2026 PTE Score (Official Weighting Table)

Hey guys, Alex here.

Let me ask you something. How much time are you spending on Multiple Choice questions right now?

Because here’s the truth: Multiple Choice, Single Answer is worth less than 1% of your Overall score.

Less. Than. One. Percent.

Meanwhile, Describe Image carries 15% of your Overall score and 31% of your Speaking score.

If you’re spending equal time on every question type, you are working against yourself. I say this not to stress you out – I say it because once you understand how PTE is actually weighted, you can study smarter, not longer.

Pearson publishes an official document called Scoring Information for Teachers and Partners. Inside it is a weighting table that shows exactly how much each question type contributes to your score. I’ve read it so you don’t have to – and today I’m breaking it down in plain English.

Note: The table I’m referencing is officially published by Pearson PTE (pearsonpte.com). I’ll show you the exact numbers directly from that document throughout this article.

The Official 2026 PTE Score Chart Breakdown: How Question Weights Work

This is the most important table you’ll ever see as a PTE student. It shows how much each question type contributes to your Overall score and each communicative skill score.

Here’s the full breakdown, reproduced from the official Pearson document:

Speaking & Writing Section

Question Type	Overall	Listening	Reading	Speaking	Writing
Describe Image	15%	–	–	31%	–
Summarize Group Discussion	9%	20%	–	19%	–
Repeat Sentence	7%	17%	–	16%	–
Summarize Written Text	7%	–	23%	–	28%
Write Essay	7%	–	–	–	31%
Retell Lecture	6%	13%	–	13%	–
Respond to a Situation	6%	–	–	13%	–
Read Aloud	4%	–	–	9%	–
Answer Short Question	2%	4%	–	–	–

Reading Section

Question Type	Overall	Listening	Reading	Speaking	Writing
Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown)	7%	–	25%	–	–
Fill in the Blanks (Drag & Drop)	6%	–	20%	–	–
Reorder Paragraph	3%	–	9%	–	–
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers	1%	–	5%	–	–
Multiple Choice, Single Answer	<1%	–	3%	–	–

Listening Section

Question Type	Overall	Listening	Reading	Speaking	Writing
Write from Dictation	5%	13%	–	–	23%
Summarize Spoken Text	4%	10%	–	–	18%
Highlight Incorrect Words	4%	8%	13%	–	–
Fill in the Blanks (Type In)	3%	8%	–	–	–
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers	1%	3%	–	–	–
Highlight Correct Summary	<1%	2%	3%	–	–
Multiple Choice, Single Answer	<1%	2%	–	–	–
Select Missing Word	1%	1%	–	–	–

Source: Pearson PTE Academic, Scoring Information for Teachers and Partners (www.pearsonpte.com)

The Biggest Takeaways – By Score Type

Now let me translate those percentages into actual study strategy.

If you’re targeting a Speaking score (e.g., 65 or 79 for skilled migration):

Your Speaking score is built on just four question types. Here’s where to focus:

Describe Image – 31% of Speaking. This is THE Speaking question. Nearly a third of your Speaking score lives here. Use this guide to see exactly how it’s scored.
Summarize Group Discussion – 19% of Speaking. The newest task type and already the second most important for Speaking.
Repeat Sentence – 16% of Speaking. Most students underestimate this. It’s also 17% of your Listening score – a double threat.
Retell Lecture / Respond to a Situation – 13% each. Equally weighted. Read our PTE Retell Lecture guide and the Respond to a Situation guide – don’t skip either one.

Read Aloud only contributes 9% of your Speaking score. It’s worth practicing – but after you’ve locked down the above four.

If you’re targeting a Writing score (e.g., 65+ for nursing registration, 79 for skilled migration):

Two question types dominate your Writing score:

Write Essay – 31% of Writing. Same massive weight as Describe Image has for Speaking. If your essay is weak, your Writing score is weak. Full stop. Here’s the exact scoring criteria they use.
Summarize Written Text – 28% of Writing. Most people think of it as a Reading task. It’s actually your second most important Writing question.
Write from Dictation – 23% of Writing. This surprises almost everyone I work with. A Listening task that accounts for nearly a quarter of your Writing score. Here’s why it’s worth mastering.
Summarize Spoken Text – 18% of Writing. Another Listening-section task with massive Writing impact. Our Summarize Spoken Text guide covers exactly how to maximise both your Listening and Writing marks simultaneously.

If you want to lift your Writing score, you need to be consistently performing in these four tasks – not just the Essay.

If you’re targeting a Listening score:

Listening is the most distributed score – spread across 8 question types:

Summarize Group Discussion – 20% of Listening. This guide covers the latest strategies.
Repeat Sentence – 17% of Listening. This shows up again. It’s the only question type that simultaneously counts toward both Listening (17%) and Speaking (16%).
Write from Dictation – 13%. Yes, again – this question lives in the Listening section and hits your Listening AND Writing score.
Retell Lecture – 13%. Another integrated question: counts toward both Listening and Speaking.

If you’re targeting a Reading score:

Reading is dominated by the Fill in the Blanks questions:

Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown) – 25% of Reading. Quarter of your entire Reading score.
Fill in the Blanks (Drag & Drop) – 20% of Reading. Combined, these two alone make up 45% of your Reading score.
Reorder Paragraph – 9% of Reading. Worth dedicating practice time.
Highlight Incorrect Words – 13% of Reading. This is a Listening section task that also counts toward Reading – don’t overlook it.

