PTE Academic Question Weightage
See exactly how each question type is scored and how much it adds to your overall PTE Academic result.
PTE Academic Marks Distribution
Complete overview of every question type and how it is scored across the four communicative skills.
| Question Type | Questions | Overall | Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Speaking & Writing | Read Aloud | 6-7 | 4% | 9% | - | - | - |
| Repeat Sentence | 10-12 | 7% | 16% | 17% | - | - | |
| Describe Image | 5-6 | 15% | 31% | - | - | - | |
| Retell Lecture | 2-3 | 6% | 13% | 13% | - | - | |
| Answer Short Question | 5-6 | 2% | - | 4% | - | - | |
| Summarize Group Discussion | 2-3 | 9% | 19% | 20% | - | - | |
| Respond to a Situation | 2-3 | 6% | 13% | - | - | - | |
| Summarize Written Text | 2 | 7% | - | - | 23% | 28% | |
| Write Essay | 1 | 7% | - | - | - | 31% | |
Reading | Fill in the Blanks (Drop-down) | 5-6 | 7% | - | - | 25% | - |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers | 2-3 | 1% | - | - | 5% | - | |
| Re-order Paragraphs | 2-3 | 3% | - | - | 9% | - | |
| Fill in the Blanks (Drag & Drop) | 4-5 | 6% | - | - | 20% | - | |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answer | 2-3 | <1% | - | - | 3% | - | |
Listening | Summarize Spoken Text | 1 | 4% | - | 10% | - | 18% |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers | 2-3 | 1% | - | 3% | - | - | |
| Fill in the Blanks | 2-3 | 3% | - | 8% | - | - | |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answer | 2-3 | <1% | - | 2% | - | - | |
| Select Missing Word | 1-2 | 1% | - | 1% | - | - | |
| Highlight Correct Summary | 2-3 | <1% | - | 2% | 3% | - | |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | 2-3 | 4% | - | 8% | 13% | - | |
| Write From Dictation | 3-4 | 5% | - | 13% | - | 23% | |
| Totals | - | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
How question weightage works in PTE Academic
PTE Academic uses integrated scoring, which means a single question type can contribute to more than one communicative skill. For example, Repeat Sentence counts toward both your Speaking and Listening scores, while Summarize Written Text adds to both Reading and Writing. Understanding this overlap helps you prioritise the tasks that move your overall score the most.
The percentages in the table above show the share each task contributes to the Overall score and to each individual skill. The number of questions is approximate and can vary slightly from one test session to another.
Question types with the highest weightage
In the Speaking and Writing part, Describe Image carries the largest single share of the Speaking score, followed by Repeat Sentence. For Writing, Write Essay and Summarize Written Text together account for most of your Writing band.
In Reading, Fill in the Blanks (Drop-down) and Fill in the Blanks (Drag and Drop) contribute the most. In Listening, Write From Dictation and Summarize Spoken Text are high-value tasks because each one also strengthens your Writing score.
How to use this weightage to plan your preparation
Focus your practice on the tasks that contribute to more than one skill, since improving them gives you a double benefit. Build accuracy on the high-frequency tasks first, then refine the lower-weighted question types once your core score is stable.
On Practet you can practise every PTE Academic question type with instant, AI-based scoring and detailed feedback, so you always know which tasks to work on next.