Are you from a non-English speaking country? Are you planning on living in the UK? If you answered yes to both of these questions, you will need to show that you are able to speak English to at least a basic level before you can apply to become a legal resident in the UK. One of the quickest and easiest ways of doing this is by taking the PTE Home exam.
What is PTE Home?
Quite simply, PTE Home is an English language test but it specifically tests your speaking and listening skills. You have the option of choosing between 3 separate tests, from the most basic level: A1, to elementary level: A2, to intermediate level: B1.
This means that you can find the test that best matches your level. The tests are short (from 22-29 minutes) and they all take place on a computer. Results are simply pass or fail and, if you complete the test successfully, you will receive an officially recognised English language certificate that you can use for your UK visa application.
Why choose PTE Home?
Most importantly, PTE Home is an officially recognised test which will allow you to achieve your dreams of living in the UK. The test is also very easy to book: you can schedule a test the day before you want to complete it and tests are available 365 days a year.
There is also the benefit of not having to wait a long time for your results. Because all of the results are provided by a computer, you will usually receive them within two days of doing the test.
Another advantage of the PTE exam is that marking is objective. The fact tests are marked by a computer means that there is no possibility for human error and results are consistent for everyone at all times.
What tasks are in the exam?
The PTE exam tasks are quite similar across all three levels; however, there are some differences in the number of tasks, and the difficulty of the tasks increases with each level:
A1
The A1 exam has three tasks:
1) Repeat Sentence: This involves listening to and repeating a sentence. You will hear 22 sentences and you must repeat them using the correct vocabulary, word order and pronunciation.
2) Describe Image: In this task you will receive an image that you must talk about for 25 seconds. You will have to do this five times. You will have 25 seconds to prepare before you speak, and you must make sure that you are able to keep talking for the full period.
3) Conversation – listen and answer: In this task you must listen to a short conversation and then answer the question you will hear at the end of the conversation. You will have to do this five times.
A2
The A2 exam also has three tasks:
1) Repeat sentence: This task uses the same format as the A1 exam but you will hear between 22-23 sentences. Just as with the A1 test, you must repeat the sentences using correct vocabulary, word order and pronunciation.
2) Describe Image: Again, this uses the same format as the A1 exam but you will have to describe between four-five images in total.
3) Retell story: This part of the test is different to the A1 exam as it involves listening to a short story, which you must then retell using your own words. When you retell the story, you must include the setting, action, characters and ending that you heard in the original story. You will do this four-five times.
B1
The B1 exam has four tasks:
1) Repeat sentence: The same format as with the A1 and A2 exams but with 17 sentences to repeat.
2) Describe image: Again, the same format is used as with A1 and A2 and there are four-five images to describe.
3) Story – listen and answer: This is similar to A1’s “Conversation – listen and answer”, except the story is longer and there are three questions you must answer at the end of the story. You will listen to four-five items in this section.
4) Retell story: The same format as with the A2 task. There will be four-five questions of this type in the exam.
How to be successful in PTE Home:
1) Choose the right level
This is a key step in making sure you are successful. If your knowledge of English is very basic, you should choose the A1 test; if your knowledge is higher than this then you should consider the A2 or even the B1 exam.
If you’re not sure which level you should be doing, at Swoosh English we can help by giving you advice and guidance related to your current English knowledge. Contact us today at [email protected] to find out about our level-testing options.
2) Take the Swoosh English PTE preparation course
Here at Swoosh English we have dedicated preparation courses for each level to help you with your PTE study. Our courses focus on providing practice on each task in the PTE Home exam while also developing your speaking and listening skills so that you are able to get the best possible results in the test.
Our courses include authentic PTE-based tasks and materials, and they also include model answers to tasks so that you can practise and adapt them for when you do the actual PTE test.
You will also have the opportunity to do dedicated study on each area of speaking and listening skills: from pronunciation, to fluency, to listening for specific information and detail. All areas of the PTE exam are covered so that you will be fully ready for the test.
3) Complete PTE Home practice exams
When you have completed the Swoosh English PTE preparation course, you can then continue your practice by completing PTE Home exercises based on the exam.
At Swoosh English we have exam guides full of PTE exam-based practice questions. Completing these would be a great way to further improve your readiness to do the exam.
For further information on PTE Home and to access exam-based practice materials, contact us now at Swoosh English at [email protected] and turn your dreams of living in the UK into reality.
