5+ Tips For Pte Speaking Read Aloud Practice

The PTE will test you on your overall comprehension of the English language in a number of different ways. But the speaking read aloud section will focus on just how closely you can look at given text, read the content and sound like a native speaker. While some of the other question types of the exam may be difficult, this is one that may be the trickiest for anyone. It involves not only being able to read the words, some of which are difficult, but pronounce them properly and speak in the right cadence as a native speaker. Yes, in read aloud, you get marks in both reading and speaking. Improving your ability to do that is what this PTE speaking read aloud practice guide is all about.

1 Know the Intonation

Native English speakers pause with commas and periods. They emphasize words that are most important in a sentence and they don’t emphasize prepositions and articles. When you’re practicing before the recording begins, try to read through the text in front of you with more even intonation. That means stressing words that need it and not overly emphasizing words that are not important to the content of the paragraph. Intonation is one of the pieces that goes into your score and knowing how to do it properly will give you an edge.

2 Understand the Text

If you understand what the text is talking about, you’ll have a better chance of reading it through properly the first time. It’s not absolutely necessary for you to know what is being said in the paragraph, but it can help you figure out which words need to be emphasized and which ones are not as important. Taking a few seconds to scan over the text and try to recognize what’s being said might help you when it’s time to read. This could influence the way you say certain words or sound out words you don’t know.

3 Know How to Sound Out Words

You won’t have a lot of time (35 seconds) to practice the paragraph before you have to start reading out loud. That means you need to know how to sound out words so you can do it quickly before your practice time is up. If you scan over the text and see words you don’t recognize or aren’t sure how to pronounce focus on those during your practice time. Sound out the word and repeat it a few times to make sure when you get to that part of the recording you know what to say.

4 Know the Punctuation

Punctuation is an important part of any paragraph. You need to know what each of those types of punctuation is, like commas, semi-colons, dashes, and periods. You also need to know what each of them means and how to react during your reading. Pausing for too long at a comma could make it seem like a period. Not pausing enough at a period could make it difficult to know you’ve ended the sentence. Those types of mistakes could cost you points in your reading score.

5. Just Relax

If you get too nervous about the paragraph you need to read it can cause you to stumble, stutter, lose your place or forget things that you know well. That can result in a lower score. Instead, take a second before the recording starts to take a deep breath and get ready. By the time you get to test day you know what you’re doing and you’re ready. You just need to work on reading aloud to improve speaking leads up to PTE exam day.

When it comes to preparing for the PTE speaking read aloud exam you need to feel confident in what you’re reading every time you look at the text. If you’re struggling with this part or you’re not sure you’ll be well prepared for the speaking read aloud question type of the exam, check out the PTE speaking read aloud practice tests and practice questions available on our website. You’ll be able to improve your skills and develop a better understanding of the English language as a native speaker.