Score Guide PTEA
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Page Count: 72
- 1 Reported Scores: An Overview
- 2 Item Scoring: An Overview
- 3 Item Scoring: Skills Tested and Scoring Criteria
- 4 Using PTE Academic Scores
- 5 Estimates of Concordance between PTE Academic, TOEFL and IELTS
- 6 Scored Samples
- 7 References
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PTE Academic
Score Guide
November 2012
Version 4
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PTE Academic
Score Guide
© Copyright Pearson Education Ltd 2012. All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written
permission of Pearson Education Ltd.
Contents
1 Reported Scores: An Overview 2
Overall score 2
Communicative skills scores 2
Enabling skills scores 2
2 Item Scoring: An Overview 4
Correct or incorrect 4
Partial credit 4
3 Item Scoring: Skills Tested and Scoring Criteria 8
Part 1 Speaking and writing 8
Read aloud 8
Repeat sentence 10
Describe image 12
Re-tell lecture 14
Answer short question 16
Summarize written text 17
Write essay 19
Scoring criteria: Pronunciation and Oral fluency 21
Part 2 Reading 22
Multiple-choice, choose single answer 22
Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers 23
Re-order paragraphs 24
Reading: Fill in the blanks 25
Reading and writing: Fill in the blanks 26
Part 3 Listening 27
Summarize spoken text 27
Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers 29
Fill in the blanks 30
Highlight correct summary 31
Multiple-choice, choose single answer 32
Select missing word 33
Highlight incorrect words 34
Write from dictation 35
4 Using PTE Academic Scores 36
How institutions can use PTE Academic scores 36
Overall score and communicative skills scores 36
Enabling skills scores 37
Alignment with CEF 38
The PTE Academic Score Scale and the CEF 38
What PTE Academic scores mean 39
PTE Academic Requirements 39
Error of measurement 42
Overall score and communicative skills scores 42
Enabling skills scores 43
Test reliability 43
5 Estimates of Concordance between PTE Academic, TOEFL and IELTS 44
Test comparisons using field test data 44
Information on concordances since the launch of PTE Academic 45
Relation to the Common European Framework 45
Validity check using BETA testing data 45
Concordance of PTE Academic with other measures of English 46
Estimates of concordance between PTE Academic and the descriptive scale of the CEF 47
Estimates of concordance between PTE Academic and TOEFL iBT 49
Estimates of concordance between PTE Academic and IELTS 50
6 Scored Samples 51
Automated scoring 51
Scoring written English skills 51
Scoring spoken English skills 51
Spoken samples 53
Example Describe image item 53
Test Taker responses 55
Overall performance rating 58
Written samples 59
Example Write essay item ‘Tobacco’ 59
Test Taker Responses 61
Overall performance rating 64
7 References 65
Using PTE Academic scores 65
Concordance to other tests 65
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 1 of 71
Introduction
Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) is an international computer-based English
language test. It provides a measure of a test taker’s language ability in order to assist education
institutions and professional and government organizations that require a standard of academic
English language proficiency for admission purposes.
The Score Guide is designed for anyone who wants to learn more about how the different tasks in
PTE Academic are scored. The Guide will help you to understand:
What test takers are assessed on
How to use scores reported on the score report
How to compare PTE Academic scores with scores on other English language tests
How automated scoring operates
The Guide has been bookmarked and linked so that you can access sections quickly from the
‘Contents’ page and dip into the topics you want to know more about.
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1 Reported Scores: An Overview
PTE Academic reports an overall score, communicative skills scores and enabling skills scores.
Overall score
The overall score is based on performance on all test items (tasks in the test consisting of
instructions, questions or prompts, answer opportunities and scoring rules). Each test taker does
between 70 and 91 items in any given test and there are 20 different item types. For each item,
the score given contributes to the overall score. The score range is 10–90 points.
Communicative skills scores
The communicative skills measured are listening, reading, speaking and writing. Items testing
these communicative skills also test specific subskills. For integrated skills items (that is, those
assessing reading and speaking, listening and speaking, reading and writing, listening and writing,
or listening and reading) the item score contributes to the score for the communicative skills that
the item assesses. The score range for each skill is 10–90 points.
Enabling skills scores
The enabling skills are used to rate performance in the productive skills of speaking and writing.
The enabling skills measured are grammar, oral fluency, pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary,
and written discourse. The scores for enabling skills are based on performance on only those
items that assess these skills specifically. The score range for each skill is 10–90 points.
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 2 of 71
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 3 of 71
The enabling skills reported are described as follows:
Grammar Correct use of language with respect to word form and word order at the
sentence level
Oral fluency Smooth, effortless and natural-paced delivery of speech
Pronunciation
Production of speech sounds in a way that is easily understandable to most
regular speakers of the language. Regional or national varieties of English
pronunciation are considered correct to the degree that they are easily
understandable to most regular speakers of the language
Spelling Writing of words according to the spelling rules of the language. All national
variations are considered correct, but one spelling convention should be used
consistently in a given response
Vocabulary Appropriate choice of words used to express meaning, as well as lexical range
Written
discourse
Correct and communicatively efficient production of written language at the
textual level. Written discourse skills are represented in the structure of a
written text, its internal coherence, logical development and the range of
linguistic resources used to express meaning precisely
Scores for enabling skills are not awarded when responses are inappropriate for the items in either
content or form. For example, if an essay task requires the test taker to discuss the environment,
but the test taker’s response is entirely devoted to the topic of fashion or sport, no score points will
be given for the response, and none of the enabling skills be scored for the item.
In relation to form, if a task requires a one-sentence summary of a text and the response consists
of a list of words, no score points for the response will be given.
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 4 of 71
2 Item Scoring: An Overview
All items in PTE Academic are machine scored. Scores for some item types are based on
correctness alone, while others are based on correctness, formal aspects and the quality of the
response.
Formal aspects refer to the form of the response: for example, whether it is over or under the word
limit for a particular item type. The quality of the response is represented in the enabling skills. For
example, in the item type Re-tell lecture the response is scored on skills such as oral fluency and
pronunciation.
Scores for item types assessing speaking and writing skills are generated by automated scoring
systems. There are two types of scoring:
Correct or incorrect
Some item types are scored as either correct or incorrect. If responses are correct, a score of 1
score point will be given, but if they are incorrect, no score points are awarded.
Partial credit
Other item types are scored as correct, partially correct or incorrect. If responses to these items
are correct, the maximum score points available for each item type will be received, but if they are
partly correct, some score points will be given, but less than the maximum available for the item
type. If responses are incorrect, no score points will be received.
The tables that follow give an overview of how the 20 item types in the three parts of PTE
Academic are scored. They also show timings, the number of items in any given test, the
communicative skills, enabling skills and other elements scored.
Part 1 Speaking and Writing (approx 77–93 minutes)
Item type Time
allowed Number
of items
Scoring Communicative skills, enabling
skills and other traits scored
Read aloud 6-7 Partial credit Reading and speaking
Oral fluency, pronunciation
Content
Repeat sentence 10-12 Partial credit Listening and speaking
Oral fluency, pronunciation
Content
Describe image 6-7 Partial credit Speaking
Oral fluency, pronunciation
Content
Re-tell lecture
30-35
minutes
3-4 Partial credit Listening and speaking
Oral fluency, pronunciation
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 5 of 71
Content
Answer short
question 10-12 Correct/
incorrect Listening and speaking
Vocabulary
Summarize written
text 20-30
minutes 2-3 Partial credit Reading and writing
Grammar, vocabulary
Content, form
Write essay 20-40
minutes 1-2 Partial credit Writing
Grammar, vocabulary, spelling,
written discourse
Content; development, structure
and coherence; form, general
linguistic range
Part 2 Reading (approximately 32–41 minutes)
Item type Time
allowed Number
of items Scoring Communicative skills, enabling
skills and other traits scored
Multiple-choice,
choose single answer 2-3 Correct/
incorrect Reading
Multiple-choice,
choose multiple
answers
2-3 Partial credit
(for each
correct
response.
Points
deducted for
incorrect
options
chosen)
Reading
Re-order paragraphs 2-3 Partial credit
(for each
correctly
ordered,
adjacent
pair)
Reading
Reading: Fill in the
blanks 4-5 Partial credit
(for each
correctly
completed
blank)
Reading
Reading and writing:
Fill in the blanks
32-41
minutes
5-6 Partial credit
(for each
correctly
completed
blank)
Reading and writing
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 6 of 71
Part 3 Listening (approx 45–57 minutes)
Item type Time
allowed Number
of items Scoring Communicative skills, enabling
skills and other traits scored
Summarize spoken
text 20-30
minutes 2-3 Partial credit Listening and writing
Grammar, vocabulary, spelling
Content, form
Multiple–choice,
choose multiple
answers
2-3 Partial credit
(for each
correct
response.
Points
deducted for
incorrect
options
chosen)
Listening
Fill in the blanks 2-3 Partial credit
(each correct
word spelled
correctly)
Listening and writing
Highlight correct
summary 2-3 Correct/
incorrect Listening and reading
Multiple-choice,
choose single answer 2-3 Correct/
incorrect Listening
Select missing word 2-3 Correct/
incorrect Listening
Highlight incorrect
words 2-3 Partial credit
(for each
word. Points
deducted for
incorrect
options
chosen)
Listening and reading
Write from dictation
23-28
minutes
3-4 Partial credit
(for each
word spelled
correctly)
Listening and writing
Please note: The minimum and maximum timings indicated for the sections of each part of the
test do not add up to the total timings stated. This is because different versions of the test are
balanced for total length. No test taker will get the maximum or minimum times indicated.
Example of item scoring
The diagram on the next page illustrates how different types of scores reported in the PTE
Academic score report are computed for the item type Write essay.
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+ Content (if 0, no further scoring)
Overall score
= Total item score Communicative skills
score: Writing
+ Form (if 0, no further scoring)
+ Other traits
+ Vocabulary
+ Spelling
+ Grammar
+ Development, structure and coherence
+ General linguistic range
Enabling skills
scores
Vocabulary
Spelling
Grammar
Written discourse
The item type is rated on content; form; vocabulary; spelling; grammar; development, structure
and coherence; and general linguistic range.
