BIG PTE Changes from August 7, 2025 – Everything Explained (Must Watch!)

Summary

In this video, Vun from Language Academy provides an in-depth overview of the upcoming changes to the PT exam starting August 7, 2025. These include the addition of two new speaking tasks, increased exam length, and significant shifts in scoring criteria. The speaking module now features seven question types, including 'Summarize Group Discussion' and 'Respond to a Situation.' Key changes in marking will affect tasks like 'Read Aloud' and 'Describe Image.' Vun offers essential tips on managing time and focusing on content relevance, preparing students for the updated format and scoring system.

Takeaways

• 😀 PT exam format will change from 7th August 2025, with two new speaking question types: 'Summarize Group Discussion' and 'Respond to a Situation'.
• 😀 'Summarize Group Discussion' involves listening to an audio with three speakers, summarizing it for two minutes after taking notes.
• 😀 'Respond to a Situation' is a simpler task where you listen to a scenario and respond for 40 seconds based on the given information.
• 😀 The PT exam will have more questions in certain sections, making the test slightly longer (by 15-20 minutes).
• 😀 Some tasks' scoring contributions will change: 'Read Aloud' now only contributes to speaking, and 'Answer Short Questions' now only counts for listening.
• 😀 'Summarize Written Text' and 'Essay' will carry more weight in scoring, with higher point contributions for content and structure.
• 😀 Templates will still be useful, but relevance of content is crucial—students must focus on speaking or writing relevant ideas, not just using generic templates.
• 😀 Human intervention will be extended to more tasks, including 'Summarize Group Discussion' and 'Summarize Spoken Text', for cases where AI detects irrelevant or templated responses.
• 😀 Speaking tasks will now contribute more to the listening module due to additional question types, such as 'Summarize Group Discussion' and 'Repeat Sentence'.
• 😀 The difficulty of the test may slightly increase due to changes in scoring and the need to be more precise, especially in reading and writing sections.

Q & A

What are the two new question types added to the PT speaking module from August 2025?

The two new question types added are 'Summarize the Group Discussion' and 'Respond to a Situation'.

How does the 'Summarize the Group Discussion' task work in the new PT format?

'Summarize the Group Discussion' involves listening to an audio with three speakers for 2-3 minutes. After the audio ends, you have 10 seconds to prepare and then 2 minutes to summarize the content.

What changes have been made to the exam format in the new PT version?

The new format includes seven speaking tasks, two new question types (Summarize Group Discussion and Respond to a Situation), and changes to the reading and listening modules. The number of questions has increased, making the test slightly longer by 15-20 minutes.

What is the impact of the changes on the scoring distribution in PT?

Significant changes have occurred in how points are distributed. For example, Read Aloud now only contributes to the speaking module, Answer Short Questions only contribute to listening, and some tasks like Describe Image and Summarize Written Text now have higher point values for content.

How has the scoring criteria for tasks like Describe Image and Summarize Written Text changed?

The content scoring for Describe Image and Summarize Written Text has increased. Describe Image now awards 6 points for content (up from 5), and Summarize Written Text now awards 4 points for content (up from 2).

How will human intervention affect the scoring process in PT?

Human intervention is now extended to more tasks. If the AI detects that a response is templated or lacks relevant content, it will pass the response to a human examiner who will review and score the content accordingly.

How will the reading module change in terms of scoring after August 2025?

In the new format, Read Aloud will no longer contribute to reading scores, which means candidates must focus more on reading blanks, reordering paragraphs, and highlight incorrect words to achieve a good score in the reading module.

What should students focus on to perform well in the writing module in the new PT format?

In the writing module, students must focus on the Essay, Summarize Written Text, Summarize Spoken Text, and Write from Dictation tasks. These four question types now play a critical role in determining writing scores.

What is the overall difficulty level of the new PT exam format expected to be?

The difficulty level will be slightly more challenging, especially in the reading module, due to the removal of Read Aloud's contribution. However, students can still achieve good scores if they understand the test and focus on relevant content rather than relying on templates.

How can students ensure their responses are relevant and avoid being flagged as irrelevant by AI?

Students should avoid using excessive templates and ensure their responses are directly relevant to the question. The content of their responses should be well-developed and aligned with the task requirements to avoid being flagged by AI.