Ozhope Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Hi all Yesterday I took the Pearson PTE test and within 14 hours I have received my score, which is thankfully the required Superior English level. This is was the first test that I have taken, therefore cannot compare to ILETs. I can however say that I found it relatively easy and straightforward. I did did buy the sample tests and would recommend this so that you are prepared for the format of the tests. To paint a picture for you, I should say that I have always had a good command of English, do not struggle with spelling and grammar and feel quite comfortable with all aspects of English. I don't, however, have any higher level quals than GCSE and have not studied English since school, over 22 years ago! I would say say that unless your English is particularly poor, as long as you practice and prepare, you should not struggle to reach Superior level. During the the test you can make notes. This was good for the listening section, but probably only if you can listen and make notes at the same time. I found the listening part harder than the others, but still received a score of 81 for that part. Hope that helps someone. Please ask away if you have any questions. Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emilie Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Hello Ozhope! I need your advice because I'm going to take PTE Academic on the 26th of June. How to write the essay for 20 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozhope Posted June 1, 2015 Author Share Posted June 1, 2015 Hi Emilie Mine was basically based on a statement " the disadvantages of tourism can be equal to the advantages of tourism" write an essay about this. i started by saying that I agreed with the statement, that on first thought many would think there are no disadvantages and gave the reasons that some may not think there to be any disadvantages. i then went on to argue my case of why I agreed with the statement and gave reasoned cases for my agreement such as locals not being able to use all facilities of the town they live in, parking being an issue etc. I stated whilst tourism boosts the economy it also costs councils and government with increased use of emergency services, litter picking etc. if you get a similar statement that you have to agree or disagree on and write an essay on, my tip would be to give it a few mins thought and write down notes for your reasons / arguments either way and then begin composing things, paying attention to use of paragraphs etc. I found it reasonably easy to reach somewhere near the word count, but ensure you have a few more minutes at the end to read through, add words and strengthen the text and check your grammar. Hope that helps you, but ask away if you think I can give any more pointers. good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaddySunBurn Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 I've got my test on Monday, Listening ( Summarising ) & Writing are worrying me a bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Head78 Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 Hey Thank you for the post, i have been a bit worried about achieving the Superior English Score.... but feel a bit more confident now. I need the 20 points to gain a points score of 65 all my other options only get me to 55 so gaining the 20 for Superior English is the target ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adele244 Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 Honestly my husband passed - Just! and he is truly terrible in every sense of the word when it comes to English. If I can give you an example of how bad..... "Break" - the most common error with this would be to replaced it with "brake" but not my husband, he is sooooo bad he has actually used "braik" and things like that. So if he can pass this test - quite seriously if your just "ok" at English you should walk it!!!! Good luck everybody Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Head78 Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 Hey adele224 Did your Husband get the Superior English result ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martyfenwick Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 Thanks very much for posting this up. This gives me a lot of encouragement going in to my test in September. I feel like I have a good grasp of the English language, however I am still very nervous about sitting the test and having to do so multiple times. I know of someone that had to sit it 5 times before passing. One concern I have is the listening questions and the fact that you can't replay the audio to hear it again. I read somewhere else that a question was spoken by a Yorkshire farmer talking about farming. I think that is very unfair, if the English language is being judged it should be the Queen's English and not a regional dialect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adele244 Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 Oh no Head78, he just got proficient which got him the 10 point s he needed. Crikey, it would be a very sorry state of affairs if my husbands English skills were classed as superior :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaddySunBurn Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Well, just got my results , So close but yet so far L:90, S:90, R:78, W:77 We go again next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Head78 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Ah ! Mate ! Nearly there ! Remember .... That in which we persist in doing becomes easy, not that the nature of the thing has changed, but our ability to accomplish it has increased..! You will get it.... I'm going to get a few practice tests in and go for mine around September ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martyfenwick Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Well, just got my results , So close but yet so far L:90, S:90, R:78, W:77 We go again next week. Thise scores are very impressive, particularly the listening and speaking sections which look quite difficult to me. Are you aiming for Superior English meaning you need a score of 78-82 across the board? if so were you just one point away from gaining your required score? Did you manage to book another test at short notice? Where are you sitting the test? I'm sitting in Edinburgh and the availability is very disappointing (only one day per month for the next 6 months...and it's a Monday so I need to take a day off work) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaddySunBurn Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 (edited) @Martyfenwick Doing mine in Dublin, They have exams every Monday @5pm & yes I'm trying for superior english & that point is going to cost another 200 euro http://www.ces-schools.com/PTEAcademic I was actually very worrried about the listening but the secret i think is just take notes (keywords) & then mash them up into a sentence. The practice exams I did great in reading which is why I'm a bit surprised with that result Writing is my downfall, grammer to be precise - Can I improve in a week ? Edited June 30, 2015 by PaddySunBurn Wrong Name Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainC Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 One concern I have is the listening questions and the fact that you can't replay the audio to hear it again. I read somewhere else that a question was spoken by a Yorkshire farmer talking about farming. I think that is very unfair, if the English language is being judged it should be the Queen's English and not a regional dialect. There's a very good reason for the way that they conduct this testing. They have to