When preparing for the Pearson Test of English (PTE), it’s important to understand which version of the test suits your goals. The PTE Academic and PTE Core are both designed to assess English proficiency, but they cater to different needs and purposes.
Purpose and Focus of Each Test
- PTE Academic: As the name suggests, PTE Academic is designed for individuals looking to study in English-speaking countries or for academic purposes. The tasks focus on assessing your ability to communicate effectively in an academic environment.
- PTE Core: On the other hand, PTE Core is designed for individuals who require an English proficiency test for general purposes, such as applying for permanent residency in Canada or Canadian Citizenship. The tasks are more oriented towards practical, everyday communication, such as responding to a situation, writing a professional email, and summarizing spoken content in fewer words.
Comparison of PTE Academic vs. PTE Core
| Feature | PTE Academic | PTE Core |
| Speaking | Personal Introductions, Read Aloud, Repeat Sentences, Describe Images, Re-tell Lecture, and Answer Short Questions. | Personal Introductions, Read Aloud, Repeat Sentences, Describe Images, Respond to Situation, and Answer Short Questions. |
| Writing | Summarise Written Text, Write Essay | Summarise Written Text, Write Email |
| Reading | No change | No change |
| Listening | Summarise Spoken Text, Multiple Choice Questions (Single or Multiple Answers), Fill In the blanks, Highlight Incorrect Word, Highlight Correct Summary, Select Missing Word, Write From Dictation | Summarise Spoken Text, Multiple Choice Questions (Single or Multiple Answers), Fill In the blanks, Highlight Incorrect Word, Select Missing Word, Write From Dictation |
Elaboration of Key Differences:
1. Speaking & Writing
PTE Academic:
- Retell Lecture: You’re required to listen to a short academic lecture and then retell the key points, testing your ability to understand and reproduce academic content.
- Write Essay: You are tasked with writing a formal academic essay, typically on an abstract topic, to demonstrate your ability to present ideas.
- Summarize Written Text: In PTE Academic, you need to summarize a written passage using 5-75 words, offering more room for elaboration and detail in your answer.
PTE Core:
- Respond to Situation: This task simulates real-life scenarios, and you respond conversationally, reflecting more general language use rather than academic speech.
- Write Email: Instead of an academic essay, PTE Core requires you to compose a formal email, which is practical for general communication in everyday and professional settings.
- Summarize Written Text: You’re expected to summarize a passage, but with a stricter word limit of 25-50 words, focusing on conciseness and clarity.
2. Reading
Both PTE Academic and PTE Core have the same reading section in terms of question types, which includes tasks like multiple-choice questions, reading comprehension, and reordering paragraphs.
3. Listening PTE Academic:
The listening section of PTE Academic includes the Highlight Correct Summary, which is designed to test your ability to pick out the most accurate summary from multiple choices after listening to a spoken text. This task is not included in PTE Core.
- Summarize Spoken Text: This task involves listening to a spoken lecture or talk and summarizing it in 50-70 words, demanding a more comprehensive response.
PTE Core:
The listening section in PTE Core includes Summarise Spoken Text, but the summary word limit is reduced to 20-30 words, which makes the response more concise and practical for everyday situations.
The primary difference between PTE Academic and PTE Core lies in the purpose and complexity of the tasks. PTE Academic is geared toward higher-level academic English proficiency, while PTE Core is designed to assess general English skills in everyday and professional contexts.
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To ensure that you’re fully prepared for either the PTE Academic or PTE Core, it’s essential to use reliable practice resources like Sumlingo for exam preparation.
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