August 2025 PTE Changes: New Tasks, Interface Updates, and Study Advice

If you're planning to take the PTE Academic exam on or after August 7, 2025, it's crucial to understand the key updates that will impact the exam format. The new changes, which focus on real-world English usage, will shift the emphasis from memorization to assessing your ability to use English naturally and effectively in various real-life scenarios. These changes to the tasks, user interface, and evaluation methods are designed to make the exam more relevant and practical for academic and professional settings, so it’s important to adapt your preparation accordingly.

Why These Changes?

Pearson’s decision to update the PTE Academic exam comes from feedback gathered from thousands of test-takers. The previous format was criticized for focusing too much on memorized answers, which didn’t truly reflect test-takers' ability to communicate in authentic situations. The updated format focuses on fluency, spontaneity, and practical communication skills, making it a more accurate measure of how you can use English in real-world contexts like university courses, professional settings, and everyday conversations.

What’s New in the PTE Academic?

Here are the major updates you’ll encounter in the August 2025 PTE Academic exam:

1. Two New Speaking Tasks

• Respond to a Situation: This task will ask you to respond to real-life scenarios in a natural and polite manner. You might be asked to refuse an invitation, offer help, or explain something politely. This task evaluates how effectively you can handle conversations in common situations, reflecting everyday communication.
  
  
• Summarize a Group Discussion: In this task, you will listen to a group conversation or discussion, then provide a brief summary of the key points in 20–30 seconds. It tests both your listening comprehension and your ability to express main ideas clearly and concisely.
  
  

2. “Repeat Sentence” Beep

A new feature in the Repeat Sentence task is the beep signal. This beep tells you exactly when to begin speaking, ensuring you no longer have to guess the timing. This small change helps you focus on delivering a clear and accurate response without worrying about when to start.

3. User Interface Updates

The updated interface is designed to enhance your experience during the exam:

• Double mic check: The system will now perform a more thorough microphone check to ensure your voice is clearly heard during speaking tasks.
  
  
• No keyboard check: The keyboard check has been removed to streamline the process and help you get started faster.
  
  
• Circular progress bar: A new circular progress bar will help you monitor the time left in each section, so you can better manage your time.
  
  
• Font size adjustment: You can now adjust the font size, making it easier to read questions and instructions during the exam.
  
  
• Audio waveform display: A visual waveform will display as you speak, allowing you to monitor the clarity and volume of your responses.
  
  

4. Changes to Exam Structure & Time

• Total questions: The exam will now feature 22 questions.
  
  
• Duration: The total exam duration is extended to about 2 hours and 15 minutes—an increase of 15 minutes compared to the previous version.
  
  
• Faster onboarding: With fewer system checks, the onboarding process will be quicker, allowing you to focus on the test itself.
  
  

5. Human Evaluation for 7 Tasks

Human evaluators will now score seven tasks to ensure more accurate, personalized assessment. This also reduces the potential for memorized answers. The tasks that will be scored by humans include:

• Describe Image
  
  
• Retell Lecture
  
  
• Respond to a Situation
  
  
• Summarize Group Discussion
  
  
• Summarize Written Text
  
  
• Write Essay
  
  
• Summarize Spoken Text
  
  

Human evaluation means your responses will be assessed for authenticity and natural communication, rather than relying on fixed templates.

How to Prepare Smartly

The updated PTE Academic format requires a more practical approach to preparation. Here are some tips to help you succeed:

1. Practice Real-Life Conversations: For the Respond to a Situation task, practice how you would handle common situations, such as refusing a request or offering help. The key is to sound polite, clear, and natural in your responses.
   
   
2. Improve Listening and Summarizing Skills: To excel in the Summarize Group Discussion and Summarize Spoken Text tasks, practice listening to discussions or podcasts and summarizing the key points clearly in a short amount of time. Focus on capturing the main ideas without over-explaining.
   
   
3. Move Away from Memorized Responses: Although templates may help you structure your answers, relying on them too much can harm your score. Since seven tasks will be evaluated by humans, your goal should be to respond in a natural and authentic way, using your own words.
   
   
4. Familiarize Yourself with the New Interface: Practice using the new features, such as the beep signal, progress bar, and waveform display. Familiarizing yourself with these changes will make you more comfortable during the exam.
   
   

Quick Recap

• Two new speaking tasks: Respond to a Situation and Summarize Group Discussion.
  
  
• Human evaluation for seven tasks: Seven tasks will now be scored by human evaluators.
  
  
• UI improvements: Updates such as the beep signal, circular progress bar, and font size adjustment.
  
  
• Duration: The exam now lasts about 2 hours and 15 minutes.
  
  
• Focus on fluency: The emphasis is now on fluency and natural communication rather than memorization.
  
  

Final Thoughts

With the updates to the PTE Academic exam in August 2025, there’s a stronger focus on real-world communication skills. By shifting the emphasis to fluency and natural language use, Pearson is providing a more accurate measure of your ability to communicate effectively in English. Make sure to practice with the updated format, focus on speaking naturally, and take full advantage of the new features to ensure your best performance.

FAQs

1. Has the PTE scoring system changed?
 No, the PTE scoring system remains the same. It still uses the 10–90 scale and AI-based scoring.

2. Will these updates affect PTE Core?
 No, these updates only apply to PTE Academic and UKVI Academic exams.

3. Is the test longer now?
 Yes, the exam duration has been extended by about 15 minutes.

4. Are old prep materials still useful?
 Some old prep materials may not be up-to-date with the new format. It's best to use updated resources that reflect the 2025 changes.

5. Are templates banned?
 Templates are not banned, but over-relying on them can negatively affect your score. Focus on clear, natural communication, especially in tasks that will be evaluated by humans.

Source: PTE Academic New Update 2025