Test Tips (1)

February 2011
Version 3

© Edexcel Limited 2011. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior permission of Edexcel Limited (a Pearson company).

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 Important Test Tips

Do

Use correct punctuation for writing tasks: full stops, capital letters, commas, etc

Answer the question. If the question asks you to write or speak about sport, write or speak about ‘sport’ NOT
‘science’

Keep strictly within the word limit given for writing tasks

Respond quickly and keep speaking during speaking tasks. The microphone will close after 3 seconds of silence and
stop recording

Don’t

Write ENTIRELY in capital letters. Only use capitals when needed: at the beginning of sentences, names, etc

Click Next (N) before you have completed the task and are ready to move on

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 Introduction to Test Tips
This resource provides a wealth of test tips for test takers preparing for PTE Academic. Teachers can use the information with students to help develop
useful strategies to handle the item types in PTE Academic.

Two tips are included for most item types and they are presented in the order in which they appear in the test as follows:

Read aloud
Repeat sentence
Speaking Describe image
Re-tell lecture
Answer short question
Summarize written text
Writing
Write essay
Multiple choice, choose single answer
Multiple choice, choose multiple answers
Reading Re-order paragraphs
Reading: Fill in the blanks
Reading & writing: Fill in the blanks
Summarize spoken text
Multiple choice, choose multiple answers
Fill in the blanks
Highlight correct summary
Listening
Multiple choice, choose single answer
Select missing word
Highlight incorrect words
Write from dictation

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 SPEAKING: Read aloud

Tip 1
Use punctuation to help you decide where to pause when you read

You have 30-40 seconds to look at the text before the microphone opens, so use this time to break the text up into meaningful chunks, using the
punctuation as a guide. This will show you the places where you can make a tiny pause and alter your intonation – going up when you begin reading a
chunk and falling a little when you end a chunk.

Using appropriate pausing helps you to read more fluently and give the full meaning of the text. This will improve your score. Look at where the pauses /
are indicated in the example:

Photography’s gaze widened during the early years of the twentieth century / and, / as the snapshot
camera became increasingly popular, / the making of photographs became increasingly available / to
a wide cross-section of the public. / The British people grew accustomed to, / and were hungry for,
/the photographic image.

Tip 2 Stress the words that carry important information

When you read the text, stress the words that help to convey meaning, by reading them in a slightly louder voice and adding emphasis to key syllables,
e.g., development. Also use rising and falling intonation patterns to show how the ideas are linked or are coming to an end. Look at the patterns in this
text; the stressed words are underlined, and the rising and falling intonation is marked by up Ç and down È arrows:

The development of easy-to-use statistical software È has changed the way statistics is being taught
and learned È. Students can make transformations of variables Ç, create graphs of distributions of
variables Ç, and select among statistical analyses È all at the click of a button È. However È, even
with these advancements È, students sometimes find statistics to be an arduous task È.

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 SPEAKING: Repeat sentence

Tip 3
Listen to the phrasing of the sentence as it is read aloud

You will be scored on the correct word sequences that you produce for this item type, so the more phrases you understand, the better your
reproduction of the sentence will be. For example, there are three phrases in this sentence, separated by /, and each one carries a separate message
that has its own meaning:

Next week’s tutorial / on Tuesday / has been cancelled.

If you listen for meaningful phrases in the sentence, you will have a better chance of repeating what you hear accurately.

Tip 4 Copy the stress and intonation patterns of the sentence you hear

Make a mental note of the way the speaker uses stress and intonation on the recording. These patterns help to convey the meaning. Speak calmly and
clearly, copying this stress and intonation. For example, look at the pattern in the example: the stressed words or syllables are underlined, and the
falling intonation is marked by down È arrows:

I’m going to attend the briefing È for students È.

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 SPEAKING: Describe image

Tip 5
Focus on the main information in the image

When you look at the image ask yourself ‘‘What is the main idea being shown by the image?’’ and ‘‘What are the details relating to the main ideas?’’. Use
your erasable noteboard booklet to note down key ideas and phrases that relate to the main information and the explanatory details. These can be
put into sentences when you start to speak:

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 SPEAKING: Describe image

Tip 6 Organize your description of the image

If you organize what you say, you will get a better score. This is because a well-organized answer is more likely to cover the main information as well
as the additional details, and also talk about implications or conclusions based on the information. Look at how this sample description is organized:

General ‘‘The graph er describes the main countries to which New

content Zealand exports goods.

