Read Aloud is a simple task type on the PTE exam. You will see a text on the screen. You will get 30 – 40 seconds to read it out loudly. This task tests your reading and speaking skills. That means your performance will affect the score of both the skills. You will have to do a thorough PTE practice of oral fluency, the flow of speech and pronunciations to ace this task.
Here are some of the tips to do best practice for this task:
1. Evaluate the text
You will get 30 – 40 seconds before the recording starts. You should utilize this time to look at the text given on the screen and identify the words that are hard to pronounce, try to plan out in your head about how you will speak out the long text. Figure out where to give a pause and where to change your tone. You should also look for the words that you need to stress. So whenever you try to solve this task during PTE practice, you should evaluate the text before diving into speaking it.
2. Use proper intonations
Intonation is the rise and fall in your tone. If you speak without varying your tone then you will sound like a robot. You will lose points for speaking in such a tone. You should include intonation in your PTE practice. Begin your sentence with a rise in tone and end it with a drop in tone. The variations in tone act like guiding points. You should avoid raising and dropping your tone too much or you will sound like you are singing instead of speaking. So do not overdo it.
3. Stress on important words
You should look for the main words that give more weightage to the text. You should emphasize them while reading the text loudly. These words are usually adjectives and adverbs. Some aspirants tend to make mistake by stressing on every second word that looks important. This makes the sound unnatural. Just pick one word from a sentence. Practice identifying the main words during your PTE practice.
4. Pronunciations
The way you pronounce the words of the text is important. If you pronounce the words wrong then you will end up losing points for that. So when you see a text on the screen, you should utilize the time to read it and see if you are familiar with all the words. If you come across a word that you have never seen before then try to practice speaking it before the microphone opens for recording your response. If the word is complex, try to break it into smaller portions to figure out its pronunciation. But always remember that you should not hesitate. Speak with confidence or hesitation will make you lose points. Include pronunciation in your PTE practice so you avoid speaking them incorrectly.
5. Use proper pauses
You should take punctuation seriously. They are put in the text so that the listener can understand the text properly. You should pause when you see a comma or a full stop. In case of a comma, make a small pause whereas making a long pause when you see a full stop. You should also pause after conjunctions like and, but, etc. If you come across a long sentence then break it into logical chunks. Follow these tricks during your PTE practice and see how your score improves on this task.
6. Speak in larger chunks
To convey the impression that you have a good command of the English language, you should read a bigger part of a sentence in one go. During your PTE practice, begin with speaking 3 – 4 words at one time and then increase the number of words gradually. You should not set any fixed pattern like if you speak 3 – 4 words each time then you will not sound natural. So mix it up and make yourself sound natural to the listener.
7. Practice reading
This is the most basic trick. You should include reading a newspaper, article or blog as a part of PTE practice. Do this on a daily basis which will help you to improve your fluency, pace and understand how to speak in a better way. It also helps to improve your grammar and increase your vocabulary base.
8. Confidence
You will manage to get a good score when you sound confident. You should not speak too fast or too slow because that indicates anxiety. So always speak in a natural flow and at a normal pace. This shows that you are confident. Do not panic but just think that you are talking to the computer. During your PTE practice, try to be confident while speaking your response. This will prepare you for real test environment.
9. Take mock tests in the noisy environment
PTE exam centres can be distracting and can make you lose your focus. During the PTE listening section, there are other test takers who are speaking loudly at the same time. One way to prepare for this environment is by taking the PTE mock test sitting at a public place like a park or garden. This helps you to face the real test environment.
10. Stay focused
Aspirants tend to easily get distracted due to the surrounding noise. If in case you lose focus, pinch your palm to get your concentration back on the task. This really helps. Try it during your PTE practice and see if that works for you. You should practice meditation to improve your concentration.