The item is first scored on content. If no response or an irrelevant response is given, the content
is scored as 0.
If an acceptable response is provided (a score is received for content), the item will be scored on
form. If the response is of the appropriate length, a score will be given and the response will then
be rated on the remaining traits: vocabulary, spelling, grammar; development, structure and
coherence; and general linguistic range.
The scores for content, form and the enabling skills traits (vocabulary, spelling, grammar,
development, structure and coherence, and general linguistic range) add up to the total item
score.
The enabling skills scores awarded for the item contribute to the enabling skills scores reported
for performance on the entire test, which for this particular item type include vocabulary, spelling,
grammar and written discourse.
The total item score contributes to the communicative skills score for writing, as well as to the
overall score reported for performance on the entire test.
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 7 of 71
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3 Item Scoring: Skills Tested and Scoring
Criteria
Please note: The scoring criteria used by human raters for PTE Academic are given. This serves to
give an understanding of what test takers need to demonstrate in their responses. The automated
scoring engines are trained on scores given by human raters. The scores indicated for each trait
undergo a number of complex calculations to produce the total item score.
Part 1 Speaking and writing
Read aloud
Communicative skills tested: Reading and speaking
Subskills tested: Identifying a writer’s purpose, style, tone or attitude; understanding academic
vocabulary; reading a text under timed conditions
Speaking for a purpose (to repeat, to inform, to explain); reading a text aloud; speaking at a
natural rate; producing fluent speech; using correct intonation; using correct pronunciation; using
correct stress; speaking under timed conditions
Scoring
Communicative skills Reading and speaking
Enabling skills and other
traits scored
Content:
Each replacement, omission or insertion of a word counts as one
error
Maximum score: depends on the length of the item prompt
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 8 of 71
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Repeat sentence
Communicative skills tested: Listening and speaking
Subskills tested: Understanding academic vocabulary; inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words;
comprehending variations in tone, speed and accent
Speaking for a purpose (to repeat, to inform, to explain); speaking at a natural rate; producing
fluent speech; using correct intonation; using correct pronunciation; using correct stress; speaking
under timed conditions
Scoring
Communicative skills Listening and speaking
Enabling skills and
other traits scored Content:
Errors = replacements, omissions and insertions only
Hesitations, filled or unfilled pauses, leading or trailing material are
ignored in the scoring of content
3 All words in the response from the prompt in the correct sequence
2 At least 50% of words in the response from the prompt in the correct
sequence
1 Less than 50% of words in the response from the prompt in the correct
sequence
0 Almost nothing from the prompt in the response
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 10 of 71
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Describe image
Communicative skills tested: Speaking
Subskills tested: Speaking for a purpose (to repeat, inform, explain); supporting an opinion with
details, examples and explanations; organizing an oral presentation in a logical way; developing
complex ideas within a spoken discourse; using words and phrases appropriate to the context;
using correct grammar; speaking at a natural rate; producing fluent speech; using correct
intonation; using correct pronunciation; using correct pronunciation; using correct stress; speaking
under timed conditions
Scoring
Communicative
skills Speaking
Enabling skills
and other traits
scored
Content:
5 Describes all elements of the image and their relationships, possible
development and conclusion or implications
4 Describes all the key elements of the image and their relations, referring to
their implications or conclusions
3 Deals with most key elements of the image and refers to their implications
or conclusions
2 deals with only one key element in the image and refers to an implication
or conclusion. Shows basic understanding of several core elements of the
image
1 Describes some basic elements of the image, but does not make clear their
interrelations or implications
0 Mentions some disjointed elements of the presentation
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 12 of 71
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Re-tell lecture
Communicative skills tested: Listening and speaking
Subskills tested: Identifying the topic, theme or main ideas; identifying supporting points or
examples; identifying a speaker’s purpose, style, tone or attitude; understanding academic
vocabulary; inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words; comprehending explicit and implicit
information; comprehending concrete and abstract information; classifying and categorizing
information; following an oral sequencing of information; comprehending variations in tone, speed
and accent
Speaking for a purpose (to repeat, to inform, to explain); supporting an opinion with details,
examples and explanations; organizing an oral presentation in a logical way; developing complex
ideas within a spoken discourse; using words and phrases appropriate to the context; using correct
grammar; speaking at a natural rate; producing fluent speech; using correct intonation; using
correct pronunciation; using correct stress; speaking under timed conditions
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 14 of 71
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 15 of 71
Scoring
Communicative skills Listening and speaking
Content:
5 Re-tells all points of the presentation and describes characters, aspects
and actions, their relationships, the underlying development, implications
and conclusions
4 describes all key points of the presentation and their relations, referring
to their implications and conclusions
3 Deals with most points in the presentation and refers to their
implications and conclusions
2 Deals with only one key point and refers to an implication or conclusion.
Shows basic understanding of several core elements of the presentation
1 Describes some basic elements of the presentation but does not make
clear their interrelations or implications
0 Mentions some disjointed elements of the presentation
Pronunciation:
5 Native-like
4 Advanced
3 Good
2 Intermediate
1 Intrusive
0 Non-English
(Detailed criteria on p. 21)
Enabling skills and
other traits scored
Oral fluency:
5 Native-like
4 Advanced
3 Good
2 Intermediate
1 Limited
0 Disfluent
(Detailed criteria on p. 21)
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Answer short question
Communicative skills tested: Listening and speaking
Subskills tested: Identifying the topic, theme or main ideas; understanding academic vocabulary;
inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words
Speaking for a purpose (to repeat, to inform, to explain); using words and phrases appropriate to
the context; speaking under timed conditions
Scoring
Communicative skills Listening and speaking
Correct/incorrect:
1 Appropriate word choice in response
0 Inappropriate word choice in response
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 16 of 71
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Summarize written text
Communicative skills tested: Reading and writing
Subskills tested: Reading a passage under timed conditions; identifying a writer’s purpose, style,
tone or attitude; comprehending explicit and implicit information; comprehending concrete and
abstract information
Writing a summary; writing under timed conditions; taking notes while reading a text; synthesizing
information; writing to meet strict length requirements; communicating the main points of a
reading passage in writing; using words and phrases appropriate to the context; using correct
grammar
Scoring
Communicative
skills Reading and writing
Content:
2 Provides a good summary of the text. All relevant aspects mentioned
1 Provides a fair summary of the text but misses one or two aspects
0 Omits or misrepresents the main aspects of the text
Enabling skills and
other traits scored
Form:
1 Is written in one, single, complete sentence
0 Not written in one, single, complete sentence or contains fewer than 5
or more than 75 words. Summary is written in capital letters
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 17 of 71
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 18 of 71
Grammar:
2 Has correct grammatical structure
1 Contains grammatical errors but with no hindrance to communication
0 Has defective grammatical structure which could hinder
communication
Vocabulary:
2 Has appropriate choice of words
1 Contains lexical errors but with no hindrance to communication
0 Has defective word choice which could hinder communication
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Write essay
Communicative skills tested: Writing
Subskills tested: Writing for a purpose (to learn, to inform, to persuade); supporting an opinion
with details, examples and explanations; organizing sentences and paragraphs in a logical way;
developing complex ideas within a complete essay; using words and phrases appropriate to the
context; using correct grammar; using correct spelling; using correct mechanics; writing under
timed conditions
Scoring
Communicative skills Writing
Enabling skills and
other traits scored Content:
3 Adequately deals with the prompt
2 Deals with the prompt but does not deal with one minor aspect
1 Deals with the prompt but omits a major aspect or more than one
minor aspect
0 Does not deal properly with the prompt
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 19 of 71
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 20 of 71
Form:
2 Length is between 200 and 300 words
1 Length is between 120 and 199 or between 301 and 380 words
0 Length is less than 120 or more than 380 words. Essay is written in
capital letters, contains no punctuation or only consists of bullet points or
very short sentences
Development, structure and coherence:
2 Shows good development and logical structure
1 Is incidentally less well structured, and some elements or paragraphs
are poorly linked
0 Lacks coherence and mainly consists of lists or loose elements
Grammar:
2 Shows consistent grammatical control of complex language. Errors are
rare and difficult to spot
1 Shows a relatively high degree of grammatical control. No mistakes
which would lead to misunderstandings
0 Contains mainly simple structures and/or several basic mistakes
General linguistic range:
2 Exhibits smooth mastery of a wide range of language to formulate
thoughts precisely, give emphasis, differentiate and eliminate ambiguity.
No sign that the test taker is restricted in what they want to
communicate
1 Sufficient range of language to provide clear descriptions, express
viewpoints and develop arguments
0 Contains mainly basic language and lacks precision
Vocabulary range:
2 Good command of a broad lexical repertoire, idiomatic expressions and
colloquialisms
1 Shows a good range of vocabulary for matters connected to general
academic topics. Lexical shortcomings lead to circumlocution or some
imprecision
0 Contains mainly basic vocabulary insufficient to deal with the topic at
the required level
Enabling skills and
other traits scored
Spelling:
2 Correct spelling
1 One spelling error
0 More than one spelling error
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 21 of 71
Scoring criteria: Pronunciation and Oral fluency
The following scoring criteria apply to the speaking item types that are scored on pronunciation and
oral fluency in PTE Academic.
