PTE study notes

Do

• Use the prep time to chunk the text into meaning groups (3–6 words) and mark where you will breathe.
• Keep a steady, conversational pace — consistency beats speed.
• If you mispronounce a word, keep going. Never go back.
• Pre-scan for tricky multi-syllable words and decide their stress before the microphone opens.

Avoid

• Racing through the text to “sound fluent” and swallowing word endings
• Stopping to self-correct a single word — the restart hurts fluency more than the error
• Ignoring punctuation, so the reading has no natural phrasing
• Starting late after the tone, leaving silence at the start

Do

• Listen for 2–3 meaning chunks, not 12 separate words.
• Copy the speaker’s rhythm and intonation — shadowing practice builds this fast.
• If you lose part of the sentence, keep speaking fluently with what you remember.

Avoid

• Trying to memorise individual words instead of meaning chunks
• Going silent after forgetting the second half
• Speaking in a flat, robotic rhythm that sounds nothing like the audio

Do

• Use a simple 5-step structure: what it shows → main feature → detail → detail → conclusion.
• Name real values and comparisons from the image — generic filler is easy for content scoring to spot.
• Aim to finish just before 40 seconds with a clear concluding sentence.

Avoid

• Reciting a memorised template that says nothing specific about the image
• Listing every number instead of the key trends and comparisons
• Running out of time before giving an overall conclusion

Do

• Note-take in keywords and arrows: topic → point 1 → point 2 → implication.
• Say what the lecture was about in one sentence, then cover 2–3 main points in your own words.
• Link ideas with simple connectors: “because”, “as a result”, “however”.

Avoid

• Writing full sentences in your notes and missing the next idea
• Opening with a long memorised introduction that uses up your 40 seconds
• Repeating random keywords without connecting them

Do

• Answer with the single best word or short phrase — nothing more is needed.
• Build everyday academic vocabulary (shapes, time, science, places, professions).

Avoid

• Answering in a full sentence and running out of time
• Hesitating while thinking of a “better” word

Do

• Use a 3-column note grid — one column per speaker — with the topic across the top.
• Structure: topic → speaker A’s view → B’s view (agree/disagree) → C’s view → overall conclusion.
• Use relationship language: “builds on”, “challenges”, “agrees with”, “raises a concern about”.
• Practise speaking for a full 90–120 seconds so the length feels natural.

Avoid

• Summarising only the first speaker because notes collapsed after 60 seconds
• Not showing agreement / disagreement between speakers
• Using a memorised script that doesn’t reflect this discussion
• Stopping at 60 seconds and leaving half of the 2 minutes unused

Do

• Identify: who am I speaking to, what is the problem, what do I need to achieve?
• Respond in role: greet → state the issue → give a reason → propose a solution → polite close.
• Match the tone — a friend, a lecturer and a landlord need different language.

Avoid

• Describing the situation instead of responding to the person in it
• Forgetting to address every part of the prompt (e.g. apologise AND suggest a solution)
• Using an over-formal or over-casual tone for the context

Do

• Find the main idea + 2 supporting points, then join them with “while”, “because”, “and”, “which”.
• Paraphrase key phrases rather than stitching copied fragments together.
• Check: one full stop, one main clause, word count in range, spelling.

Avoid

• Writing two sentences, or a sentence joined by commas that isn’t grammatical
• Copying the first line of the passage instead of summarising the whole text
• Going outside the 5–75 word range

Do

• Spend 2–3 minutes planning: position + two reasons + one example each.
• Four paragraphs: introduction with position, two body paragraphs, conclusion.
• Keep 2 minutes to proofread spelling, agreement and articles.

Avoid

• Filling the essay with memorised template sentences that don’t answer the question
• Going far over 300 words and introducing more errors
• No clear position, or body paragraphs that don’t support it
• Leaving no time to proofread spelling

Do

• Check grammar first (part of speech, singular/plural, tense), then meaning, then collocation.
• Read the full sentence — clues often come after the gap.
• Build a personal collocation list from every practice set you get wrong.

Avoid

• Choosing a word that “sounds right” without checking grammar around the gap
• Ignoring collocations (e.g. “conduct research”, not “make research”)
• Spending too long on one blank and rushing the rest of the section

Do

• Only select options you can prove from the text. One confident answer is often the smart choice.
• Set a personal time cap and move on.

Avoid

• Selecting three or four options “to be safe” — wrong choices are penalised
• Spending five minutes on one question in a timed section

Do

• Find the independent opening sentence (introduces the topic, no “this/these/however”).
• Link pairs using pronouns, articles (“a” → “the”), time markers and connectors.
• Lock in the pairs you are sure of — partial credit rewards correct pairs.

Avoid

• Treating it as all-or-nothing and panicking when unsure of the full order
• Ignoring pronouns and articles that link sentences

Do

• Fill the blanks you are most confident about first to shrink the options.
• Use part-of-speech elimination: noun gap → cross out verbs and adjectives.

Avoid

• Filling blanks in order instead of starting with the easiest
• Using a word twice or forgetting a blank

Do

• Read the question first, scan for the relevant part, eliminate two options, decide and move on.

Avoid

• Over-investing time in a single-answer task

Do

• Note the topic, 2–3 main points and the conclusion.
• Write 2–3 connected sentences, then check word count and spelling.

Avoid

• Writing under 50 or over 70 words
• Listing keywords without grammatical sentences
• Spelling errors in key terms

Do

• Preview options before the audio; select only what you clearly heard.

Avoid

• Selecting extra options without evidence

Do

• Follow the transcript with your cursor; type the first letters quickly, then complete spelling after the audio.

Avoid

• Misspelling a word you heard correctly
• Losing your place in the transcript

Do

• Note the main idea in 5 words, then eliminate options that are too narrow, wrong, or add new information.

Avoid

• Choosing the option with the most matching keywords rather than the correct overall meaning

Do

• Preview the question, listen to the end, then eliminate.

Avoid

• Deciding before the audio ends

Do

• Track the direction of the argument — the missing words usually complete its logic.

Avoid

• Losing focus near the end, where the key context is

Do

• Keep your cursor moving word by word with the audio; click only clear differences.

Avoid

• Clicking words “just in case” — wrong clicks are penalised
• Falling behind the speaker

Do

• Type the first letter of each word as you hear it, then complete the words immediately.
• Check grammar: subject–verb agreement, plurals and articles usually reveal the missing word.
• Practise with high-frequency academic vocabulary until spelling is automatic.

Avoid

• Missing plural “s” and past-tense “-ed” endings
• Spelling errors in common academic words
• Panicking after missing one word