Oral Fluency in PTE – What Is It?

If you’re preparing for the PTE Academic exam, you’ve probably noticed that the speaking section can be one of the toughest hurdles. Even if your writing, reading, and listening skills are solid, your speaking score might lag behind.

The secret to cracking this challenge lies in mastering oral fluency. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the key strategies for how to improve fluency in PTE speaking (tips and tricks for 90).

Imagine a machine at the hospital measuring your heart beat:

Is the arrow moving up and down non-stop? Good – that means you’re alive.

Same in PTE Speaking – you talk continuously, you stay alive.

As soon as you start pausing, hesitating, or correcting yourself – you’re gone!

We also have a video on this topic – with the essential tips to help you understand what oral fluency in PTE really means, and how you can boost it effectively.

Understanding Oral Fluency in PTE Speaking

Oral fluency is often misunderstood. Many candidates hear the word “fluency” and aren’t sure what it truly entails, especially since PTE has evolved over the years. Previously, results included detailed “enabling skills” like oral fluency and pronunciation, but now these are hidden behind broader categories like “listening and speaking skills.” This can make it confusing to know exactly what to focus on.

Here’s the crucial insight: in PTE speaking, you’re not speaking to a human examiner – you’re speaking to a computer. This computer doesn’t understand language the way humans do. It doesn’t judge your grammar or vocabulary in a traditional sense. Instead, it measures how continuously and smoothly you speak.

Interestingly, some test takers have achieved near-perfect speaking scores even with relatively low pronunciation marks. This is because oral fluency – speaking continuously without long pauses or hesitations – carries significant weight.

Why Continuous Speech Matters More Than Perfection

Imagine a crying baby who keeps making sounds nonstop. Although the baby’s pronunciation is zero, the fluency score could be very high because the sound is continuous. In contrast, if you pause frequently to think, hesitate, or self-correct, your fluency score will drop.

In PTE, you can make some mistakes, repeat words, or even speak broken sentences, and still score well – as long as you keep the speech flowing. This is quite different from exams like IELTS, where grammar and pronunciation errors have a bigger impact.

PTE Speaking Tips and Tricks:

Tip #1: Speak Continuously Without Major Pauses

One of the biggest mistakes candidates make is pausing too long at commas and full stops. In PTE, you should:

• Speak at a steady pace, taking very short breaths.
• Only pause briefly at full stops, not at every comma.
• Practice inhaling and start speaking as you exhale – don’t wait to finish your breath before you start talking.

For example, instead of pausing heavily at every punctuation mark, try to say short or medium-length sentences fluidly, taking a quick breath only at the end of a full sentence or occasionally in the middle of a longer sentence.

This is important in ALL speaking questions like Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence, Retell Lecture (and the 2 NEW Questions in PTE) – EXCEPT for Answer Short Question.

How to Improve Fluency in PTE Describe Image and Retell Lecture

The speaking section includes tasks like Describe Image and Retell Lecture, where fluency is especially critical. Here’s how to tackle them:

Tip #2: Use a Template to Reduce Thinking Time

Having a flexible template helps you speak continuously without scrambling for words. But be careful – don’t copy common templates word-for-word from the internet, as PTE uses AI to flag repetitive answers for manual review.

Instead, watch examples and create your own version of a template.

For Describe Image, a good structure might be:

1. Identify the type of graph (bar graph, pie chart, map, etc.).
2. Mention the title or heading of the image.
3. Note the units of measurement (percentages, years, kilograms, etc.).
4. Highlight two to four key data points or trends.
5. Wrap up with a concluding sentence like “In conclusion” or “To summarize.”

For PTE Retell Lecture, your template could look like this:

• The main topic of the lecture was [X].
• Firstly, the speaker discussed [Y].
• In addition, [Z] was mentioned.
• To conclude, the speaker also highlighted [final point].

By sticking to your template, you minimize pauses and keep your speech flowing smoothly, which greatly improves oral fluency.

Handling Mistakes and Hesitations

A common problem I see is candidates stopping completely when they stumble, swear in their native language, or lose confidence mid-answer. This is the worst thing you can do.

Remember:

• Don’t stop talking – keep making sounds even if you fumble.
• Don’t go back to correct yourself; hesitation harms your fluency score.
• Recover by describing other details from the image or lecture while you gather your thoughts.

For example, if you lose track during PTE Describe Image, say something like:

“I can also see that this is a map with yellow and red colors. The year 1956 is shown here with green color…”

This keeps your voice continuous and prevents penalties for pauses or self-corrections.

Final Thoughts: Keep Speaking and Finish Strong

Every question in PTE speaking is scored individually, so don’t worry if one answer doesn’t go well. One weak response won’t ruin your overall score if the others are strong. Your goal is to keep talking, maintain flow, and finish each question confidently.

To recap, these are the best PTE Speaking tips to improve fluency:

1. Focus on speaking continuously without long pauses or hesitations.
2. Develop your own, flexible ‘templates’ for Describe Image and Retell Lecture tasks.
3. Speak naturally without overemphasizing every comma or full stop.
4. Don’t stop or self-correct when you make mistakes – keep going.
5. Practice breathing techniques that allow you to speak while exhaling.

By applying these tips, you’ll boost your oral fluency and be well on your way to achieving a top score in the PTE speaking section.

If you want more resources, mock tests, or personalized classes, consider checking out specialized PTE preparation platforms to support your journey.

Good luck with your PTE preparation – keep practicing and stay confident!
Alex 🙂

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Check our YouTube Video on This Topic (if you haven’t already)