PTE-A Tips that I prepared

50310 Views 188 Replies 63 Participants Last post by lakskant, May 27, 2019

vincyf1

Discussion Starter · Sep 3, 2017

Hi Everyone,

I have been seeing many people asking for Tips for the PTE-A English Exam and I would like to pen down all notes that I had made during my preparation.

Hope this will help everyone in their preparations.

Speaking

Read Aloud

Read with proper pauses, intonation and stress
Better to group a few words together
Keep your natural rhythm
Practice before actually answering
Repeat Sentence

Listen for phrases in the sentence
Copy the emphasis in the sentence
Describe Image

Introduce Image
Explain Key Features
Conclude

Introduce Image - This graph represents the Title + X-axis or as appropriate for the given image (10 seconds)
Key Features - Most noticeable features and smooth talk (20 seconds)
Conclusion - start with word "Overall" or "In Conclusion", single sentence (10 seconds)
Note: Oral Fluency is more important than Content.
Retell Lecture

Make note of key points quickly
Get the gist of the lecture
Speak at least 5 sentences
Use arrows & symbols in the Notes to indicate order or flow
Speak fluently and with correct pronunciation
Start with "The speaker said.."
Answer Short Questions

Be Precise
Answer in 1 - 3 words
Listen carefully

Writing

Summarize Written Text

Identify Key Points
Use FANBOY connector words. FANBOY = For,And,Nor,But,Or,Yet
Strictly less than 70 words ideally 40 - 50 words
One sentence only
Use max of two commas
Start with Capital and end with full stop
Writing Essay

Essay Template
(suited for essays asking my opinion)
Keep it to 230 - 250 words

(Introduction)
These days, there is an ongoing debate between people about ______________. While it is possible to claim that______________ , my view is that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. In this essay, I shall explain my point of view by analysing both sides of the argument.

(2nd Paragraph)
There are several reasons why _____________________. One of them is that ___________________. It can also be argued that ___________________. It should also be taken into account that ________________.

(3rd Paragraph)
Those who argue for __________ have a different view and say that it can actually be a good thing. Firstly, it is claimed that ____________. Then, there are concerns about __________________.

(Conclusion)
While there are strong arguments on both sides of the case, my personal opinion is that _________. I would strongly recommend that _______________.

Continued in the Next Post.

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vincyf1

Discussion Starter · #2 · Sep 3, 2017

Reading

Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer

Read and Understand the Question
Read Passage and Understand
Choose YOUR Answer and Eliminate other incorrect Answers
Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers

Has Negative Marking
Can have 2 or 3 correct options - Choose wisely and don't push yourself

Read Question and Understand
Read Passage with Focus and Understand
Eliminate Answers and Choose the right options
Re-order Paragraphs

Search for Heading/Topic Sentence that stands alone
Check Proper Nouns-Common nouns-Pronoun-Articles Usage-Time Phrases order to re-order the sentences.
Proper Nouns - Atlantic Ocean, Walt Disney, etc
Common Nouns - Man, Mountain, etc
Pronoun - He, She, They, Them, etc
Articles Usage - a, an, the. "The" refers to a noun already introduced earlier
Time Phrases - Passive voice refers back to another sentence
Other Phrases - However, Moreover, Although, Also, etc
Fill in the Blanks (Both Reading\Writing)

Skim through the Passage first
Concentrate at parts of speech before and after the Blank
Practice Collocations

Listening

Summarize Spoken Text

Start writing with "The speaker said..."
Other tips same as Re-tell Lecture

Make note of key points quickly
Get the gist of the lecture
Write at least 5 sentences
Use arrows & symbols to indicate order or flow
Write with correct pronunciation
Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer

Read question before audio starts
Stay focused till the end
Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers

Has Negative Marking - be cautious
Read question before audio starts
Stay focused till the end
Highlight Correct Summary

Write down in notepad
Understand what is conveyed by speaker
Use elimination method
In general, the answer with many detail is wrong one. Use this tip only when you can’t understand at all.
Fill in the Blanks

Note down in notepad
Careful listen to nouns - singular/plural?
Take care of Spellings. Answer is Wrong if Spelling is wrong.
Select Missing Word

Straight forward.
Listen Carefully.
Get the Gist of the speaker.
Highlight Incorrect Words

Single Left Mouse Click on the Incorrect Word.
Be Quick as the speaker can be fast at times.
Write Dictation

Use Notepad or Type, whichever is more comfortable.
Start with Capital and End with Full stop.