Pronunciation
5 Native-like All vowels and consonants are produced in a manner that is easily understood by regular
speakers of the language. The speaker uses assimilation and deletions appropriate to
continuous speech. Stress is placed correctly in all words and sentence-level stress is fully
appropriate
4 Advanced Vowels and consonants are pronounced clearly and unambiguously. A few minor consonant,
vowel or stress distortions do not affect intelligibility. All words are easily understandable. A
few consonants or consonant sequences may be distorted. Stress is placed correctly on all
common words, and sentence level stress is reasonable
3 Good Most vowels and consonants are pronounced correctly. Some consistent errors might make
a few words unclear. A few consonants in certain contexts may be regularly distorted,
omitted or mispronounced. Stress-dependent vowel reduction may occur on a few words
2 Intermediate Some consonants and vowels are consistently mispronounced in a non-native like manner.
At least 2/3 of speech is intelligible, but listeners might need to adjust to the accent. Some
consonants are regularly omitted, and consonant sequences may be simplified. Stress may
be placed incorrectly on some words or be unclear
1 Intrusive Many consonants and vowels are mispronounced, resulting in a strong intrusive foreign
accent. Listeners may have difficulty understanding about 1/3 of the words. Many
consonants may be distorted or omitted. Consonant sequences may be non-English. Stress
is placed in a non-English manner; unstressed words may be reduced or omitted and a few
syllables added or missed
0 Non-English Pronunciation seems completely characteristic of another language. Many consonants and
vowels are mispronounced, misordered or omitted. Listeners may find more than 1/2 of the
speech unintelligible. Stressed and unstressed syllables are realized in a non-English
manner. Several words may have the wrong number of syllables
Oral fluency
5 Native–like Speech shows smooth rhythm and phrasing. There are no hesitations, repetitions, false
starts or non-native phonological simplifications
4 Advanced Speech has an acceptable rhythm with appropriate phrasing and word emphasis. There is
no more than one hesitation, one repetition or a false start. There are no significant non-
native phonological simplifications
3 Good Speech is at an acceptable speed but may be uneven. There may be more than one
hesitation, but most words are spoken in continuous phrases. There are few repetitions or
false starts. There are no long pauses and speech does not sound staccato
2 Intermediate Speech may be uneven or staccato. Speech (if >= 6 words) has at least one smooth
three-word run, and no more than two or three hesitations, repetitions or false starts.
There may be one long pause, but not two or more
1 Limited Speech has irregular phrasing or sentence rhythm. Poor phrasing, staccato or syllabic
timing, and/or multiple hesitations, repetitions, and/or false starts make spoken
performance notably uneven or discontinuous. Long utterances may have one or two long
pauses and inappropriate sentence-level word emphasis
0 Disfluent Speech is slow and labored with little discernable phrase grouping, multiple hesitations,
pauses, false starts, and/or major phonological simplifications. Most words are isolated, and
there may be more than one long pause
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Part 2 Reading
Multiple-choice, choose single answer
Communicative skills tested: Reading
Subskills tested: Any of the following dependent on the item: Identifying the topic, theme or
main ideas; identifying the relationships between sentences and paragraphs; evaluating the quality
and usefulness of texts; identifying a writer’s purpose, style, tone or attitude; identifying
supporting points or examples; reading for overall organization and connections between pieces of
information; reading for information to infer meanings or find relationships; identifying specific
details, facts, opinions, definitions or sequences of events; inferring the meaning of unfamiliar
words
Scoring
Communicative skills Reading
Correct/incorrect:
1 Correct response
0 Incorrect response
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 22 of 71
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Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers
Communicative skills tested: Reading
Subskills tested: Any of the following dependent on the item: Identifying the topic, theme or
main ideas; identifying the relationships between sentences and paragraphs; evaluating the quality
and usefulness of texts; identifying a writer’s purpose, style, tone or attitude; identifying
supporting points or examples; reading for overall organization and connections between pieces of
information; reading for information to infer meanings or find relationships; identifying specific
details, facts, opinions, definitions or sequences of events; inferring the meaning of unfamiliar
words
Scoring
This is the first of three item types in the test where points are deducted for incorrect responses.
So if a test taker scores 2 points for two correct options, but then scores -2 for two incorrect
options chosen, they will score 0 points overall for the item.
Communicative skills Reading
Partial credit, points deducted for incorrect options chosen:
1 Each correct response
- 1 Each incorrect response
0 Minimum score
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 23 of 71
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Re-order paragraphs
Communicative skills tested: Reading
Subskills tested: Identifying the topic, theme or main ideas; identifying supporting points or
examples; identifying the relationships between sentences and paragraphs; understanding
academic vocabulary; understanding the difference between connotation and denotation; inferring
the meaning of unfamiliar words; comprehending explicit and implicit information; comprehending
concrete and abstract information; classifying and categorizing information; following a logical or
chronological sequence of events
Scoring
Communicative skills Reading
Partial credit:
1 Each pair of correct adjacent textboxes
0 Minimum score
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 24 of 71
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Reading: Fill in the blanks
Communicative skills tested: Reading
Subskills tested: Identifying the topic, theme or main ideas; identifying words and phrases
appropriate to the context; understanding academic vocabulary; understanding the difference
between connotation and denotation; inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words; comprehending
explicit and implicit information; comprehending concrete and abstract information; following a
logical or chronological sequence of events.
Scoring
Communicative skills Reading
Partial credit:
1 Each correctly completed blank
0 Minimum score
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 25 of 71
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Reading and writing: Fill in the blanks
Communicative skills tested: Reading and writing
Subskills tested: Identifying the topic, theme or main ideas; identifying words and phrases
appropriate to the context; understanding academic vocabulary; understanding the difference
between connotation and denotation; inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words; comprehending
explicit and implicit information; comprehending concrete and abstract information; following a
logical or chronological sequence of events
Using words and phrases appropriate to the context; using correct grammar
Scoring
Communicative skills Reading and writing
Partial credit:
1 Each correctly completed blank
0 Minimum score
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 26 of 71
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Part 3 Listening
Summarize spoken text
Communicative skills tested: Listening and writing
Subskills tested: Identifying the topic, theme or main ideas; summarizing the main idea;
identifying supporting points or examples; identifying a speaker’s purpose, style, tone or attitude;
understanding academic vocabulary; inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words; comprehending
explicit and implicit information; comprehending concrete and abstract information; classifying and
categorizing information; following an oral sequencing of information; comprehending variations in
tone, speed and accent
Writing a summary; writing under timed conditions; taking notes whilst listening to a recording;
communicating the main points of a lecture in writing; organizing sentences and paragraphs in a
logical way; using words and phrases appropriate to the context; using correct grammar; using
correct spelling; using correct mechanics
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 27 of 71
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 28 of 71
Scoring
Communicative skills Listening and writing
Enabling skills and
other traits scored Content:
2 Provides a good summary of the text. All relevant aspects are
mentioned
1 Provides a fair summary of the text, but one or two aspects are
missing
0 Omits or misrepresents the main aspects
Form:
2 Contains 50-70 words
1 Contains 40-49 words or 71-100 words
0 Contains less than 40 words or more than 100 words. Summary is
written in capital letters, contains no punctuation or consists only of
bullet points or very short sentences
Grammar:
2 Correct grammatical structures
1 Contains grammatical errors with no hindrance to communication
0 Defective grammatical structures which could hinder communication
Vocabulary:
2 Appropriate choice of words
1 Some lexical errors but with no hindrance to communication
0 Defective word choice which could hinder communication
Enabling skills and
other traits scored
Spelling:
2 Correct spelling
1 One spelling error
0 More than one spelling error
![](asset-22.png)
Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers
Communicative skills tested: Listening
Subskills tested: Any of the following dependent on the item: Identifying the topic, theme or
main ideas; identifying supporting points or examples; Identifying specific details, facts, opinions,
definitions or sequences of events; identifying a speaker’s purpose, style, tone or attitude;
identifying the overall organization of information and connections between pieces of information;
inferring the context, purpose or tone; inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words; predicting how a
speaker may continue
Scoring
This is the second of three item types where points are deducted for incorrect options chosen. So if
a test taker scores 2 points for two correct options, but then scores -2 for two incorrect options
chosen, they will score 0 points overall for the item.
Communicative skills Listening
Partial credit, points deducted for incorrect options chosen:
1 Each correct response
- 1 Each incorrect response
0 Minimum score
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 29 of 71
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Fill in the blanks
Communicative skills tested: Listening and writing
Subskills tested: Identifying words and phrases appropriate to the context; understanding
academic vocabulary; comprehending explicit and implicit information; following an oral sequencing
of information
Writing from dictation; using words and phrases appropriate to the context; using correct
grammar; using correct spelling
Scoring
Communicative skills Listening and writing
Partial credit:
1 Each correct word spelled correctly
0 Minimum score
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 30 of 71
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Highlight correct summary
Communicative skills tested: Listening and reading
Subskills tested: Identifying the topic, theme or main ideas; identifying supporting points or
examples; understanding academic vocabulary; inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words;
comprehending explicit and implicit information; comprehending concrete and abstract information;
classifying and categorizing information; following an oral sequencing of information;
comprehending variations in tone, speed and accent
Identifying supporting points or examples; identifying the most accurate summary; understanding
academic vocabulary; inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words; comprehending concrete and
abstract information; classifying and categorizing information; following a logical or chronological
sequence of events; evaluating the quality and usefulness of texts
Scoring
Communicative Skills
Listening and reading
Correct/incorrect:
1 Correct response
0 Incorrect response
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 31 of 71
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Multiple-choice, choose single answer
Communicative skills tested: Listening
Subskills tested: Any of the following dependent on the item: Any of the following dependent on
the item: Identifying the topic, theme or main ideas; identifying supporting points or examples;
Identifying specific details, facts, opinions, definitions or sequences of events; identifying a
speaker’s purpose, style, tone or attitude; identifying the overall organization of information and
connections between pieces of information; inferring the context, purpose or tone; inferring the
meaning of unfamiliar words; predicting how a speaker may continue
Scoring
Communicative Skills
Listening
Correct/incorrect:
1 Correct response
0 Incorrect response
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 32 of 71
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Select missing word
Communicative skills tested: Listening
Subskills tested: Identifying the topic, theme or main ideas; identifying words and phrases
appropriate to the context; understanding academic vocabulary; inferring the meaning of unfamiliar
words; comprehending explicit and implicit information; comprehending concrete and abstract
information; following an oral sequencing of information; predicting how a speaker may continue;
forming a conclusion from what a speaker says; comprehending variations in tone, speed and
accent
Scoring
Communicative skills Listening
Correct/incorrect:
1 Correct response
0 Incorrect response
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 33 of 71
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Highlight incorrect words
Communicative skills tested: Listening and reading
Subskills tested: Identifying errors in a transcription; understanding academic vocabulary;
following an oral sequencing of information; comprehending variations in tone, speed and accent;
understanding academic vocabulary; following a logical or chronological sequence of events;
reading a text under timed conditions; matching written text to speech
Scoring
This is the third of three item types where points are deducted for incorrect options chosen. So if a
test taker scores 2 points for two correct options, but then scores -2 for two incorrect options
chosen, they will score 0 points overall for the item.
