now happens twice
- ✅ Progress indicator is now circular
- ✅ Smaller font for better readability
- ✅ Audio waveforms shown during speaking tasks
💡 These subtle yet helpful updates reduce test-day stress and improve usability.
✅ Final Thoughts: Be Prepared, Be Confident
Pearson’s 2025 updates to the PTE Academic exam reflect a positive evolution of the test—one that prioritizes real-world communication and fairness.
If you’re preparing for the exam, staying updated on these changes is non-negotiable.
At MKS Education, our instructors and test materials are already updated with these changes. From updated mock tests, revised class slides, and personalized strategies, we ensure your preparation stays 100% aligned with the new exam pattern.
🎓 Ready to take on the new PTE 2025?
Join us for expert-led classes, realistic mock tests, and all the support you need to succeed.
📍 Visit us at: https://mksprep.com
📞 Call us at: 9818173800
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