Please modify the tips according to your comfort. Good luck with Practice.
All the Best Everyone. :thumb:

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ArGo

· #3 · Sep 3, 2017

vincyf1 said:
Reading

Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer

Read and Understand the Question
Read Passage and Understand
Choose YOUR Answer and Eliminate other incorrect Answers

Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers

Has Negative Marking
Can have 2 or 3 correct options - Choose wisely and don't push yourself

Read Question and Understand
Read Passage with Focus and Understand
Eliminate Answers and Choose the right options

Re-order Paragraphs

Search for Heading/Topic Sentence that stands alone
Check Proper Nouns-Common nouns-Pronoun-Articles Usage-Time Phrases order to re-order the sentences.
Proper Nouns - Atlantic Ocean, Walt Disney, etc
Common Nouns - Man, Mountain, etc
Pronoun - He, She, They, Them, etc
Articles Usage - a, an, the. "The" refers to a noun already introduced earlier
Time Phrases - Passive voice refers back to another sentence
Other Phrases - However, Moreover, Although, Also, etc

Fill in the Blanks (Both Reading\Writing)

Skim through the Passage first
Concentrate at parts of speech before and after the Blank
Practice Collocations

Listening

Summarize Spoken Text

Start writing with "The speaker said..."
Other tips same as Re-tell Lecture

Make note of key points quickly
Get the gist of the lecture
Write at least 5 sentences
Use arrows & symbols to indicate order or flow
Write with correct pronunciation

Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer

Read question before audio starts
Stay focused till the end

Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers

Has Negative Marking - be cautious
Read question before audio starts
Stay focused till the end

Highlight Correct Summary

Write down in notepad
Understand what is conveyed by speaker
Use elimination method
In general, the answer with many detail is wrong one. Use this tip only when you can’t understand at all.

Fill in the Blanks

Note down in notepad
Careful listen to nouns - singular/plural?
Take care of Spellings. Answer is Wrong if Spelling is wrong.

Select Missing Word

Straight forward.
Listen Carefully.
Get the Gist of the speaker.

Highlight Incorrect Words

Single Left Mouse Click on the Incorrect Word.
Be Quick as the speaker can be fast at times.

Write Dictation

Use Notepad or Type, whichever is more comfortable.
Start with Capital and End with Full stop.

Please modify the tips according to your comfort. Good luck with Practice.
All the Best Everyone. :thumb:

I appreciate your effort, this helps.

Sent from my SM-T561 using Tapatalk

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Reactions: 2

shalinjames

· #4 · Sep 3, 2017

vincyf1 said:
Reading

Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer

Read and Understand the Question
Read Passage and Understand
Choose YOUR Answer and Eliminate other incorrect Answers

Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers

Has Negative Marking
Can have 2 or 3 correct options - Choose wisely and don't push yourself

Read Question and Understand
Read Passage with Focus and Understand
Eliminate Answers and Choose the right options

Re-order Paragraphs

Search for Heading/Topic Sentence that stands alone
Check Proper Nouns-Common nouns-Pronoun-Articles Usage-Time Phrases order to re-order the sentences.
Proper Nouns - Atlantic Ocean, Walt Disney, etc
Common Nouns - Man, Mountain, etc
Pronoun - He, She, They, Them, etc
Articles Usage - a, an, the. "The" refers to a noun already introduced earlier
Time Phrases - Passive voice refers back to another sentence
Other Phrases - However, Moreover, Although, Also, etc