Communicative Skills
Listening and reading
Partial credit, points deducted for incorrect options chosen:
1 Each correct word
- 1 Each incorrect word
0 Minimum score
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 34 of 71
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Write from dictation
Communicative skills tested: Listening and writing
Subskills tested: Understanding academic vocabulary; following an oral sequencing of
information; comprehending variations in tone, speed and accent; writing from dictation; using
correct spelling
Scoring
Communicative skills Listening and writing
Partial credit:
1 Each correct word spelled correctly
0 Each incorrect or misspelled word
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 35 of 71
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4 Using PTE Academic Scores
PTE Academic uses 20 item types, reflecting different modes of language use and requiring
different response tasks and formats. All items in PTE Academic are machine scored. Scores on a
number of item types are based on correctness only, while scores on other item types requiring
spoken or written responses are based, in addition to correctness, on formal aspects (e.g., number
of words) and the quality of the response. The quality of the responses is reflected on the PTE
Academic score report in the enabling skills: grammar, oral fluency, pronunciation, spelling,
vocabulary and written discourse.
How institutions can use PTE Academic scores
Overall score and communicative skills scores
The score report provides an overall score, a score for each communicative skill and a score for
each of the enabling skills.
The overall score provides a general measure of a test taker’s ability to deal with English in
academic settings. The score range is from 10 to 90 points.
The communicative skills scores provide discrete information about the listening, reading, speaking
and writing skills of a test taker. These skills are also scored between 10 and 90 points.
Example Institution Score Report
In the context of some university programs, the communicative skills scores may provide useful,
additional information for making admissions decisions.
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 36 of 71
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 37 of 71
For example, institutions may:
set the admission requirement based on the minimum overall score alone, without taking into
account communicative skills scores in admission decisions;
set the admission requirement based on the minimum overall score in combination with a higher
minimum on one of the communicative skills scores, because it is considered particularly important
for the program the test taker wants to enter;
set the admission requirement based on the minimum overall score in combination with a lower
minimum on one of the communicative skills scores, because it is considered less important for the
program the test taker wants to enter.
Other combinations of the overall score and one or more of the communicative skills scores may be
considered.
Enabling skills scores
The enabling skills scores are also provided within the PTE Academic score report. They provide
information about particular strengths and weaknesses of a test taker’s ability to communicate in
speaking or writing. This information may be useful to determine the type of further English study
and coursework required to improve a test taker’s English language ability. The enabling skills
scores should not be used when making admissions decisions because the ‘measurement error’ is
too large. This is discussed in the ‘Error of measurement’ section on p.42.
A definition of the enabling skills is given in the table below:
Enabling Skills Definition
Grammar Correct use of language with respect to word form and word order at the
sentence level
Oral fluency Smooth, effortless and natural-paced delivery of speech
Pronunciation Ability to produce speech sounds in a way that is easily understandable to most
regular speakers of the language. Regional or national pronunciation variants
are considered correct to the degree that they are understandable to most
regular speakers of the language
Spelling Writing of words according to the spelling rules of the language. All national
variations in spelling are considered correct
Vocabulary Appropriate choice of words used to express meaning precisely in written and
spoken English, as well as lexical range
Written discourse Correct and communicatively efficient production of written language at the
textual level. Written discourse skills are manifest in the structure of a written
text, its internal coherence, logical development, and the range of linguistic
resources used to express meaning precisely
Definition of enabling skills
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Alignment with CEF
To ensure comparability and interpretability of test scores, PTE Academic has been aligned to the
CEF, which is recognized as a standard across Europe and in many countries outside of Europe. In
the USA, the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages (NCSSFL) has introduced the use
of the LinguaFolio Self Assessment Grid (NCSSFL, 2008), which relates language levels to the
scales of both the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) and the CEF.
The CEF includes a set of consecutive language levels defined by descriptors of language
competencies. The six-level framework was developed by the Council of Europe (2001) to enable
language learners, teachers, universities or potential employers to compare and relate language
qualifications by level.
Alignment of PTE Academic to the CEF levels provides a means to interpret PTE Academic scores in
terms of the level descriptors of the CEF. As these descriptors focus on what an English language
learner can do, scores that are properly aligned to the CEF give educators and institutions more
relevant information about a test taker’s ability.
The PTE Academic Score Scale and the CEF
The explanation of the alignment of PTE Academic to the CEF is that to stand a reasonable chance
at successfully performing any of the tasks defined at a particular CEF level, learners must be able
to demonstrate that they can do the average tasks at that level.
As students grow in ability, for example within the B1 level, they will become successful at doing
even the most difficult tasks at that level and will also find they can cope with the easiest tasks at
the next level. In other words, they are entering into the B2 level.
The diagram below shows PTE Academic scores aligned to the CEF levels A2 to C2. The dotted lines
on the scale show the PTE Academic score ranges that predict that test takers are likely to perform
successfully on the easiest tasks at the next higher level. For example, if a candidate scores 51 on
PTE Academic, this means that they are likely to be able to cope with the more difficult tasks within
the CEF B1 level. At the same time, according to their PTE Academic score, it predicts that they are
likely to perform successfully on the easiest tasks at B2.
Alignment of PTE Academic scores to the CEF
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 38 of 71
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 39 of 71
What PTE Academic scores mean
PTE Academic alignment with the CEF can only be fully understood if it is supported with
information showing what it really means to be ‘at a level’. In other words, are test takers likely to
be successful with tasks at the lower boundary of a level; do they stand a fair chance of doing well
on any task, or will they be able to do almost all the tasks, even the most difficult ones, at a
particular level? The table below shows for each of the CEF levels A2 to C2 which PTE Academic
scores predict the likelihood of a test taker performing successfully on the easiest, average and
most difficult tasks within each of the CEF levels.
PTE Academic scores predicting the likelihood of successful
performance on CEF level tasks
CEF Level Easiest Average Most Difficult
C2 80 85 NA
C1 67 76 84
B2 51 59 75
B1 36 43 58
A2 24 30 42
For example, if a test taker’s PTE Academic score is 36, this predicts that they will perform
successfully on the easiest tasks at B1. From 36 to 43, the likelihood of successfully performing the
easiest tasks develops into doing well on the average tasks at B1. Finally, reaching 58 predicts that
a candidate will perform well at the most difficult B1 level tasks.
The table on page 40 shows what PTE Academic scores in the range from A1 to C1 mean. The table
includes shaded score ranges that predict some degree of performance at the next higher level,
and it describes what a test taker is likely to be able to do within those score ranges.
PTE Academic Requirements
A score of at least 36 is required for UKBA tier 4 student visas for students wanting to study on a
course below degree level.
A score of at least 51 is required for UKBA tier 4 student visas for students wanting to study on a
course at or above degree level at an institution that is not a UK Higher Education Institution.
If students wish to study at degree level or above at a UK Higher Education Institution, then it is
the university that decides on the score required. Our experience suggests that most universities
require:
for undergraduate studies a minimum score between 51 and 61
for postgraduate studies a minimum score between 57 and 67
for MBA studies a minimum score between 59 and 69
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 40 of 71
PTE
Academic
Score
Common
European
Framework
Level
Level Descriptor1 What does this mean for
a score user?
76 - 84 C1 Can understand a wide range of
demanding, longer texts and
recognise implicit meaning. Can
express him/herself fluently and
spontaneously without much obvious
searching for expressions. Can use
language flexibly and effectively for
social, academic and professional
purposes. Can produce clear, well-
structured, detailed text on complex
subjects, showing controlled use of
organisational patterns, connectors
and cohesive devices.
C1 is a level at which a student can
comfortably participate in all post-
graduate activities including
teaching. It is not required for
students entering university at
undergraduate level. Most
international students who enter
university at a B2 level would
acquire a level close to or at C1 after
living in the country for several
years, and actively participating in
all language activities encountered
at university.
59 - 75 B2 Can understand the main ideas of
complex text on both concrete and
abstract topics, including technical
discussions in his/her field of
specialisation. Can interact with a
degree of oral fluency and
spontaneity that makes regular
interaction with native speakers quite
possible without strain for either
party. Can produce clear, detailed
text on a wide range of subjects and
explain a viewpoint on a topical issue
giving the advantages and
disadvantages of various options.
B2 was designed as the level
required to participate independently
in higher level language interaction.
It is typically the level required to be
able to follow academic level
instruction and to participate in
academic education, including both
coursework and student life.
51 - 58 Scores in this
range predict
success on
the easiest
tasks at B2
Has sufficient command of the
language to deal with most familiar
situations, but will often require
repetition and make many mistakes.
Can deal with standard spoken
language, but will have problems in
noisy circumstances. Can exchange
factual information on familiar routine
and non-routine matters within
his/her field with some confidence.
Can pass on a detailed piece of
information reliably. Can understand
the information content of the
majority of recorded or broadcast
material on topics of personal interest
delivered in clear standard speech.
1 © 2001 The copyright of the level descriptors reproduced in this document belongs to the Council of Europe.
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 41 of 71
43 - 58 B1 Can understand the main points of
clear standard input on familiar
matters regularly encountered in
work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal
with most situations likely to arise
whilst in an area where the language
is spoken. Can produce simple
connected text on topics, which are
familiar or of personal interest. Can
describe experiences and events,
dreams, hopes and ambitions and
briefly give reasons and explanations
for opinions and plans.
B1 is insufficient for full academic
level participation in language
activities. A student at this level
could ‘get by’ in everyday situations
independently. To be successful in
communication in university
settings, additional English language
courses are required.