be sure that you have good ability and understanding of the English language in all of its forms. Remember that Australia is a multicultural nation with an infinite number of accents and dialects. In a single Australian town/city you are more likely to meet people with a heavy Yorkshire accent, a cockney, scouser, Geordie, Brummie all sat at the same table in a bar than you would in the UK. Australia's English speakers come from all over the world and there is no real defined regional accent. Testing via the 'Queens English' so you say, would not be conducive to a fair and wide ranging test of your ability. All that being said, regardless of the accent of the recorded speaker, they all speak very clearly.... you don't always get that in real life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMT1980 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 There have been numerous threads about people taking PTE Academic versus IELTS, and it would appear to be becoming a more popular choice since IMMI opened up the examining boards that could be used for the purpose of GSM. I am slightly biassed but I was very impressed with the PTE Academic exam versus the IELTS which I sat twice but didn't get the mark I needed to meet the Superior grade. When I decided to switch to the PTE exam I passed it the first time and got 90, 90, 90, 89. Even better was that I got my results the very next morning emailed to me, as opposed to the 2 week agonising wait that I had with IELTS. The exam format of the PTE was much less formal and much more 'real world' whereas the IELTS was very formal and also very 'old school' in it's style of questioning. The fact that PTE spreads modules across questions is also good in my opinion since you can gain points for multiple modules from a single question or set of questions, as opposed to IELTS that was very defined in its 4 modules and the questions only relating to that module you were working on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martyfenwick Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 @Martyfenwick Doing mine in Dublin, They have exams every Monday @5pm & yes I'm trying for superior english & that point is going to cost another 200 euro http://www.ces-schools.com/PTEAcademic I was actually very worrried about the listening but the secret i think is just take notes (keywords) & then mash them up into a sentence. The practice exams I did great in reading which is why I'm a bit surprised with that result Writing is my downfall, grammer to be precise - Can I improve in a week ? Thats interesting information although very frustrating too. My nearest exam center is Edinburgh and they are only operating once per month so if I fail my first attempt in September then I would have to wait until October at the earliest to re-sit...and that's assuming there is availability at that short notice. Has anyone else found limited availability in some centres? The site says they have flexible availability but I'd hardly call one Monday a month flexible! good luck with your re-sit across the water :-) I'm glad Dublin has good availability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Head78 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Well done RMT1980 ! I'm defi gonna do the PTE test as I need the 20 points from Superior English ... Does any one know how long the PTE is valid for ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrussell Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 You could be unlucky and get queens' English. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMT1980 Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 (edited) Hi Head78, from memory, when I got my exam results (the very next day to my amazement!) it didn't state any validity on there per-se. Although I believe that IMMI requirements are that you have to have taken the test in the 3 years immediately prior to lodging your application. The other nice thing about PTE was that they only book 8 - 12 people on any one exam (certainly in Cardiff where I went anyway), whereas IELTS was 100 candidates at each exam - It was like being back at school taking GCSEs. I was actually lucky on my exam day though as I was the only candidate booked to take the exam, so I had the room all to myself. It goes without saying also that PTE being completely Computer based is far better in my opinion than traditional exam papers and question sheets like IELTS is based on. I definitely recommend you take the practice PTE exams though online and read up about the exam format, as it helps to know how the Computer exam will flow on the day, since when it starts you cannot stop it and you have to keep going with in the time limits for each part. Sounds worse than it is, but it's straightforward once you've read and understand the format. Edited July 2, 2015 by RMT1980 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMT1980 Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Just wanted to post an update in relation to my last post, since I've now looked at my PTE Exam results certificate and it does state that the validity period is 2 years. So even though IMMI require you to have done the exam in the last 3 years, it kind of doesn't make sense if you choose PTE since that itself is only valid for 2 years. Most people generally tend to have applied in this timeframe I guess anyway so it's all a bit academic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benj1980 Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Pearson's pfft... It was harder in my day when you had to wait a couple of weeks for your result only to realise you were 0.5 off with an average of 8.5... They just don't make English exams like they used to in the good old days... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMT1980 Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Hi Benj, not sure if you read my earlier post, but I concur with your post. I sat IELTS twice... failed first time having been 0.5 a point off, then second time I got full 9 in the one I failed before but lost out on another by 0.5. IELTS felt like proper old school examination.... PTE was a totally different experience in every respect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benj1980 Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 To be fair my post was tongue in cheek. Good luck to anyone who can pass an English test that can give them extra points and a step closer to their Oz dream! The Pearson test certainly seems a better option than IELTS, getting the results so quickly reduces the stress surely?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainC Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Just wanted to post an update in relation to my last post, since I've now looked at my PTE Exam results certificate and it does state that the validity period is 2 years. So even though IMMI require you to have done the exam in the last 3 years, it kind of doesn't make sense if you choose PTE since that itself is only valid for 2 years. Most people generally tend to have applied in this timeframe I guess anyway so it's all a bit academic. That's right, 3 years or the expiry date of the certificate whichever is earliest. As you say, I think that the majority of people, if they want to apply for a visa, will have the intention of applying within that timeframe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaddySunBurn Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Well Folks, Sat my second PTE exam last night and I got the results this morning R:90, S:90, L:87, W:81 Roll on the next step & I'm never speaking English again :arghh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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