Um, Australia is the largest single country. New Zealand exports

21% of its goods there and this is followed by the USA, which er
receives 14% of New Zealand’s goods.

Main The next largest markets in order are Japan (11%), China (6%)
point and the UK (5%); 43% of New Zealand’s exports go to countries
other than these big markets.

Other New Zealand is very dependent on the Australian market as a

details and destination for exports; perhaps it needs to diversify and seek
conclusion
other markets, such as building up exports to China.’’

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 SPEAKING: Re-tell lecture

Tip 7 Make good use of the image to predict the topic of the lecture

You have 3 seconds before you listen to the recording to quickly look at the image on the screen. Use this time to think about the vocabulary you might
hear. This will give you an idea of the topic of the lecture and help you predict what you will hear when the recording begins:

Vocabulary
rocket
launch
sky

Topic
space travel
exploration

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 SPEAKING: Re-tell lecture

Tip 8 Make good use of the 40 seconds speaking time

You only have 40 seconds to speak and make sure that you include all the main points of the lecture. If you repeat ideas, correct yourself or hesitate,
you will use up valuable time and lose score points. So keep talking and ignore any mistakes that you make.

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 SPEAKING: Answer short question

Tip 9 Do not pause for too long when you answer the question

You hear a short question and then the recording status box will change to recording:

Start your answer as soon as this happens. If you wait for more than 3 seconds, recording will stop and the item status will change to ‘completed’, which
means that you have lost your chance to give your answer.

When you have started talking, don’t stop for more than a second or two until you have finished. If you stop for 3 seconds whilst speaking, the recording
status will change to ‘completed’ even if you haven’t finished, and you won’t be able to continue answering:

If the status changes to ‘completed’, you have to click ‘Next’ to move on to the next item. This also applies to speaking item types Read aloud, Repeat
sentence, Describe image and Re-tell lecture.

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 SPEAKING: Answer short question

Tip 10 Do not try to give a long answer

The instructions for this item type tell you how to answer the question:

You will hear a question. Please give a simple and short answer. Often just one or a few words is enough.

There is no point in saying more than you need to say. Marks are awarded for a short, accurate answer. There are no extra marks for additional words.
For example, for this question: ‘What type of periodical is published on a daily basis?’, both these answers would score the same marks:

newspapers
It’s newspapers that are published every day.

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 WRITING: Summarize written text

Tip 11
Make sure your response is in the correct form

When you have written your response, check to make sure that it is only one sentence, with a capital letter at the beginning and only one full stop at the
end.

Your response must be between 5 and 75 words so check the word count using the ‘Total Word Count’ counter below the response box. If you write
fewer than five words or more than 75 words, your response will not be scored:

Check the word count after you have

typed in your response

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 WRITING: Summarize written text

Tip 12
Practice using compound and complex sentences

Your response must be expressed within one sentence, so you will need to use a complex or compound sentence to be able to summarize the main
point of the passage and also briefly mention the supporting detail. For example, look at the clause structures used in these summaries to link
supporting ideas to the main point:

Pronoun
Legal rights and safeguards lead to long-lived investments by individuals, which have a far higher ‘which’
impact on raising living standards of countries than these countries’ natural resources. introduces a
relative clause,
Just-in-time production relates goods produced to demand for goods and reduces the amount of creating a
wasted time, costs and materials. complex
sentence

Conjunction ‘and’ joins

two simple sentences
together to produce a
compound sentence

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 WRITING: Write essay

Tip 13
Start by analyzing the task

Before you write anything, note key words in the prompt. Find out the topic, what key points you should focus on to answer the question and any
points of view to present and discuss:

Key words in prompt

Time limit, genre, word limit

Key points
to cover
health costs
Topic health care
Tobacco costs
and lost
smoking productivity

Points of
view to
present
wider
community
/citizens
governments
the individual

Analyzing these four areas will help you to approach the task, structure your essay and decide on your main ideas.

The content of your answer is very important. If you do not write about the topic in the prompt, you will receive no score points at all for this item
type.