36 - 42 Scores in this
range predict
success on
the easiest
tasks at B1
Has limited command of language,
but it is sufficient in most familiar
situations provided language is simple
and clear. May be able to deal with
less routine situations on public
transport e.g., asking another
passenger where to get off for an
unfamiliar destination. Can re-tell
short written passages in a simple
fashion using the wording and
ordering of the original text. Can use
simple techniques to start, maintain
or end a short conversation. Can tell
a story or describe something in a
simple list of points.
30 - 42 A2 Can understand sentences and
frequently used expressions related
to areas of most immediate relevance
(e.g., very basic personal and family
information, shopping, local
geography, employment). Can
communicate in simple and routine
tasks requiring a simple and direct
exchange of information on familiar
and routine matters. Can describe in
simple terms aspects of his/her
background, immediate environment
and matters in areas of immediate
need.
A2 is an insufficient level for
academic level participation.
10 - 29 A1 or below Can understand and use familiar
everyday expressions and very basic
phrases aimed at the satisfaction of
needs of a concrete type. Can
introduce him/herself and others and
can ask and answer questions about
personal details such as where he/she
lives, people he/she knows and things
he/she has. Can interact in a simple
way provided the other person talks
slowly and clearly and is prepared to
help.
A1 is an insufficient level for
academic level participation.
PTE A scores, CEF level descriptors and what scores mean
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 42 of 71
Error of measurement
Tests aim to provide a measure of ability. PTE Academic measures the ability ‘to use English in
academic settings’. Obviously, measures of a test taker’s English language abilities will vary; some
candidates will have higher scores than others. The degree to which scores among test takers vary
is the ‘score variance’. The purpose of testing is to measure ‘true variance’ in ability among
students, but all measurement contains some error.
The degree to which the score variance is due to error is called the ‘error of measurement’. The
remainder of the variance is due to ‘true variance’ in ability among test takers. The error of
measurement is related to the reliability of the test: a smaller measurement error means higher
reliability of test scores.
The error of measurement can be interpreted as follows: the true score of a test taker is within a
range of scores around the reported score. The size of that range is defined by the error of
measurement. For example, if the reported score is 60 and the error of measurement is 3, then the
true score, with 68% certainty, is within one measurement error from the reported score; that is
within the range of 57 (60-3) and 63 (60+3). The true score, with 95% certainty, is within twice
the measurement error; that is within the range of 54 (60-2x3) to 66 (60+2x3).
Overall score and communicative skills scores
There are two main approaches to estimating the error of measurement. In Classical Test Theory
(CTT) the reliability estimate is assumed to apply to any score on a test, irrespective of whether the
score is low, medium or high. Therefore, the error of measurement is assumed to be the same size
anywhere on the test’s score scale. That is why in CTT we speak of the Standard Error of
Measurement (SEM). Many test providers report the SEM and for PTE Academic this is 2.32. This
figure is based on test data from 30,000 test takers.
An alternative approach to estimating the error of measurement is used in modern test theory,
commonly referred to as Item Response Theory (IRT). IRT recognises that the reliability of a test is
not uniform across an entire score scale. Tests tend to be less reliable towards the extreme low and
high score ranges. Consequently, the size of the error of measurement tends to be larger towards
these extreme scores. The size of the error is therefore conditional on the score and so in IRT we
speak of Conditional Errors of Measurement (CEM).
The table below shows the average size of the CEM at five levels (A2 to C2) on the CEF for the
overall score and for the communicative skills scores that are provided on the PTE Academic score
report. The size of the error at each score point is estimated by averaging scores across a random
sample of 100 test forms from the PTE Academic item bank.
Average Measurement Error
PTE Academic Scores
A2 B1 B2 C1 C2
Overall 2.5 2.4 2.7 3.2 3.5
Listening 3.7 3.4 3.8 4.4 4.9
Reading 3.9 4.0 4.4 5.2 5.8
Speaking 3.6 3.9 4.4 5.1 5.6
Communicative
skills
Writing 4.3 3.7 4.1 4.8 5.3
Measurement error for overall score and communicative skills scores at levels A2 to C2
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 43 of 71
Enabling skills scores
The error on the enabling skills scores is too large to justify use in high-stakes decision-making.
The table on the next page shows the average error in score points for the enabling skills.
PTE Academic Scores Average Measurement Error
Enabling skills A2 B1 B2 C1 C2
Grammar 20.7 21.6 20.5 18.7 17.8
Oral fluency 6.5 6.1 6.0 6.1 6.3
Pronunciation 6.4 6.5 6.3 6.3 6.4
Spelling 18.2 18.7 14.9 14.5 15.7
Vocabulary 10.9 10.7 10.8 11.4 12.3
Written discourse 28.5 29.6 28.1 26.6 26.6
Measurement error for enabling skills scores at levels A2 to C2
Test reliability
Directly related to measurement error is test reliability, which is another way of expressing the
likelihood that test results will be the same when a test is taken again under the same conditions,
and therefore how accurately a reported test score reflects the true ability of the test taker.
Reliability is expressed as a number between 0 and 1, where 0 means no reliability at all and 1
means perfectly reliable. For tests that are used to make important decisions, high reliability (0.90
or higher) is required. The table below provides the reliability estimates of the overall score and the
communicative skills scores within the PTE Academic score range of 53 to 79, which is the most
relevant range for admission decisions. For further information on the reliability of PTE Academic,
refer to the white paper Validity and Reliability in PTE Academic, available at
pearsonpte.com/research/Pages/ValidityandReliability.aspx.
Score Overall Listening Reading Speaking Writing
Reliability 0.97 0.92 0.91 0.91 0.91
Reliability estimates for scores in the range 53–79
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 44 of 71
5 Estimates of Concordance between PTE
Academic, TOEFL and IELTS
Test comparisons using field test data
PTE Academic has been field tested using over 10,400 test takers. Field testing took place in 2007
and 2008. Test takers were representative of the global population of students seeking admission
to universities and other tertiary education institutions where English is the language of instruction.
Test takers were born in 158 different countries and spoke 126 different languages.
During the field tests several sets of secondary data were collected. Among these were ratings for
all test takers on descriptive scales published by the Council of Europe (2001). In addition, a
number of test takers reported their scores on other tests of English, including TOEIC, TOEFL PBT,
TOEFL CBT, TOEFL iBT and IELTS.
A limited number of the self-reported data were invalid as the reported scores were outside the
possible score range for the particular test. A small number of the test takers also submitted copies
of their official score reports on the tests, for which they had provided self-reported data. The table
below shows the following for each test: the numbers of self-reported data, how many of these
were valid, the mean self-reported scores, the number of official score reports sent in, the mean
official scores and the correlations with the PTE Academic field test scores. All correlations are
significant at p<.012.
Self-Reported Data Official Score Report
Test N Total N Valid Mean Correlation n Mean Correlation
TOEIC 328 327 831.5 0.76 No data - -
TOEFL PBT 96 92 572.3 0.64 No data - -
TOEFL CBT 110 107 240.5 0.46 No data - -
TOEFL iBT 144 14092.9 0.75 19 92.1 0.95
IELTS 2436 2432 6.49 0.76 169 6.61 0.73
PTE Academic field tests: test takers on other tests of English
From the table, it can be concluded that the self-reported scores are, in general, quite accurate.
Indeed, the correlation between the self-reported results and the official score reports was .82 for
TOEFL iBT and .89 for IELTS. This finding is in agreement with earlier research on self-reported
data. For example, Cassady (2001) found students’ self-reported Grade Point Average (GPA) scores
to be ‘remarkably similar’ to official records. The data are also consistent. According to ETS (2005,
p.7) the score range 75–95 on TOEFL iBT is comparable to the score range 213–240 on TOEFL CBT
and to the score range 550–587 on TOEFL PBT. The mean self-reported scores in the table for
these three tests are therefore comparable.
2 Significant at p<.01 means there is less than 1% chance to observe this correlation if the measures are not related.
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 45 of 71
In addition, according to ETS (2001, p.3) a score range of 800–850 on TOEIC corresponds to a
score range of 569–588 on TOEFL PBT, which makes the self-reported TOEIC mean score of the
test takers on the PTE Academic field test also fall in line with data published by ETS. Based on the
data presented in the table, concordance between PTE Academic and other tests of English can be
estimated, taking into account a less than optimal effort of test takers during field testing where
test results have no direct relevance to the test takers.
Information on concordances since the launch of
PTE Academic
At the time of the launch of PTE Academic in November 2009 we presented concordance of PTE
Academic with other measures of English as ‘preliminary’. Since then additional information has
become available supporting our preliminary estimates. This new information comes from:
the tens of thousands of test takers who have taken PTE Academic annually since launch
the use of test scores by thousands of tertiary education institutions
additional concordance data gathered via surveys
publications by third parties
Relation to the Common European Framework
The relation of the PTE Academic score scale with the descriptive scale of the Common European
Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF) is based on both an item-centered and a test taker-
centered method. For the item-centered method, the CEF level of all items was estimated by item
writers, reviewed and, if necessary, adapted in the item-reviewing process. For the test taker-
centered method, three extended responses (one written and two spoken) per test taker were each
rated by two independent, trained raters. If there was a disagreement between the two
independent raters, a third rating was gathered and the two closest ratings were retained. A
dataset of over 26,000 ratings (by test takers self-reporting, by items and by raters) on up to 100
different items was analyzed using the computer program FACETS (Linacre, 1988; 2005).
Estimates of the lower boundaries of the CEF levels, based on the item-centered method,
correlated at .996 with those based on the test taker-centered method, which effectively means
that the two methods yielded the same results except for less than 1% of error variance.
Validity check using BETA testing data
In addition to the initial field testing of 10,400 students during 2007–08, a further 364 test takers
participated in the 2009 BETA testing of PTE Academic. The concordance between the score scale of
PTE Academic and the score scales of TOEFL iBT and IELTS (each estimated from the field test
data) were used as predictors of TOEFL iBT and IELTS scores of test takers participating in BETA
testing. Test takers provided self-reported scores and a smaller, partially overlapping, number of
test takers sent in copies of their official score reports.
