PTE Academic – Speaking: 1.6 Answer short question
Task : After listening to a question, answer with a single word or a few words.
Skills assessed : Listening and speaking
Prompt length : 3-9 seconds
Time to answer : 10 seconds
For this item type you need to reply to the question in one or a few words.
The audio begins to play automatically. You may also see an image.
When the audio finishes, the microphone opens and the recording status box shows “Recording”. Speak into the microphone immediately (there is no short tone) and answer the question with one or a few words.
You should speak clearly. There is no need to rush.
Finish speaking before the progress bar reaches the end. The word “Recording” changes to “Completed”.
You are not able to replay the audio. You are only able to record your response once.
PTE Academic – Speaking: 1.6 Answer short question – Test Tips
1- 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. ,strong>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.
2- Do not try to give a long answer :
The instructions for this item type tell you how to answer the question:
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:
3- How this question is scored :
Your response for Answer Short Question is judged on our ability to understand a question presented in a recording and provide a brief and accurate response. Your response is scored as either correct or incorrect based on the appropriacy of the words in your response. No credit is given for no response or an incorrect response.
Note :
- This question type affects the scoring of the following: listening, speaking and vocabulary.
- Your writing skills are not tested by this question type, and your reading skills are only used to read the instructions.
- For more information download the Score Guide.
PTE Academic – Speaking: 1.6 Answer short question – Test Format
In this segment, the test takers are asked simple questions on different topics of common interest. The test takers have to answer the question in ONE or a few words. In total, there are 11 questions. The prompt length for each is 3 to 9 seconds while the test takers have 10 second to answer.
As the test begins, the audio begins on the computer screen. The test takers may also be given an image and ask a question. As the audio completes, recording gets on and no beep or any other caution is given to start speaking. There is only the recording bar moving on the screen. Thus answer the question immediately without wasting time before the recording bar reaches its point.
Useful Tips :
1- Give a Prompt Answer :
The test takers are expected to give answer to the question without any pause. If they do not speak for 3 seconds, the recording bar will stop and the computer screen will display ‘Completed’. It means you have lost your chance.
2- Do not take Pauses :
If your answer is more than a word, you should continue speaking unless it finishes. Any pause in speech, of more than a second will mean that you are not able to complete your answer.
3- Press ‘Next’ :
When the ‘Recording Box’ displays the following words: ‘Current Status: Completed’, you should press ‘Next” for another question to complete this segment.
4- Avoid Longer Answers :
Do not drag your answers to unnecessary length. Neither the time given to you nor the test requirement allows you to create lengthy answers. The instructions given to test takers before the beginning of this section clearly mention it. The basic criterion is to: ‘give simple and short answer in one or few words’.
5- Q. What is the place called where people go for games, and other physical exercise?
Answer: Gym
Gymnasium
The place where people go for physical fitness is called gym.
All the above answers are correct but the first two are more appropriate than the last one which is unnecessary long.
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