Fill in the Blanks (Both Reading\Writing)

Skim through the Passage first
Concentrate at parts of speech before and after the Blank
Practice Collocations

Listening

Summarize Spoken Text

Start writing with "The speaker said..."
Other tips same as Re-tell Lecture

Make note of key points quickly
Get the gist of the lecture
Write at least 5 sentences
Use arrows & symbols to indicate order or flow
Write with correct pronunciation

Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer

Read question before audio starts
Stay focused till the end

Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers

Has Negative Marking - be cautious
Read question before audio starts
Stay focused till the end

Highlight Correct Summary

Write down in notepad
Understand what is conveyed by speaker
Use elimination method
In general, the answer with many detail is wrong one. Use this tip only when you can’t understand at all.

Fill in the Blanks

Note down in notepad
Careful listen to nouns - singular/plural?
Take care of Spellings. Answer is Wrong if Spelling is wrong.

Select Missing Word

Straight forward.
Listen Carefully.
Get the Gist of the speaker.

Highlight Incorrect Words

Single Left Mouse Click on the Incorrect Word.
Be Quick as the speaker can be fast at times.

Write Dictation

Use Notepad or Type, whichever is more comfortable.
Start with Capital and End with Full stop.

Please modify the tips according to your comfort. Good luck with Practice.
All the Best Everyone. :thumb:

You are simply awesome!....

Best is yet to come!

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Reactions: 2

vincyf1

Discussion Starter · #5 · Sep 4, 2017

shalinjames said:
You are simply awesome!....

Best is yet to come!

Thank You

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Reactions: 1

vincyf1

Discussion Starter · #6 · Sep 4, 2017

ArGo said:
I appreciate your effort, this helps.

Sent from my SM-T561 using Tapatalk

Glad that this has helped you

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sathish4sree

· #7 · Sep 4, 2017

awesome post. Thanks a lot for your effort.

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Reactions: 2

vincyf1

Discussion Starter · #8 · Sep 4, 2017

sathish4sree said:
awesome post. Thanks a lot for your effort.

All the Best with your Preparations

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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hdp9star

· #9 · Sep 4, 2017

Excellent tips, great work vincyf1.

Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

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vincyf1

Discussion Starter · #10 · Sep 4, 2017

hdp9star said:
Excellent tips, great work vincyf1.

Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

Thanks buddy

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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littlebr4t

· #11 · Sep 5, 2017

Hi vincyf1,

Wow just realized that you passed the PTE score with a perfect score. I am wondering how did you do that? Please share some tips and materials that you used to study.

I took the test 4x and still with no luck and I need to get 79+ for all modules.

Appreciate if you can help sharing some materials. Thanks.

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Reactions: 1

SG

· #12 · Sep 5, 2017

vincyf1 said:
Reading

Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer

Read and Understand the Question
Read Passage and Understand
Choose YOUR Answer and Eliminate other incorrect Answers

Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers

Has Negative Marking
Can have 2 or 3 correct options - Choose wisely and don't push yourself

Read Question and Understand
Read Passage with Focus and Understand
Eliminate Answers and Choose the right options

Re-order Paragraphs

Search for Heading/Topic Sentence that stands alone
Check Proper Nouns-Common nouns-Pronoun-Articles Usage-Time Phrases order to re-order the sentences.
Proper Nouns - Atlantic Ocean, Walt Disney, etc
Common Nouns - Man, Mountain, etc
Pronoun - He, She, They, Them, etc
Articles Usage - a, an, the. "The" refers to a noun already introduced earlier
Time Phrases - Passive voice refers back to another sentence
Other Phrases - However, Moreover, Although, Also, etc

Fill in the Blanks (Both Reading\Writing)

Skim through the Passage first
Concentrate at parts of speech before and after the Blank
Practice Collocations

Listening

Summarize Spoken Text

Start writing with "The speaker said..."
Other tips same as Re-tell Lecture

Make note of key points quickly
Get the gist of the lecture
Write at least 5 sentences
Use arrows & symbols to indicate order or flow
Write with correct pronunciation

Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer

Read question before audio starts
Stay focused till the end

Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers

Has Negative Marking - be cautious
Read question before audio starts
Stay focused till the end

Highlight Correct Summary

Write down in notepad
Understand what is conveyed by speaker
Use elimination method
In general, the answer with many detail is wrong one. Use this tip only when you can’t understand at all.