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 WRITING: Write essay

Tip 14
Analyze the essay prompt so you know how to answer

Essay prompts can be written in a number of ways. For example, you may need to discuss whether you agree or disagree with a statement:

You may have to consider how different groups of people might feel about a particular situation:

You may need to argue for and against an opinion or discuss advantages and disadvantages of a situation. If there is a statement followed by a
question, read the question very carefully and note key words. Make sure you know what to do.

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 READING: Multiple choice, choose single answer

Tip 15
Note the key words in the prompt before you read the text

The prompt for this item type may be a question or a sentence that you have to complete. Whatever type of prompt you get, read it carefully because it
will tell you what information you need to find in the text:

Prompt – with
key words that
tell you to look
for something
that is an
‘indicator’ of
‘climate
change’ in
‘Australia’

Answer is
here

If you focus on the key words in the prompt, you will find the answer more quickly and spend less time reading the text. This strategy also applies to
multiple-choice questions with more than one answer.

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 READING: Multiple choice, choose single answer

Tip 16
Evaluate the response options
Answer
is here.
The response options may be words, phrases or sentences. Use your own knowledge to decide whether any of them are unlikely to be correct, or likely to
be correct. You can do this before you read the text:

Could be correct

Unlikely to be correct

Unlikely to be correct - NOT an

indicator of climate change

Not sure

Answer is
most likely Most likely to be correct – has
option been in news recently

If you read the text but cannot answer the question, choose the option that you think is most likely to be correct. This strategy also applies to
multiple-choice questions with more than one answer.

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 READING: Multiple choice, choose multiple answers

Tip 17 Make sure you know how the task is scored

Read the instructions carefully. Remember that more than one option is correct in this type of multiple choice item.

You will score marks for any correct options but you will lose score points for any incorrect options; these include:
• options that you have clicked on as correct but which are wrong
• options that are correct but that you have not clicked on

If you click on all the options, because you do not know the answer, you will lose score points. This applies to Multiple choice, choose multiple
answers item types for reading and listening.

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 READING: Multiple choice, choose multiple answers

.
Tip 18 Note any repeated words in the options

Quickly read through the response options and note any words that are repeated, particularly adjectives (e.g., ‘multigrade’) or nouns (e.g., ‘classes’). If
the same noun phrase occurs in a lot of the options, the answer is probably related to this phrase.

Scan the text for the repeated words. Then read around them to find the answer more quickly:

These two
paragraphs
are about
multigrade
and mixed
ability
classes

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 READING: Re-order paragraphs

Tip 19 Read all the text boxes quickly before you start re-ordering them

Read the text boxes in order to understand the main idea of each one. You can do this by noting the key words.

Next, use the key words to form an overall idea of what the original text is about. This will help you find the logical order for the ideas in the text
boxes:

The text
is about
a study on
The text
the link
is about
between diet
a study on
and acne
the link
in women.
between diet
and acne
in women

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 READING: Re-order paragraphs

Tip 20 Find the topic sentence first

Every well-written paragraph has a topic sentence. It is usually a clear statement about the topic, and all the other sentences are related in some way
to this sentence.

The topic sentence can stand alone; it does not begin with a linker or a pronoun that refers back to something or someone (e.g., ‘he’ or ‘this’), nor does
it does refer back to information or actions previously mentioned through the use of things like passive verb tenses (‘No link was found’):

Pronoun refers back to someone

No mention of the topic

Definite article means women

have been mentioned before

Passive refers back to a study

This is the
only sentence that states
the topic and stands alone

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 READING: Fill in the blanks

Tip 21 Think about words that you often see or hear together

Remember that some words often go together to form a familiar phrase. This is called ‘collocation’. Using collocation can help you recognize the
correct word for each blank. For example, the phrase ‘the general public’ is a common collocation, so you can quickly see that ‘public’ might be a good
choice for the first blank in the sentence below:

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 READING: Fill in the blanks

Tip 22 Use your knowledge of grammar to help you select the correct word

Read around the blank in the text and decide what part of speech the missing word is. In the example below, ‘beginning to’ tells you that an infinitive
verb form is missing ‘to + verb’. Next look at the answer options provided and rule out any words that are not the right part of speech, e.g., ‘world’ is a
noun and ‘formal’ is an adjective. Also rule out any verbs that are not in the infinitive form.

