PTE Core guide
PTE Core looks like 19 tasks. It's really four skills.
Pearson's general English test for Canadian permanent residence and citizenship. About two hours on a computer, scored 10–90 and mapped to CLB levels. Here is what is in it and how to practise every part of it free.
The test in one glance
Four skills. Drawn to scale.
12 of the 19 tasks sit in Speaking and Listening. If your time is short, that is where the score is.
Core vs Academic
Same test engine. Different job.
PTE Core shares 18 of its 19 tasks with PTE Academic. These are the differences that change how you prepare.
Everyday English, not academic English
Prompts come from work, home and the community rather than lectures and journals. The four skills and the 10–90 score scale stay the same.
Write Email instead of Write Essay
You answer a short prompt with an email of about 80–120 words in 9 minutes, with a greeting, every point covered and a sign-off.
A shorter, freer summary
Summarize Written Text asks for 25–50 words in 10 minutes. Academic's one-sentence rule does not apply, so two or three clear sentences are fine.
Three Academic tasks are gone
There is no Re-tell Lecture, Summarize Group Discussion or Highlight Correct Summary. That leaves 19 task types instead of 22.
Built for Canada
IRCC accepts PTE Core for economic immigration and citizenship, and your scores map to CLB levels. It is not the test for study: universities ask for PTE Academic.
Where to start
Start here.
Three steps. No six-week plan, no spreadsheet. The shortest path to your first real improvement.
Learn the shape
Four skills across official question types. You are looking at them now.
The full list
All 19 tasks, in one place.
Open any task for strategy and common mistakes, then practise it free in the same interface as the exam.
The format
How many of each, in order.
Three parts in about two hours, plus a short unscored personal introduction at the start. Each sitting draws a number of items within these ranges.
| Task | Items |
|---|---|
| Read Aloud | 6–7 |
| Repeat Sentence | 10–12 |
| Describe Image | 3–4 |
| Respond to a Situation | 2–4 |
| Answer Short Question | 5–6 |
| Summarize Written Text | 1–2 |
| Write Email | 2–3 |
| Task | Items |
|---|---|
| Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks | 5–6 |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers | 1–2 |
| Re-order Paragraphs | 2–3 |
| Reading: Fill in the Blanks | 4–5 |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answer | 1–2 |
| Task | Items |
|---|---|
| Summarize Spoken Text | 1–2 |
| Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers | 1–2 |
| Fill in the Blanks | 2–3 |
| Multiple Choice, Single Answer | 1–2 |
| Select Missing Word | 1–2 |
| Highlight Incorrect Words | 1–2 |
| Write from Dictation | 3–4 |
Item ranges from Pearson’s PTE Core Teacher Guide. Pearson revises the format, so confirm the current version on pearsonpte.com before you book.
What it costs
Practise everything. Free.
Every task type and every full mock, unlimited. AI scoring is the only thing that costs, and you never need it to practise.
Answers
Frequently asked questions
PTE Core is Pearson's computer-based general English test for Canadian economic immigration and citizenship applications. It tests speaking, writing, reading and listening in a single session of about two hours, with everyday rather than academic content.
Practise PTE Core the way it runs
Unlimited practice for all 19 PTE Core question types and full PTE Core mock tests, free forever. AI scoring only when you want it.