Fill in the Blanks

Note down in notepad
Careful listen to nouns - singular/plural?
Take care of Spellings. Answer is Wrong if Spelling is wrong.

Select Missing Word

Straight forward.
Listen Carefully.
Get the Gist of the speaker.

Highlight Incorrect Words

Single Left Mouse Click on the Incorrect Word.
Be Quick as the speaker can be fast at times.

Write Dictation

Use Notepad or Type, whichever is more comfortable.
Start with Capital and End with Full stop.

Please modify the tips according to your comfort. Good luck with Practice.
All the Best Everyone. :thumb:

Thanks for these valuable tips

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Reactions: 1

vincyf1

Discussion Starter · #13 · Sep 5, 2017

shekharghosh7 said:
Thanks for these valuable tips

Anytime

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Umarchodhary

· #14 · Sep 5, 2017

good work mate ... can you please specify the number of questions in each category e.g.
Read aloud = 30 questions
one word answer = 15 questions just like that ? it will help alot im planning to take PTE exam this month. thanks

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Reactions: 1

vincyf1

Discussion Starter · #15 · Sep 5, 2017

Umarchodhary said:
good work mate ... can you please specify the number of questions in each category e.g.
Read aloud = 30 questions
one word answer = 15 questions just like that ? it will help alot im planning to take PTE exam this month. thanks

Good point.
One thing to note is that the number of questions vary a lot. I will try to put together something.

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klusarun

· #16 · Sep 6, 2017

vincyf1 said:
Reading

Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer

Read and Understand the Question

Read Passage and Understand

Choose YOUR Answer and Eliminate other incorrect Answers

Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers

Has Negative Marking

Can have 2 or 3 correct options - Choose wisely and don't push yourself

Read Question and Understand

Read Passage with Focus and Understand

Eliminate Answers and Choose the right options

Re-order Paragraphs

Search for Heading/Topic Sentence that stands alone

Check Proper Nouns-Common nouns-Pronoun-Articles Usage-Time Phrases order to re-order the sentences.

Proper Nouns - Atlantic Ocean, Walt Disney, etc

Common Nouns - Man, Mountain, etc

Pronoun - He, She, They, Them, etc

Articles Usage - a, an, the. "The" refers to a noun already introduced earlier

Time Phrases - Passive voice refers back to another sentence

Other Phrases - However, Moreover, Although, Also, etc

Fill in the Blanks (Both Reading\Writing)

Skim through the Passage first

Concentrate at parts of speech before and after the Blank

Practice Collocations

Listening

Summarize Spoken Text

Start writing with "The speaker said..."

Other tips same as Re-tell Lecture

Make note of key points quickly

Get the gist of the lecture

Write at least 5 sentences

Use arrows & symbols to indicate order or flow

Write with correct pronunciation

Multiple Choice, Choose Single Answer

Read question before audio starts

Stay focused till the end

Multiple Choice, Choose Multiple Answers

Has Negative Marking - be cautious

Read question before audio starts

Stay focused till the end

Highlight Correct Summary

Write down in notepad

Understand what is conveyed by speaker

Use elimination method

In general, the answer with many detail is wrong one. Use this tip only when you can’t understand at all.

Fill in the Blanks

Note down in notepad

Careful listen to nouns - singular/plural?

Take care of Spellings. Answer is Wrong if Spelling is wrong.

Select Missing Word

Straight forward.

Listen Carefully.

Get the Gist of the speaker.

Highlight Incorrect Words

Single Left Mouse Click on the Incorrect Word.

Be Quick as the speaker can be fast at times.