Finally, choose from the words that are left, the one that has the correct meaning: ‘view’ and ‘look’ mean ‘see’, but we ‘quote’ or ‘cite’ references,
so only ‘cite’ fits the blank:

An infinitive verb form is

missing here

‘view’ and ‘look’ fit in terms of form but they

have the wrong meaning

Only ‘cite’ fits in terms ‘prescribed’ and ‘serving’ are verbs but they are
of meaning and form in the wrong form

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 READING & WRITING: Fill in the blanks

Tip 23
Skim for overall meaning to help you choose the correct word

Understanding the meaning of the whole text helps you choose the correct word for each blank. For example, if you skim the passage below, you will
find key ideas and words which point to a main topic of ‘change’.

When you click on the drop down arrows, you may find options that are also related to the main topic. You can then check grammar and overall
meaning to see whether the words fit the blanks:

‘revolutionized’ is
‘transformation’ is a a past participle that
noun that means means improved
‘complete change’ through complete
change

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 READING & WRITING: Fill in the blanks

Tip 24
Read before and after the blank to help you identify the correct word

The choices in the drop-down menus may look quite similar but will have different meanings and usage. Looking at the surrounding context will help
you choose the appropriate word. In the example below, only ‘access’ fits in the phrase ‘gained …………. to technologies’; pick words that match the
meaning (gain access) and grammar (‘access to’). Reading either side of the blank will help you narrow down the choices you have to make:

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 LISTENING: Summarize spoken text

Tip 25
Make sure you summarize the main point and include the supporting points

When you take notes using an erasable noteboard booklet, whilst you listen to the recording, make sure you note down the supporting points as well as
the main idea. From your notes, you can then summarize the main point and refer briefly to the essential supporting points, which will gain you good
marks for content.

You will hear a short lecture. Write a summary for a fellow student who was not present at the lecture. You should write 50-70 words.

You have 10 minutes to finish this task. Your response will be judged on the quality of your writing and on how well your response
presents the key points presented in the lecture.

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 LISTENING: Summarize spoken text

Tip 26
Remember to check grammar, spelling and punctuation

In your 50-70 word summary, you will be scored on the enabling skills of grammar, spelling and vocabulary. So leave yourself 1-2 minutes after you have
written your summary to check your sentences for things like subject/verb agreement, tenses and word order.

Use grammatical structures that you can use confidently, and words that you are sure you have spelled correctly. Finally, check for punctuation: check
full stops and commas, and make sure you have begun each sentence with a capital letter:

Error in verb form Full stop missing

Incorrect

The Disney CEO is respond to a question about the value of locally produced content in a global world He answer by
pointing out that his product is well known and will continue to grow. However, he feels is it still important to have
his staffs working in the local situation and to use local cretivty.

Spelling mistakes Wrong word

order

Correct

The Disney CEO is responding to a question about the value of locally produced content in a global world. He answers by
pointing out that his product is well known and will continue to grow. However, he feels it is still important to have
his staff working in the local situation and to use local creativity.

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 LISTENING: Multiple choice, choose multiple answers

Tip 27
Take notes of the main points and supporting details

In the 7 seconds before the recording begins, read the question and get ready to take notes to help you answer. Taking notes is likely to be more helpful
than trying to select options while you listen because you may not hear the information in exactly the same order as the options.

Note down details (e.g., times, places, things that happened) as well as the main points, because you will need to select more than one option:

Answer options 1, 3 and

5 are about areas of
land, so you need to
note down anything
that happened to land
to help get the right
answers

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 LISTENING: Multiple choice, choose multiple answers

Tip 28
Select for meaning, not just to match the words you hear

Select the options that best match the meaning of what you have heard. Don’t just choose an option because it has the same words or phrases as the
recording. Several options may use words from the recording but may not match the meaning of what you have heard.

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 LISTENING: Fill in the blanks

Tip 29
Skim the text before the recording begins

In the 7 seconds before the recording begins, you only have time to skim the text. As you do this, ignore the gaps and try to get an overall idea of what
the text is about. This will help you recognize the words that fit the gaps, as you hear them.

