Planning to Take the PTE Exam in 2025?
If you're planning to take the PTE Academic exam after August 7, 2025, you need to be aware of some important updates to the exam format. Pearson has made several significant changes to the test, focusing more on assessing real-world English skills rather than memorized responses. This shift ensures that the exam tests your ability to use English in everyday situations, making it more relevant to real-life communication. These updates will help you better prepare and approach the new PTE Academic format with confidence.

In this blog, we'll walk you through the key changes, explain why they’ve been implemented, and provide tips on how to adjust your study approach to ace the new exam.

Why Has the PTE Format Changed?

The format of the PTE Academic exam has been updated to focus more on practical communication skills. Feedback from students indicated that they wanted the test to reflect real-life situations, where language skills are used in day-to-day life. Pearson listened to this feedback and redesigned the exam to better assess how well you can use English naturally and effectively in the world around you. The new format aims to evaluate more authentic and spontaneous communication skills.

What’s New in PTE Academic from August 2025?

1. Two New Speaking Tasks

The updated PTE Academic exam introduces two new speaking tasks that are designed to assess your communication skills in real-life situations:

• Respond to a Situation
  You will be presented with a short scenario and asked to respond appropriately. This could involve apologizing, offering help, or giving a simple, polite response to a situation. The goal here is to test how naturally and clearly you can communicate in everyday situations.
  
  

• Summarize a Group Discussion
  In this task, you will listen to a conversation between two or more people discussing a topic, and you will then summarize what they discussed in 20-30 seconds. This task assesses your listening skills and your ability to convey the main points of a conversation clearly and succinctly.
  
  

2. Beep Sound in Repeat Sentence Task

In the Repeat Sentence task, Pearson has introduced a helpful beep sound that will let you know exactly when to start speaking. This update makes it easier to know when to begin your response, ensuring you can complete the task with more confidence.

3. User Interface (UI) Improvements

Pearson has made several changes to the test’s interface to improve the overall experience:

• Double mic check for better voice detection, ensuring that your answers are recorded clearly.
  
  

• No keyboard check to simplify the process and remove unnecessary steps.
  
  

• Circular progress bar that shows how much time you have left to complete each task.
  
  

• Larger font size for easier reading of questions and instructions.
  
  

• Real-time audio waveform so you can monitor your speaking volume as you respond.
  
  

4. Longer Test Duration

The updated PTE Academic exam will take approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes, which is 15 minutes longer than the previous format. This extra time allows for the inclusion of the new tasks and gives you a bit more time to complete the exam.

5. Human Scoring for 7 Key Tasks

Pearson will now use human evaluators for seven key tasks in the exam. These tasks include:

• Describe Image
  
  

• Retell Lecture
  
  

• Respond to a Situation
  
  

• Summarize Group Discussion
  
  

• Summarize Written Text
  
  

• Write Essay
  
  

• Summarize Spoken Text
  
  

Human scoring means that your responses will be assessed for naturalness and clarity, not just for correctness. So, focusing on giving clear, spontaneous answers instead of relying on memorized phrases will be essential for achieving high scores.

How to Prepare for the New PTE Format

1. Practice Speaking Naturally

With the focus on real-life communication, it’s important to practice speaking naturally. Consider different everyday situations, such as offering help, making a request, or explaining a simple concept. Practicing these scenarios will help you perform confidently in the “Respond to a Situation” task and improve your speaking skills overall.

2. Practice Listening and Summarizing

For the “Summarize Group Discussion” task, try listening to conversations, interviews, or podcasts where multiple speakers discuss a topic. After listening, practice summarizing the main points in your own words in a concise and clear manner. This will help you develop your listening and summarization skills.

3. Use Updated Practice Materials

To get the most out of your preparation, make sure you’re using updated practice materials that match the new exam format. This will help you become familiar with the new tasks, timing, and the updated interface, ensuring you’re fully prepared for the exam day.

4. Avoid Overusing Templates

While using templates is still allowed, you should avoid relying on them too much. Human evaluators are looking for answers that sound natural and spontaneous, so it’s better to speak in your own words. Overuse of templates may make your responses sound mechanical, which could lower your score.

Summary of the Changes

• Two new speaking tasks: “Respond to a Situation” and “Summarize Group Discussion”, both designed to assess real-life communication.
  
  

• A beep sound added to the Repeat Sentence task to help you know when to start speaking.
  
  

• User interface improvements, such as a circular progress bar, real-time audio feedback, and a larger font size for better readability.
  
  

• Human scoring for seven key tasks, including “Describe Image” and “Summarize Group Discussion”.
  
  

• The exam duration has been extended by 15 minutes to accommodate the new tasks.
  
  

• The exam now focuses on real-life English skills, rather than memorized responses.
  
  

Final Thoughts

The changes to the PTE Academic exam in 2025 aim to better reflect how you use English in the real world. By practicing natural communication, refining your listening and summarizing skills, and getting comfortable with the new tasks, you will be well-prepared for the updated exam. Remember, the key to success is demonstrating your ability to communicate effectively in everyday situations, not just repeating memorized answers.

FAQs

1. Is the scoring system changing?
   No, the scoring scale remains the same, from 10 to 90, with both AI and human evaluators involved in scoring.
   
   

2. Do these changes apply to PTE Core?
   No, the changes are specific to PTE Academic and PTE UKVI Academic exams.
   
   

3. Is the test now longer?
   Yes, the updated test will take around 2 hours and 15 minutes, which is 15 minutes longer than the previous version.
   
   

4. Can I still use old study materials?
   Some older materials may still be helpful, but it’s best to use updated resources that reflect the new test format.
   
   

5. Are templates banned?
   Templates are not banned, but over-relying on them may hurt your score. Focus on speaking naturally and confidently for better results.
   
   

Source: PTE Academic August 2025 Update