Having trouble achieving the IELTS score you need? Looking for an alternative English test? Here are 4 reasons to choose PTE Academic rather than IELTS.
Speaking section: no judgement, no preparation needed!
Many people worry about the IELTS Speaking exam, as you will be required to have face-to-face conversations with an examiner on test day. Also, it can be difficult to have conversations about topics you aren’t familiar with and think of points on the spot.
Since PTE Academic is done entirely on computer, your level, ethnicity, background or appearance is not taken into account! AI is used to give unbiased scoring and fair treatment, so you don’t have to worry about feeling nervous when talking to someone or worry about examiner’s judgement. In addition, speaking topics do not require you to have in-depth knowledge, and you don’t have to think about topics to talk about yourself!
Quicker, easier and more flexible to arrange
IELTS will require you to set aside 2 free days - one day for the Writing, Reading and Listening exams, and one day for the Speaking exam. This can be very time-consuming, especially for those with full-time jobs and busy work schedules.
However, the entire PTE exam will only require one day, and can be completed in just 2 hours! The PTE is the easiest and most flexible test to arrange because you can book your test as early as 48 hours before your exam. On top of that, it only takes 2-3 days to get your results so you have plenty of time to make sure you get the score you need.
Reading section: Shorter reading paragraphs with only one question per passage!
IELTS reading passages are extremely long - on average 700-800 words, which is quite long for second-language learners to be able to concentrate while trying to understand potentially new vocabulary and phrases. Also, each reading passage consists of several questions, so it relies on you to be able to understand the entire text to be able to answer all of the questions correctly.
However, PTE reading passages are only 100-300 words long! There will only be one question for each reading, and all the passages are not related to each other. So, if you don’t know how to answer, you can give it your best guess, and it won’t affect your scores for the other questions. You can simply move onto the next question and try another.
Writing section: Only need to write one sentence, and one 250 word essay!
Many people worry about the high word count the IELTS requires to achieve a high score in the Writing exam. In IELTS, you need to write at least 150 words for the first question, and at least 250 words for the second question. This means you will need to write at least 400 words to get a minimum score.
But in PTE, the first part consists of summarising a provided reading passage into one sentence with a maximum of 75 words! The second part consists of an essay question, where only 200-300 words are required.
Want to know more about the PTE Academic? Contacts us for more details on our exam preparation courses, and get a FREE, 2-hour full trial lesson!
