Pearson's current PTE Academic format has three parts and takes about two hours: Speaking and Writing, Reading, and Listening. Pearson lists nine question types in Speaking and Writing, five in Reading, and eight in Listening (Pearson preparation page).
For candidates preparing in 2026, the current PTE Academic format includes the changes introduced on 7 August 2025. Pearson's official sources reviewed for this guide do not identify a later format change.
Two changes happened on the same date
On 7 August 2025, Pearson's PTE Academic format added Summarize Group Discussion and Respond to a Situation. Australian migration score thresholds also changed for tests taken from that date. These are related dates but separate rules: Pearson defines the exam, while Home Affairs defines visa evidence. A preparation page can describe the current tasks correctly and still show obsolete migration scores, or the reverse. Check the format against Pearson and any visa target against Home Affairs.
Current PTE Academic structure
| Part | Current duration | Question types |
|---|---|---|
| Speaking and Writing | 76–84 minutes | 9 |
| Reading | 23–30 minutes | 5 |
| Listening | 31–39 minutes | 8 |
The ranges above are Pearson's current published section ranges on its Speaking and Writing, Reading and Listening pages. Pearson separately describes the test as approximately two hours. Candidates should use the live booking and test information for planning rather than calculate an exact finish time from the ranges.
What changed after 7 August 2025
Pearson added two Speaking and Writing question types to PTE Academic and PTE Academic UKVI:
- Summarize Group Discussion: listen to a discussion among three people, then summarise it in your own words. Pearson lists a prompt of up to three minutes, Listening and Speaking skills, and two minutes to answer.
- Respond to a Situation: listen to and read a situation, then give an extended spoken response. Pearson lists text up to 60 words, Speaking as the assessed skill, and 40 seconds to answer.
The original 20 question types remained, creating 22 in total. Pearson also reported slightly more questions overall and human review of content for some responses alongside AI scoring. For the new tasks, the current pages make relevance and completeness practical priorities: Summarize Group Discussion must capture the discussion in the candidate's own words, while Respond to a Situation must address the stated context and purpose. Humans do not assess pronunciation or oral fluency (Pearson 2025 updates).
PTE Core and PTE Home were not changed by this update. PTE Core already has its own Respond to a Situation task, with Core-specific instructions and timing, but it does not have Summarize Group Discussion. Use the format page for the exam you booked.
Advice that may now be outdated
Recheck a resource if it says PTE Academic has only 20 task types, lacks both new speaking tasks, gives an old Speaking and Writing section duration, or claims every part of every response is scored only by AI.
Also verify current skill contributions task by task. Old coaching charts can misstate them. For example, the current Pearson format page says Read Aloud affects Speaking only in PTE Academic (in PTE Core it also contributes to Reading), while Answer Short Question affects Listening only. Use the live task page and current Score Guide instead of an inherited weighting graphic.
Worked example: audit three resources
Imagine you find these fictional resources:
Resource A: a video dated May 2024 listing 20 question types. It may still contain useful language advice, but its format list predates the August 2025 update. Add official guidance for both new tasks and verify any scoring claims.
Resource B: a January 2026 course listing 22 task types, but it says Respond to a Situation gives 60 seconds to answer. The publication date looks current, yet the claim conflicts with Pearson's 40-second figure. Correct that lesson before using its timing drill.
Resource C: an undated worksheet for Reading Fill in the Blanks. It does not make format or scoring claims and its exercises match the current interface. It may be useful, but compare its directions with the official Reading page before relying on it.
Date alone is not enough. Check each resource against the current task list, instructions, skill labels and timing.
Keep your materials current
Make a one-page inventory of the 22 question types. Mark which resources cover each one and note their source date. For every timing or scoring claim, keep a link to Pearson's live format page or current Score Guide. Review the inventory when Pearson announces an update and again shortly before your test.
Browse the PTE practice question hub, choose your exam category, and compare each exercise with the current official task list.