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 46 of 71
The table below shows the mean scores as self-reported and from the official score reports; the
mean scores for the same test takers as predicted from their PTE Academic score and the
correlations between the reported scores and the predictions from PTE Academic. All correlations
are significant at p<.013. It can be concluded that this concordance produces fairly accurate and
coherent predictions.
Self-Reported Data Official Score Report
Test n Mean Predicted Correlation
n Mean Predicted Correlation
TOEFL iBT 42 98.9 97.3 0.75 13 92.2 98.2 0.77
IELTS 57 6.80 6.75 0.73 15 6.60 6.51 0.83
PTE Academic BETA: test takers on other tests of English
Concordance of PTE Academic with other measures
of English
Based on the research described, Pearson has produced concordance tables. The table on p.47
shows Pearson’s current best estimate of concordance between PTE Academic scores and the CEF.
In addition, shaded score ranges indicate the PTE Academic scores that predict some degree of
performance at the next CEF level.
The table on p.49 shows the relation between scores on TOEFL iBT and PTE Academic. The table on
p.50 shows the relation between scores on IELTS and PTE Academic.
It must be noted that any attempt to predict a score on a particular test, based on the score
observed on another test, will contain measurement error. This is caused by the inherent error in
each of the tests in the comparison and in the estimate of the concordance. Furthermore, tests in
the comparison do not measure exactly the same construct.
3 Significant at p<.01 means there is less than 1% chance to observe this correlation if the measures are not related.
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 47 of 71
Estimates of concordance between PTE Academic and the
descriptive scale of the CEF
PTE
Academic
Score
Common
European
Framework
Level
Level Descriptor4 What does this mean for a score
user?
>85 C2
Can understand with ease virtually everything
heard or read. Can summarize information from
different spoken and written sources,
reconstructing arguments and accounts in a
coherent presentation. Can express him/herself
spontaneously, very fluently and precisely,
differentiating finer shades of meaning even in
more complex situations.
C2 is a highly proficient level and a
student at this level would be extremely
comfortable engaging in academic
activities at all levels
76 - 84 C1
Can understand a wide range of demanding,
longer texts and recognise implicit meaning. Can
express him/herself fluently and spontaneously
without much obvious searching for expressions.
Can use language flexibly and effectively for
social, academic and professional purposes. Can
produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on
complex subjects, showing controlled use of
organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive
devices.
C1 is a level at which a student can
comfortably participate in all post-
graduate activities including teaching. It
is not required for students entering
university at undergraduate level. Most
international students who enter
university at a B2 level would acquire a
level close to or at C1 after living in the
country for several years, and actively
participating in all language activities
encountered at university.
59 - 75 B2
Can understand the main ideas of complex text
on both concrete and abstract topics, including
technical discussions in his/her field of
specialisation. Can interact with a degree of oral
fluency and spontaneity that makes regular
interaction with native speakers quite possible
without strain for either party. Can produce
clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects
and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving
the advantages and disadvantages of various
options.
B2 was designed as the level required to
participate independently in higher level
language interaction. It is typically the
level required to be able to follow
academic level instruction and to
participate in academic education,
including both coursework and student
life.
51 – 58
Scores in
this range
predict
success on
the easiest
tasks at B2
Has sufficient command of the language to deal
with most familiar situations, but will often
require repetition and make many mistakes. Can
deal with standard spoken language, but will
have problems in noisy circumstances. Can
exchange factual information on familiar routine
and non-routine matters within his/her field with
some confidence. Can pass on a detailed piece of
information reliably. Can understand the
information content of the majority of recorded
or broadcast material on topics of personal
interest delivered in clear standard speech.
43 - 58 B1
Can understand the main points of clear
standard input on familiar matters regularly
encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can
deal with most situations likely to arise whilst in
an area where the language is spoken. Can
produce simple connected text on topics, which
are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe
experiences and events, dreams, hopes and
ambitions and briefly give reasons and
explanations for opinions and plans.
B1 is insufficient for full academic level
participation in language activities. A
student at this level could ‘get by’ in
everyday situations independently. To
be successful in communication in
university settings, additional English
language courses are required.
4 © The copyright of the level descriptors reproduced in this document belongs to the Council of Europe.
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 48 of 71
PTE
Academic
Score
Common
European
Framework
Level
Level Descriptor4 What does this mean for a score
user?
36 – 42
Scores in
this range
predict
success on
the easiest
tasks at B1
Has limited command of language, but it is
sufficient in most familiar situations provided
language is simple and clear. May be able to deal
with less routine situations on public transport
e.g., asking another passenger where to get off
for an unfamiliar destination. Can re-tell short
written passages in a simple fashion using the
wording and ordering of the original text. Can
use simple techniques to start, maintain or end a
short conversation. Can tell a story or describe
something in a simple list of points.
30 - 42 A2
Can understand sentences and frequently used
expressions related to areas of most immediate
relevance (e.g., very basic personal and family
information, shopping, local geography,
employment). Can communicate in simple and
routine tasks requiring a simple and direct
exchange of information on familiar and routine
matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of
his/her background, immediate environment and
matters in areas of immediate need.
A2 is an insufficient level for academic
level participation.
10 - 29 A1 or
below
Can understand and use familiar everyday
expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the
satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can
introduce him/herself and others and can ask
and answer questions about personal details
such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows
and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple
way provided the other person talks slowly and
clearly and is prepared to help.
A1 is an insufficient level for academic
level participation.
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 49 of 71
Estimates of concordance between PTE Academic and TOEFL
iBT
TOEFL iBT Score
PTE A
Score TOEFL iBT Score PTE A
Score
No data
120
119
118
117
115-116
114
113
112
110-111
109
107-108
106
105
103-104
102
101
99-100
98
97
95-96
94
93
91-92
85 - 90
84
83
82
81
80
79
78
77
76
75
74
73
72
71
70
69
68
67
66
65
64
63
62
90
89
87-88
86
85
83-84
82
81
79-80
78
76-77
74-75
72-73
70-71
67-69
65-66
63-64
60-62
57-59
54-56
52-53
48-51
45-47
40-44
No data
61
60
59
58
57
56
55
54
53
52
51
50
49
48
47
46
45
44
43
42
41
40
39
38
10 - 37
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 50 of 71
Estimates of concordance between PTE Academic and IELTS
IELTS Score PTE A Score
9.0
8.5
8.0
7.5
7.0
6.5
6.0
5.5
5.0
4.5
No data
86 - 90
83 - 85
79 - 82
73 - 78
65 – 72
58 - 64
50 - 57
42 - 49
36 - 41
29 - 35
10 - 28
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 51 of 71
6 Scored Samples
Automated scoring
As the worldwide leader in publishing and assessment for education, Pearson is using several of its
proprietary, patented technologies to automatically score test takers’ performance on PTE
Academic. Academic institutions, corporations and government agencies around the world have
selected Pearson’s automated scoring technologies to measure the abilities of students, staff or
applicants. Pearson customers using automated spoken and written assessments include eight of
the 2008 Fortune Top 20 companies; 11 of the 2008 Top 15 Indian BPO companies; the U.S.,
German and Dutch governments; world sports organizations, such as FIFA (organizers of the World
Cup) and the Asian Games; major airlines and aviation schools; and leading universities and
language schools.
An extensive field test program was conducted to test PTE Academic’s test items and evaluate their
effectiveness as well as to obtain the data necessary to train the automated scoring engines to
evaluate PTE Academic items. Test data was collected from more than 10,000 test takers from 38
cities in 21 countries who participated in PTE Academic’s field test. These test takers came from
158 different countries and spoke 126 different native languages, including (but not limited to)
Cantonese, French, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Marathi,
Polish, Spanish, Urdu, Vietnamese, Tamil, Telugu, Thai and Turkish. The data from the field test
were used to train the automated scoring engines for both the written and spoken PTE Academic
items.
By combining the power of a comprehensive field test, in-depth research and Pearson’s proven,
proprietary automated scoring technologies, PTE Academic fits a critical gap by providing a state-
of-the-art test that accurately measures the English language speaking, listening, reading and
writing abilities of non-native speakers.
Scoring written English skills
The written portion of PTE Academic is scored using the Intelligent Essay Assessor™ (IEA), an
automated scoring tool that is powered by Pearson’s state-of-the-art Knowledge Analysis
Technologies™ (KAT™) engine. Based on more than 20 years of research and development, the
KAT engine automatically evaluates the meaning of text by examining whole passages. The KAT
engine evaluates writing as accurately as skilled human raters using a proprietary application of the
mathematical approach known as Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA). Using LSA (an approach that
generates semantic similarity of words and passages by analyzing large bodies of relevant text) the
KAT engine “understands” the meaning of text much the same as a human does.
IEA can be tuned to understand and evaluate text in any subject area, and includes built-in
detectors for off-topic responses or other situations that may need to be referred to human
readers. Research conducted by independent researchers as well as Pearson supports IEA’s
reliability for assessing knowledge and knowledge-based reasoning. IEA was developed more than
a decade ago and has been used to evaluate millions of essays, from scoring student writing at
elementary, secondary and university level, to assessing military leadership skills.
Scoring spoken English skills
The spoken portion of PTE Academic is automatically scored using Pearson’s Ordinate technology.
Ordinate technology is the result of years of research in speech recognition, statistical modeling,
linguistics and testing theory. The technology uses a proprietary speech processing system that is
specifically designed to analyze and automatically score speech from native and non-native
speakers of English. In addition to recognizing words, the system locates and evaluates relevant
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 52 of 71
segments, syllables and phrases in speech and then uses statistical modeling technologies to
assess spoken performance.
To understand the way that the Ordinate technology is “taught” to score spoken language, think
about a person being trained by an expert rater to score speech samples during interviews. First,
the expert rater gives the trainee rater a list of things to listen for in the test taker’s speech during
the interview. Then the trainee observes the expert testing numerous test takers, and, after each
interview, the expert shares with the trainee the score he or she gave the test taker and the
characteristics of the performance that led to that score. Over several dozen interviews, the
trainee’s scores begin to look very similar to the expert rater’s scores. Ultimately, one could predict
the score the trainee would give a particular test taker based on the score that the expert gave.
