Practise Describe Image for PTE Academic. Open a question and work on your response at your own pace.
PTE Core version of this page1198 questions · PTE Academic
Describe Image shows a chart, map, process diagram or photo that you describe aloud. Identify the visual, state its main message, support that message with two or three details, then close with an accurate overview — a flexible structure, not a script to force onto every image.
Describe Image shows a chart, map, process diagram or photo, and asks you to describe it aloud in a single continuous turn. Unlike Read Aloud, you choose what to say: the task tests whether you can identify a visual's main message quickly and build a coherent spoken description around it, not just react to individual details.
An image appears on screen. Pearson describes the prompt simply as an image; in practice you should be ready for charts, tables, maps, process diagrams and photographs. After a preparation window, you speak for a fixed time, describing what the image shows.
PTE Academic includes 5 to 6 Describe Image items. Because the images vary widely in type, the task rewards a flexible approach you can adapt on the spot rather than a single memorised script.
You get 25 seconds to look at the image and plan before the microphone opens, then 40 seconds to speak.
Describe Image is scored on Content (out of 6), Pronunciation (out of 5) and Oral Fluency (out of 5). Content is scored first, and if Content scores 0, the item receives no further scoring at all — an off-topic or silent response caps the whole item at zero.
Content is also reviewed by a human expert before your score is finalised, unlike Pronunciation and Oral Fluency, which are scored by the automated system only. The human review applies to Content only, so your accent and delivery are judged by the Pronunciation and Oral Fluency traits, not by that check.
Use the full 25 seconds of preparation to plan structure, not to compose exact sentences.
A fixed template can help you start speaking quickly, but a distinct one is needed for each visual type, and none should be recited word-for-word regardless of what the image actually shows.
For a chart (bar, line or pie): open by naming the chart type and its subject, state the overall trend or the largest/smallest category, then support it with two or three specific figures or comparisons, and close with a one-line overview of what the chart demonstrates.
For a process diagram: open by naming the process, describe the stages in order using sequencing language such as 'first', 'next' and 'finally', and close by naming the overall outcome of the process.
For a map: open by naming the area shown, describe the main changes or features moving in a logical direction (such as before/after, or north to south), and close with the map's overall message.
For a photograph: open by naming the setting, describe the main subject and two or three notable details, and close with what the photo appears to illustrate or represent. In every case, the goal is a structure you can adapt on the spot, built around whatever the specific image actually shows — a generic script that ignores the image's real content risks scoring 0 on Content.
Example (written by LexiPTE) — image: a bar chart titled 'Weekly hours spent studying by course type', showing four bars: Engineering (18 hours), Business (12), Arts (9) and Nursing (15).
A strong 40-second response: "This bar chart shows the average weekly hours students spend studying, broken down by four course types. Engineering students study the most, at around 18 hours a week, followed by Nursing at 15 and Business at 12. Arts students report the fewest hours, at around 9 per week — roughly half of the Engineering figure. Overall, the chart suggests that more technical or practical courses demand significantly more independent study time than Arts programmes."
This answer names the chart type and topic immediately, states the highest and lowest figures with actual numbers, makes one direct comparison (Arts versus Engineering), and closes with a one-sentence interpretation rather than simply restating the data. It uses the full answer time without padding or repeating the same point twice.
Because the image content is unpredictable, practise the structure separately from practising specific vocabulary.
In our experience, many weak Describe Image responses share the same underlying problem: they describe individual details without ever stating the main pattern.
Build fluency with the structure first, then layer in speed and precision.