The Most Important Overall Score Question? Describe Image.

When I look at the Overall score column, one number stands out: 15% for Describe Image.

That’s more than any other single question type. And you only get 5–6 of them in your entire test. Each one carries enormous weight.

Describe Image is scored on three traits: Content (0–6), Pronunciation (0–5), and Oral Fluency (0–5). And unlike multiple choice questions where you’re right or wrong, these scores are determined by a combination of AI scoring and human expert review. That means every Describe Image response you give gets a real second look.

This is why I tell every student: master your Describe Image template first. You can generate a custom one using our free AI Describe Image template generator, then drill it in Describe Image practice until it’s automatic.

What This Means for Your Study Plan

Here’s the honest truth about how to use this table:

Don’t try to “hack” your score by only practising high-weighted questions. The scoring model takes question difficulty and your overall performance into account. If you skip low-weighted questions entirely (like Multiple Choice Single Answer), you’re leaving points on the table and potentially distorting your result.

What this table DOES help you with:

✅ Prioritise where to start – Describe Image, Repeat Sentence, Write Essay, Write from Dictation, and Summarize Group Discussion deserve the most of your daily practice time.

✅ Understand why your score looks the way it does – If your Writing score is 62 but you aced the Essay, check your Write from Dictation and Summarize Written Text performance. They’re carrying nearly half your Writing score.

✅ Target a specific skill score – If you need a higher Speaking score specifically (e.g., 65 for PR), you know exactly which four question types to drill.

✅ Stop wasting time – Multiple Choice questions (Single and Multiple Answer) collectively make up less than 5% of your Overall score across both Reading and Listening. They still matter, but they are NOT where you should be spending extra hours.

One More Thing: The Overall Score Is NOT an Average

This trips up so many students.

If your four skill scores are Listening 72, Reading 68, Speaking 81, Writing 65 – your Overall score is not the average (71.5). The Overall score is calculated independently, based on your performance across all 22 question types with their individual weightings and difficulty adjustments.

Pearson is very clear on this: “The Overall score is not an average of the four communicative skills scores.“

This is why I always tell students to stop obsessing over your skill score average and focus on performing consistently across all question types – especially the high-weighted ones.

For a deeper look at how the scoring system actually works – and to clear up 9 myths that regularly trip students up – read our companion article: How Is PTE Scored? 9 Myths Busted.

Quick Reference: Top 5 Questions by Overall Score Weight

Rank	Question Type	Overall Weight
#1	Describe Image	15%
#2	Summarize Group Discussion	9%
#3	Repeat Sentence	7%
#3	Summarize Written Text	7%
#3	Write Essay	7%
#3	Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown)	7%

These six question types together account for 52% of your Overall score. Master these, and you’re more than halfway there.

Frequently Asked Questions: PTE Score Breakdown

Which PTE question type is worth the most marks?

Describe Image is the highest-weighted question in PTE, accounting for 15% of your Overall score and 31% of your Speaking score. This is more than any other single question type. You typically get 5-6 Describe Image questions per exam, making consistent performance on this task extremely high-impact.

How is the PTE Overall score calculated?

The PTE Overall score is calculated directly from your performance across all 22 question types, with each contributing its individual percentage weight. It is NOT an average of your four skill scores. Pearson’s proprietary algorithm also accounts for question difficulty, so the final calculation can’t be replicated manually using the weighting table alone.

Do both Fill in the Blanks question types count toward my Reading score?

Yes. Reading & Writing Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown) contributes 25% of your Reading score, and Reading Fill in the Blanks (Drag & Drop) contributes 20%. Combined, these two question types account for 45% of your entire Reading score – making them by far the most important Reading tasks to master.

Why does Write from Dictation appear in the Listening section but affect my Writing score?

Write from Dictation is an integrated skills question. It sits in the Listening section of the exam, but because you’re actively typing what you hear (including correct spelling), it also contributes to your Writing score – accounting for 23% of Writing. Many students don’t realise this until they see their score breakdown and wonder why their Writing score moved.

Can I predict my PTE score using the weighting table?

No – the percentages are indicative, not a direct scoring formula. Your final score also depends on question difficulty and Pearson’s proprietary scaling, which isn’t publicly disclosed. Use the weighting table to prioritise where you invest your practice time. Don’t use it to calculate an expected score – it won’t match reality.

Ready to Practise the Right Questions?

Now that you know where the marks live, the next step is practising with purpose.

On our platform we’ve built full practice modules for every high-weighted question type – including AI-scored feedback for:

Describe Image (15% Overall)
Repeat Sentence (7% Overall, counts toward both Speaking and Listening)
Summarize Group Discussion (9% Overall)
Write Essay (7% Overall, 31% of Writing)
Write from Dictation (5% Overall, 23% of Writing)

You’ll know exactly where your marks are going.

For a complete plain-English breakdown of what each question type scores you on, visit our PTE Scoring Guide.

Got questions about how the weighting applies to your specific target score? Message me on WhatsApp: +61 423 058 115. I’m happy to map out a personalised study plan based on your exact visa score requirements.

Alex, Dream English Education

Source: This article references data from Pearson’s official publication “PTE Academic Scoring Information for Teachers and Partners” (pearsonpte.com) and the “PTE Academic Score Guide.” All weighting percentages are from Table 1 of that document.

2026 PTE Score Breakdown: Which Questions Matter Most?

2026 PTE Score (Official Weighting Table)