This, in effect, is how the machine is trained to score, only instead of one expert teaching the
trainee, there are many expert scorers feeding scores into the system for each response, and
instead of a few dozen test takers, the system is trained on thousands of responses from hundreds
of test takers. Furthermore, the machine does not need to be told what features of the speech are
important; the relevant features and their relative contributions are statistically extracted from the
massive set of data when the system is optimized to predict human scores.
Ordinate technology powers the Versant™ line of language assessments, which are used by
organizations such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, schools of aviation around the
world, the Immigration and Naturalization Service in the Netherlands, and the U.S. Department of
Education. Independent studies have demonstrated that Ordinate’s automated scoring system can
be more objective and more reliable than many of today’s best human-rated tests, including one-
on-one oral proficiency interviews.
Further information about automated scoring is available on our website
www.pearsonpte.com/Pages/AutomatedScoring.aspx.
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Spoken samples
The PTE Academic automated scoring system correlates highly with human ratings. Studies have
been carried out to compare human and machine scores for the speaking item type Describe
image using tasks such as the example below.
Example Describe image item
Samples of test taker responses at B1, B2 and C1 were collected as well as comments from the
Language Testing division of Pearson. The ratings on each response include a machine score and
scores from at least two human raters. In cases where the two human rater scores differed, an
adjudicator was used to provide a third human rating.
Scoring
The Describe image item is scored on 3 different traits:
Traits Maximum raw
score Human rating Machine score
Content 5 + +
Oral fluency 5 + +
Pronunciation 5 + +
Maximum item score 15 15 15
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 53 of 71
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 54 of 71
These traits are scored as follows:
Content Pronunciation Oral fluency
5:
Describes all elements of
the image and their
relationships, possible
development and
conclusion or
implications
5 Native-like:
All vowels and consonants are produced in a
manner that is easily understood by regular
speakers of the language. The speaker uses
assimilation and deletions appropriate to
continuous speech. Stress is placed correctly
in all words and sentence-level stress is fully
appropriate
5 Native–like:
Speech shows smooth, rhythm and
phrasing. There are no hesitations,
repetitions, false starts or non-native
phonological simplifications
4:
Describes all the key
elements of the image
and their relations,
referring to their
implications or
conclusions
4 Advanced:
Vowels and consonants are pronounced clearly
and unambiguously. A few minor consonant,
vowel or stress distortions do not affect
intelligibility. All words are easily
understandable. A few consonants or
consonant sequences may be distorted. Stress
is placed correctly on all common words, and
sentence level stress is reasonable
4 Advanced:
Speech has an acceptable rhythm with
appropriate phrasing and word
emphasis. There is no more than one
hesitation, one repetition or a false
start. There are no significant non-
native phonological simplifications
3:
Deals with most key
elements of the image
and refers to their
implications or
conclusions
3 Good:
Most vowels and consonants are pronounced
correctly. Some consistent errors might make
a few words unclear. A few consonants in
certain contexts may be regularly distorted,
omitted or mispronounced. Stress-dependent
vowel reduction may occur on a few words
3 Good:
Speech is at an acceptable speed, but
may be uneven. There may be more
than one hesitation, but most words are
spoken in continuous phrases. There
are few repetitions or false starts. There
are no long pauses and speech does not
sound staccato
2:
Deals with only one key
element in the image
and refers to an
implication or
conclusion. Shows basic
understanding of several
core elements of the
image
2 Intermediate:
Some consonants and vowels are consistently
mispronounced in a non-native like manner. At
least 2/3 of speech is intelligible, but listeners
might need to adjust to the accent. Some
consonants are regularly omitted, and
consonant sequences may be simplified.
Stress may be placed incorrectly on some
words or be unclear
2 Intermediate:
Speech may be uneven or staccato.
Speech (if >= 6 words) has at
least one smooth three-word run, and
no more than two or three hesitations,
repetitions or false starts. There may be
one long pause, but not two or more
1:
Describes some basic
elements of the image,
but does not make clear
their interrelations or
implications
1 Intrusive:
Many consonants and vowels are
mispronounced, resulting in a strong intrusive
foreign accent. Listeners may have difficulty
understanding about 1/3 of the words. Many
consonants may be distorted or omitted.
Consonant sequences may be non-English.
Stress is placed in a non-English manner;
unstressed words may be reduced or omitted
and a few syllables added or missed
1 Limited:
Speech has irregular phrasing or
sentence rhythm. Poor phrasing,
staccato or syllabic timing, and/or
multiple hesitations, repetitions, and/or
false starts make spoken performance
notably uneven or discontinuous. Long
utterances may have one or two long
pauses and inappropriate sentence-level
word emphasis
0:
Mentions some
disjointed elements of
the presentation
0 Non-English:
Pronunciation seems completely characteristic
of another language. Many consonants and
vowels are mispronounced, misordered or
omitted. Listeners may find more than 1/2 of
the speech unintelligible. Stressed and
unstressed syllables are realized in a non-
English manner. Several words may have the
wrong number of syllables
0 Disfluent:
Speech is slow and labored with little
discernable phrase grouping, multiple
hesitations, pauses, false starts, and/or
major phonological simplifications. Most
words are isolated, and there may be
more than one long pause
![](asset-3c.png)
Test Taker responses
Test-taker A: mid B1 Level
Listen to audio sample ‘Test taker A’
Comment on response
The response lacks some of the main contents. Only some obvious information from the graph is
addressed. Numerous hesitations, non-native-like pronunciation, poor language use and limited
control of grammar structures at times make the response difficult to understand.
How the response was scored
The table below and subsequent tables under ‘How the response was scored’ show the machine
scores and the human ratings that have been assigned to this response. When the cells in the
adjudicator column are empty, the adjudicator score does not deviate from the scores given by the
first and second human rater.
Trait name Maximum
raw score Machine
score Human
rater 1 Human
rater 2 Adjudicator
Content 5 1.69 2 2
Oral fluency 5 1.62 4 2 2
Pronunciation 5 1.41 2 2
Total item score 15 4.72 8 6 6
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 55 of 71
![](asset-3d.png)
Test taker B: mid B2 Level
Listen to audio sample ‘Test taker B’
Comment on response
The test taker discusses some aspects of the graph and the relationship between elements, though
some key points have not been addressed. The rate of speech is acceptable. Language use and
vocabulary range are quite weak. There are some obvious grammar errors and inappropriate stress
and pronunciation.
How the response was scored
Trait name Maximum
raw score Machine
score Human
rater 1 Human
rater 2 Adjudicator
Content 5 2.50 2 3 2
Oral fluency 5 3.71 4 5 3
Pronunciation 5 3.28 3 4 2
Total item score 15 9.49 9 12 7
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 56 of 71
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Test taker C: mid C1 Level
Listen to audio sample ‘Test taker C’
Comment on response
The test taker discusses the major aspects of the graph and the relationship between elements.
The response is spoken at a fluent rate and language use is appropriate. There are few grammatical
errors in the response. The candidate demonstrates a wide range of vocabulary. Stress is
appropriately placed.
How the response was scored
Trait name Maximum
raw score Machine
score Human
rater 1 Human
rater 2 Adjudicator
Content 5 2.70 3 4 3
Oral fluency 5 4.03 4 5 4
Pronunciation 5 4.02 5 4 4
Total item score 15 10.75 12 13 11
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 57 of 71
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Overall performance rating
As can be seen from the scoring tables on the responses presented, the human ratings at trait level
differed up to two score points out of six possible scoring categories (0 - 5). The two graphs below
show the level of agreement of the total item score (sum of traits) of the human raters (graph on
the left) and the agreement of the machine score with the average of the human ratings (graph on
the right). The total item scores are rendered as a proportion of the total maximum item score (15)
for the item. The human ratings vary substantially, especially for the B2 candidate, from a score
that is only slightly higher than the score given to the B1 test taker, to a score that is close to the
one given to the C1 test taker.
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 58 of 71
Note that these ratings were given by trained raters who had all recently passed a rater’s exam.
This example is therefore not typical for the human rating in general, but it shows that in some
instances, especially for spoken responses, human raters have a hard time deciding on the most
fitting score.
The automatic scoring system that has been trained on more than 100 human raters agrees quite
well with the average human rating as shown in the graph on the right.
The machine-human comparison is part of the validation studies based on the field test responses
for speaking, where 450,000 spoken responses were collected and scored, generating more than 1
million human ratings. The correlation between the human raw scores and the machine-generated
scores for the overall measure of speaking was 0.89. In order to neutralize the effect of differences
in severity amongst human raters, the human scores were scaled using Item Response Theory
(IRT). The correlation with the machine scores then increases to 0.96. The reliability of the
measure of speaking in PTE Academic is 0.91.
Score type Human-human Machine-human
Raw scores 0.87 0.89
IRT scaled 0.90 0.96
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Written samples
The PTE Academic automated scoring system correlates highly with average human ratings. Studies
were carried out to compare human and machine scores for the writing item type Write essay,
using tasks such as the example below.
Example Write essay item ‘Tobacco’
From the studies using these items, samples of test taker responses at B1, B2 and C1 are given as
well as a comment from the Language Testing division of Pearson. Ratings on each response are
provided including a machine score and scores from at least two human raters. In cases where the
two human rater scores differed, an adjudicator was used to provide a third human rating.
Scoring
The item type Write essay is scored on 7 different traits:
Traits Maximum raw score Human rating Machine score
Content 3 + +
Form 2 +
Development, structure
and coherence 2 + +
Grammar 2 + +
General linguistic range 2 + +
Vocabulary range 2 + +
Spelling 2 +
Maximum item score 15 11 15
The form and spelling traits do not require human ratings for training the automatic scoring
systems as they can be objectively scored. It can be assumed (if the human raters work error-free)
that the human rating on these two traits would have been identical to the machine score.
To make the total score from human rating comparable to the machine score, we need to take the
score as a proportion of the maximum obtainable score by dividing the observed total score by the
maximum possible score.