Some of the things you can look for are:

• Proper nouns (that begin with a capital letter). They can give you information about people and what they do (e.g., ‘Mike Griffiths …
conservationist’), places (e.g., ‘Indonesian island of Sumatra’) and organizations (e.g., ‘conservation group The Leuser International Foundation’).
(Don’t worry if you don’t know where or who they are).
• Nouns that are repeated in the text. They may help you decide on the topic.

Name of island Name of city

Name of forest

Name of
person,
followed by
what he does

Name of conservation group + ‘conservation’ is mentioned twice. So text is about

conservation in this area
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 LISTENING: Fill in the blanks

Tip 30
As you listen, write the words you hear for the blanks on your ‘erasable noteboard booklet’

The recording is at normal speed and is only played once. When you are listening, you do not have time to think about how to spell the missing words.
Use your erasable noteboard booklet to write down what you think you hear:

After the recording has finished, you can read through the text, and use your notes to decide on the words that are missing and how they are spelled.
Then type them into the gaps:

Remember, the next item does not start until you click Next (N) at the bottom of the screen, so you have a little time to think about your answers.

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 LISTENING: Highlight correct summary

Tip 31
Take notes and match them to the correct summary

Don’t read the options before or while you are listening to the recording as there is too much to read, and this will distract you. Instead, note down the
key ideas on your erasable noteboard booklet as you listen (e.g., key words and phrases, numbers, names and dates and any information that is
highlighted by the speaker through stress and intonation). Then read the options and match the option that is closest in detail to your notes:

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 LISTENING: Multiple choice, choose single answer

Tip 32
Focus on the kind of information you need

For listening multiple-choice questions, the stem of the question tells you what to listen for. Being aware of the focus of the question will help guide
your listening.

For example, it will tell you whether you are listening for the main idea:

What was the main cause of the company’s collapse?

Or listening for some supporting information or details:

What aspect of past transport policy does the speaker mention?

Or listening for an inference drawn by the speaker:

What does the speaker suggest that the factory may have to do?

Or listening for the speaker’s purpose:

Why does the speaker talk about the fall in car ownership?

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 LISTENING: Multiple choice, choose single answer

Tip 33
Skim the question and answer options before you listen to understand the topic

In the 5 seconds before the recording begins, quickly read the question and answer options to make sure you understand the topic. For example, in the
sample below, the question shows that the speaker will talk about the future, and the options show you they all include the word ‘media’. So you are
listening to hear what the speaker thinks will happen to the media in the future:

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 LISTENING: Select missing word

Tip 34
Know what to do if you change your mind about the answer

For each item in this task, there are three to five response options but only ONE option is correct. At the end of the recording, click on the option you
think is correct.

The next recording does not begin playing until you click ‘Next’. So you have a little time to think about your answer. If you want to change your answer,
click on it again to ‘de-select’ it. Then click on the option you think is correct:

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 LISTENING: Highlight incorrect words

Tip 35 Quickly read the transcription before you listen to focus on key words

In the 10 seconds before the recording begins, you cannot read word-for-word, but you can skim the transcription.

Focus on the words that give you information: e.g., nouns (‘economy’), adjectives (‘industrial’) and verbs (‘manufactured’). Decide what the general
topic is. This will help you pick out words that do not fit this topic area, as you read and listen:

The text
compares
present
and past
approaches
to economic
activity

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 LISTENING: Highlight incorrect words

Tip 36 Follow the text with the cursor as you listen

In this item type, you have to select the wrong words as the text is read. Don’t try to make notes as you listen.

Move the cursor along the screen as the words are spoken, and click on any words that sound different from the words on the screen:

When explorer Roald Amundsen

set out to find the Northwest
Passage, his official mission was
scientific – a search for the
magnetic north pole.

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 LISTENING: Write from dictation

Tip 37
Type as many correct words as you can remember into the response box in the correct order

You will score points for every correct word that you write in the response box. If you can remember a word but you are not sure where it goes in the
sentence, use your knowledge of English grammar to help you decide:

Answer
Type it where it fits
grammatically into
the sentence. It’s a
verb so it will
probably go after
Question
the subject – ‘cart’.
I heard
carries but
where does it
go?

A cart carries a single object.

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