Write Dictation

Use Notepad or Type, whichever is more comfortable.

Start with Capital and End with Full stop.

Please modify the tips according to your comfort. Good luck with Practice.

All the Best Everyone. :thumb:

Good one Vincyf1 , very helpful for test seekers

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whitenoise

· #17 · Sep 6, 2017

Thanks a ton mate...

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hdp9star

· #18 · Sep 7, 2017 (Edited)

Hey Vincyf1, can you check the essay according to the script. I tailored little bit to include the example, as I am preparing the script for a friend of mine whose English level is not so good, let's say at 5 band. Can you please point out to improve it further.

1. Traveling overseas to study is overrated. We have brilliant scholars who have studied locally. In

your opinion, is travel really required for higher studies?

These days, there is an ongoing debate between people about the importance of studying abroad. While it is possible to claim that local universities also produce competent scholars, my view is that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. In this essay, I shall explain my point of view by analysing both sides of the argument.

There are several reasons why it is believed that the foreign education is better than the domestic one. One of them is that a degree from the foreign prestigious universities is much valuable for the future. It can also be argued that the foreign schools implement technical tools to aid the academic studies that would become more useful to have in the students’ arsenal. For example, while
pursuing my study abroad, apart from the theoretical knowledge, I also learned to use various computer programs, such as Arena Simulation, SolidWorks and so on. This is not the case for most universities in my home countries.

Those who argue for local education to become scholars have a different view and say that it can actually be a good thing. Firstly, it is claimed that not everyone is lucky enough to have a sufficient family fund for studying into the foreign universities, and this often ended to the heavy debt to the students’ shoulders. Then, there are concerns about homesickness especially for the one who leave their family for the first time.

While there are strong arguments on both sides of the case, my personal opinion is that obtain the foreign degree is in fact provide much more value for the students’ future. I would strongly recommend that it is a good investment for higher studied from the foreign universities.

Sorry for the format, I have to do it via mobile phone, so please ignore the paragraphing. It has just four paragraph.

Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

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akhandel

· #19 · Sep 7, 2017

Hi Vincyf,

I have given my PTE 5 monhts back and got the desired result of 65+ but due to unexpected behavior of DIBP this yuear I am planning to get more points in EOI for my wife also.

Yesterday only she have registered for PTE and left with only 20 days preparation.

Your tips are really helpful and I conquer that they are absolutely awesome to crack PTE for everyone who have a very short time for prep.

God Bless. You make my life a lot easy today.

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Reactions: 2

vincyf1

Discussion Starter · #20 · Sep 7, 2017

hdp9star said:
Hey Vincyf1, can you check the essay according to the script. I tailored little bit to include the example, as I am preparing the script for a friend of mine whose English level is not so good, let's say at 5 band. Can you please point out to improve it further.

Hi Buddy,

You have already done a great job. I would be nitpicking but I think it will help improve your points with a few minor corrections that I recommend:

1. It would be better to use shorter simpler sentences than complex long ones to avoid any possible punctuation mistakes. For example, in the below sentence, I think a comma will be necessary to help in better comprehension.

It can also be argued that the foreign schools implement technical tools to aid the academic studies that would become more useful to have in the students’ arsenal.

2. In the below sentence, instead of "my home countries", the more apt usage would be "my home country"

This is not the case for most universities in my home countries.

3. I would look at improving the structure of the below sentence:

Firstly, it is claimed that not everyone is lucky enough to have a sufficient family fund for studying into the foreign universities, and this often ended to the heavy debt to the students’ shoulders. Then, there are concerns about homesickness especially for the one who leave their family for the first time.

My Version:
Firstly, it is claimed that not everyone is lucky enough to have sufficient family funds for studying at foreign universities, and this often ends up with the burden of a heavy debt on the student. Then, there are concerns of homesickness especially for the ones who are leaving their family for the first time.

I don't mean to offend you in anyway. I hope these suggestions help you.

All the Best. :thumb:

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