An item is not scored if the test taker’s response does not meet the minimum requirements for the
traits content and form (i.e., when a test taker scores 0 for content and/or form).
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 59 of 71
![](asset-41.png)
The traits are scored as follows:
Content Form Development,
structure and
coherence Grammar
3:
Adequately deals with
the prompt
2:
Deals with the prompt
but does not deal with
one minor aspect
2:
Length is between 200
and 300 words
2:
Shows good development
and logical structure
2:
Shows consistent
grammatical control of
complex language. Errors
are rare and difficult to
spot
1:
Deals with the prompt
but omits one major
aspect or more than one
minor aspect
1:
Length is between 120
and 199 or between 301
and 380 words
1:
Is incidentally less well
structured, and some
elements or paragraphs
are poorly linked
1:
Shows a relatively high
degree of grammatical
control. No mistakes
which would lead to
misunderstandings
0:
Does not deal properly
with the prompt
0:
Length is less than 120
or more than 380 words.
Essay is written in capital
letters, contains no
punctuation or only
consists of bullet points
or very short sentences
0:
Lacks coherence and
mainly consists of lists or
loose elements
0:
Contains mainly simple
structures and/or several
basic mistakes
General linguistic range Vocabulary range Spelling
2:
Exhibits mastery of a wide range of
language to formulate thoughts
precisely, give emphasis,
differentiate and eliminate
ambiguity. No sign that the test
taker is restricted in what they
want to communicate
2:
Good command of a broad lexical
repertoire, idiomatic expressions
and colloquialisms
2:
Correct spelling
1:
Sufficient range of language to
provide clear descriptions, express
viewpoints and develop arguments
1:
Shows a good range of vocabulary
for matters connected to general
academic topics. Lexical
shortcomings lead to
circumlocution or some imprecision
1:
One spelling error
0:
Contains mainly basic language
and lacks precision
0:
Contains mainly basic vocabulary
insufficient to deal with the topic at
the required level
0:
More than one spelling error
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 60 of 71
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 61 of 71
Test Taker Responses
Test taker A: mid B1 Level
Tobacco, mainly in the form of cigarettes, is one of the most widely-used drugs in the world. Over a
billion adults legally smoke tobacco everyday. Recently, it is not only the adult. Even the high
school students or college students smoke just because they want to know how it feels. It is also
not limited by gender. Lots of women are smokers. Even the old people still smoke, as if they do
not care about their healthy. Become a smoker is like make someone just care about the good
feeling of smoking and makes them to forget the risks they will face in the future. The long term
health costs are high - for smokers themselves, and for the wider community in temrs of health
care costs and lost productivity. The worst risk that the smokers will face is lung cancer, which can
cause death. The governments have a legitimate role to legislate to protect citizens from the
harmful effects of their own decisions to smoke. For example they make rule about no smoking
area, in the street, and public place. But it also the decisions of each individual wheter they want to
continue their life as a smoker and take all the risk, or stop and learn to life healthier. (211 words)
Comment on response
The response is a simple essay which gives a minimal answer to the question. The argument
contains insufficient supporting ideas. The structure is lacking in logic and coherence. There is
frequent misuse of grammar and vocabulary. Vocabulary range is limited and inappropriate at
times.
How the response was scored
The table below and subsequent ones under ‘How the response was scored’ show the machine
scores and the human ratings that have been assigned to this response. When the cells in the
adjudicator column are empty, the adjudicator score does not deviate from the scores given by the
first and second human rater.
Trait name Maximum
raw score Machine
score Human
rater 1 Human
rater 2 Adjudicator
Content 2 1.80 2 2
Development,
structure and
coherence 2 1.35 0 1 1
Form 2 2.00 n/a n/a
General linguistic
Range 2 1.03 1 1
Grammar 2 1.07 1 1
Spelling 2 0.00 n/a n/a
Vocabulary range 2 0.93 1 2 1
Total item score 14 8.18 5 7 6
![](asset-43.png)
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 62 of 71
Test taker B: mid B2 Level
In my opinion it should be a combined effort of both government and an individual. In some
countries specially in UK, government is tring to impose laws and regulations which discourage
smoking, for example the law which prohibits smoking in pubs, bars and public areas. Also there
are TV commercials and banners which explain the long term effects of smoking. As a result there
has been some reduction in the number of people smoking before the law and now. But this effort
is not enough. Uptil and unless an individual doesnt makes an effort himself the problem cannot be
solved. One has to have control of his own body and will power to over come this habit turned
necessity of the body. There has been a significant increase in amount of people who are
approching mediacl practioners and NHS to help them to overcome this problem. There are also
some NGO’s who are working in this field. \n\nI think if we can spread awarness about the ill
effects of smoking to teenagers, there will be less number of people who start smoking at the first
place. It is a collective responsibilty of government and parents as well. To conclude i can say that
youngsters are the people who get facinated by the whole idea of smoking, thus this concept
should be changed by the efforts of government, media and by us as an individual. (234 words)
Comment on response
A systematic argument with appropriate highlighting of significant points and relevant supporting
detail has been developed. Ability to evaluate different ideas or solutions to a problem has been
demonstrated. However, some obvious grammar errors and inappropriate use of vocabulary can be
found. There are also quite a number of spelling errors.
How the response was scored
Trait name Maximum
raw score Machine
score Human rater
1 Human rater
2 Adjudicator
Content 2 2.25 3 1 2
Development,
structure and
coherence 2 1.17 2 1 2
Form 2 2.00 n/a n/a
General linguistic
range 2 1.42 1 1
Grammar 2 1.68 1 2 3
Spelling 2 0.00 n/a n/a
Vocabulary
range 2 1.32 1 1
Total item
score 14 9.84 8 6 9
![](asset-44.png)
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 63 of 71
Test taker B: mid C1 Level
Outlawing tobacco use would create unprecedented controversy. Billions of people worldwide
smoke; whether they are chain smokers or recreational smokers. Also, there are several multi-
million dollar cigarette companies that will also suffer many consequences if tobacco use is made
illegal. We must also consider the thousands of employees who will be left unemployed if such a
legislation is made. Unfortunately, it is an industry that makes ridiculous amounts of money for
many people, so the likelihood of banning it is minimal.
Nonetheless, it is a change that would benefit society on many levels in the long run. Smoking
causes so many health care issues, so if smoking is made illegal, morbidity and mortality rates
would be reduced significantly. Quality of life will be improved dramatically, and it will allow more
people to enjoy their lives significantly longer.
Legislators must also consider the rights of the individual. Should’nt every individual have the right
to choose how they treat their body? The government can argue that these individuals may do as
they wish, but then they must also suffer the consequences without government funding. They
must take full responsibility for any health issues developed as a result of tobacco use, and not
expect medicare or health insurance to cover costs caused by their own irresponsible negligent
decisions.
In essence, if individuals wish to make their own decisions to smoke, they must consider all the
possible outcomes, and be willing to deal with these outcomes accordingly. (243 words)
Comment on response
Clear, well-structured exposition on the topic which touches upon the relevant issues. Points of
view are given at some length with subsidiary points. Reasons and relevant examples are
demonstrated. General linguistic range and vocabulary range are excellent. Phrasing and word
choice is appropriate. There are very few grammar errors. Spelling is excellent.
How the response was scored
Trait name Maximum
raw score Machine
score Human
rater 1 Human
rater 2 Adjudicator
Content 2 2.74 1 2 3
Development, structure
and coherence 2 1.97 2 2
Form 2 2.00 n/a n/a
General linguistic range 2 2.00 2 2
Grammar 2 1.70 2 2
Spelling 2 1.00 n/a n/a
Vocabulary range 2 1.82 1 2 2
Total item score 14 13.23 8 10 11
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Overall performance rating
As can be seen from the scoring tables on the essay responses, the machine scores correspond
closely to the average human score. Although there is some variation at the trait level, the total
item scores agree to a high degree. To illustrate this agreement the graph below shows the
machine scores and the average human scores.
The graph illustrates the total (proportional) item score from the machine and from the human
ratings for the essay responses. The results show that the machine generated total item scores are
closely aligned with the average over the human ratings.
The machine-human comparison is part of the validation studies based on the field test responses
for writing, where 50,000 written responses were collected and scored, generating about 0.6 million
human ratings.
The correlation between the human raw scores and the machine-generated scores for the overall
measure of writing was 0.88. In order to neutralize the effect of differences in severity amongst
human raters, the human scores were scaled using IRT. The correlation with the machine scores
then increases to 0.93. The reliability of the measure of writing in PTE Academic is 0.89.
Score Type Human-Human Machine-Human
Raw scores 0.87 088
IRT scaled 0.90 0.93
PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 64 of 71
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 65 of 71
7 References
Using PTE Academic scores
American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (1986) ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.
Hastings-on-Hudson, NY
American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (1999) ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
Speaking, (Revised), actfl.org/files/public/Guidelinesspeak.pdf (retrieved 2009-08-08)
American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (2001) ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
Writing, Revised actfl.org/files/public/writingguidelines.pdf (retrieved 2009-08-08)
Council of Europe (2001) Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning,
Teaching Assessment Cambridge: CUP
National Council of State Supervisors for Languages (2008) Linguafolio Self-Assessment Grid,
ncssfl.org/links/LFGrid.pdf (retrieved 2009-08-08)
Concordance to other tests
Cassady, Jerrell C. (2001) Self-Reported GPA and SAT Scores. ERIC Digest. ERIC Identifier:
ED458216
Council of Europe (2001) Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning,
Teaching, Assessment. Cambridge: CUP
ETS (2001) TOEFL Institutional Testing Program (ITP) and TOEIC Institutional Program (IP): Two
On-Site Testing Tools from ETS at a Glance. Handout Berlin Conference 2001. Princeton:
Educational Testing Service
ETS (2005) TOEFL ® Internet-based test: Score comparison tables. Princeton: Educational Testing
Service
Linacre, J.M (1988; 2005) A Computer Program for the Analysis of Multi-Faceted Data. Chicago, IL:
Mesa Press
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 66 of 71
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PTE Academic | Score Guide Page 67 of 71