Are you planning to attempt the PTE exam this year? Then there are some things that you must be aware of. From August 7, 2025, Pearson, the company that organises and manages PTE, will implement a few changes to make the test more authentic and effective in its ability to determine all test takers’ English language skills. The changes will apply to both PTE Academic and PTE Academic UKVI. So, whichever category you were planning to sit for, be sure to make note of these changes and prepare right in your PTE preparatory journey.
With us, go through these changes one by one and make sure you are on top of your PTE knowledge. But before we get started, let’s have a quick glimpse at what will remain unchanged.
What Remains the Same?
- Structure: 3 sections (Speaking & Writing, Reading, Listening).
- Scoring Criteria: You will be marked based on your language proficiency; your accent doesn’t matter.
- Result: You will get the result within 2-5 days of taking the exam.
What Has Changed?
Two New Question Types
Starting from August 2025, all testakers for both PTE Academic and PTE Academic UKVI will encounter two new questions in the Speaking & Writing section –
- Summarise Group Discussion: In this, you will listen to a short group discussion and then provide a spoken summary of it, covering all key points. You will be tested on your listening comprehension, speaking fluency, and summarising skills.
- Prompt Length: Up to 3 minutes
- Time to Answer: 2 minutes
- Respond to a Situation: You’ll be presented with a real-life scenario and asked to respond as if you’re in that situation. This question type will assess your functional language use, spoken interaction, and pronunciation.
- Prompt Length: Up to 60 words (text)
- Time to Answer: 40 seconds
Increased Human Oversight
PTE will still be AI evaluated, but humans will now review 7 tasks to reduce formulaic answers and make more room for personal interpretations.
These tasks are –
- Describe Image
- Retell Lecture
- Respond to a Situation
- Summarise Group Discussion
- Summarise Written Text
- Write Essay
- Summarise Spoken Text
Test Format Adjustments
- With the two new additions, the question types will increase from 20 to 22.
- To accommodate more question types, the new test duration will be 2 hours, 15 minutes; earlier, it was 2 hours. s
UI Enhancements
To improve the test experience, some UI enhancements will be implemented.
- “Beep” will indicate when to start speaking in the Repeat Sentence
- Reduced font sizes
- Circular progress bar
- Live audio waveform
- Microphone rechecks
Who Does This Apply To?
- Before August 7, 2025: Your test follows the existing format (20 item types, two h duration).
- On/after August 7, 2025: New tasks, extended duration, and improved UI.
How to Adapt Your PTE Preparation As Per the Changes?
Practice the New Tasks
It’s just two new question types, but if you don’t master them, it can significantly impact your score. So, make sure you dedicate a fraction of your time towards understanding how these question types work and how to answer them correctly. At EnglishWise, our PTE training has incorporated both types of questions. With us, you will be sure to go through all kinds of questions that you will be tested on and be 100% prepared for the exam.
Use Updated Mock Tests
Make sure that the mock tests that you are attempting are updated. If you keep on practicing the ones following older formats, you won’t be able to adapt yourselves to the UI changes like beep prompts, circular timers, waveform audio visual. Our mock test collection gives you hands-on experience with the latest interface and question formats, so you’re fully prepared for the real exam environment.
Avoid Template Reliance
Now that human review will become more significant, sticking to template-based answers won’t get you a perfect score. Ensure your content is relevant to the topic, and you deliver a personalised answer. Whether you are attempting Describe Image, Retell Lecture, or Write Essay, be sure to add your personal insights and make it more appealing to the human evaluator.
Time Management
With the introduction of two new question types in 2025, the total test time increases by about 15 minutes. However, since more tasks are now included, this does not translate to extra time per question. So, be sure to divide your time efficiently and ensure you have time to attempt each and every question. Updated mock tests can go a long way in helping you understand how to effectively divide your time.
Prepare Right with EnglishWise
Wherever you are in your PTE preparation journey, whether you are just getting started or have already achieved most of your practice milestones, we are here to help you understand these latest updates and ensure you stay on track to achieve your target score. It’s important that you practice as per the updated format if you wish to settle for nothing less than a perfect score. At Englishwise, we are a team of language experts who have helped individuals across all age groups pass the PTE exam with flying colours. No matter what your current proficiency level is, our comprehensive PTE training helps you achieve complete proficiency in English and attempt the exam with confidence.
From the latest formats to mock tests with updated structure and questions, we have it all to support your success. Get in touch with us today and start your PTE preparations on the right foot.
