PTE Speaking: Avoid These Mistakes Made by Aspirants & Score High

 "I am a native speaker, but I lost marks in the PTE Speaking section," is a common refrain often heard amongst PTE-A aspirants.

 

Let us understand what the common mistakes made by PTE Aspirants in the PTE Academic Exam are:

 

One of the fundamental errors that the aspirants make is of placing the mic incorrectly. And as a result of this mistake, your answers recorded will not be clear and you might end up losing marks in the PTE Speaking section.

Other common Mistakes that aspirants make in the PTE Speaking section:

PTE Speaking is not a speed speaking competition. Don't speak too fast!

When you are attempting tasks in the Speaking section, it is possible that if you are a native speaker, you become overconfident. Or, if you do not know the answer, you become anxious. In both these cases, you might speak fast, very fast. And it is essential to remember that the PTE Speaking test is not a speed speaking competition. 

 

This will affect your oral fluency score. So, it is advisable that while recording your answers, you should speak at a normal pace—neither too fast, nor too slow.

Use Academic English in the PTE Speaking Section 

 

Whether you are a native speaker or not, if you have a good hold on your English language and you have been using the language in your day to day conversations, you are bound to include informal or non-literary words in your sentence. For example, you might use 'gonna' or 'gotta' in place of 'going to' and 'have to'. 

 

However, Pearson expects you to use academic language. So attempt to keep your language strictly academic or professional in the PTE Academic Exam.

Instead of casually speaking in the test, display your knowledge of a variety of words—both simple and complex.

Avoid Fragmented Speech 

 

Nervousness and being underconfident can affect the way you speak, and there are chances that while speaking a sentence, you start thinking about what the next fragment is and you stop in between.

 

This is a bad sign that lowers your Oral Fluency score. 

 

It is something that might happen when you miss some critical point, or you fail to connect your point to what you're going to say next. Whatsoever is the situation, do not stop in between, complete your sentence. If you have forgotten any point, you can include it later in a complete sentence. 

 

Completing the sentence at least will help you grab a better Oral Fluency score.

Do not use 'aah', 'uhm' or other fillers 

 

When you have not decided the structure of your answer, you will make a mistake of using the fillers in your sentence. You become nervous when you do not remember, and naturally, you will use such fillers as you are used to in regular conversations.

Can't this be avoided?

Of course, this can be avoided easily. Before you attempt an answer, you get enough time to decide what you have to speak, so plan it accordingly. Once you choose the structure, repeat it quickly in your mind so that when you speak, you do not have to pause or use such fillers in your sentence. It will show your confidence and also your hold on the language.

 

 Also, speak at a normal pace, so that you can quickly think with ease about what you should next. 

 

So, now that you know about the common mistakes to avoid in the PTE Speaking section, let's see how you can prepare yourself to crack PTE Speaking:

 

1. Practice as much as you can.
2. Record your voice and evaluate it for oral fluency and speaking speed.
3. Focus on finding the context and the focus points in a question to avoid fillers.
4. Practice deciding the structure to prevent the fragments.

Conclusion 

 

You can get a good grip on the questions in the speaking section only by practice.

 

For this, you should find the right platform that can provide you with enough practice materials or questions for practice. PTE Tutorials fulfils all such requirements, and in addition to all these, it also provides you with a comprehensive mobile app that allows you to practice by recording your answers for the speaking section. 

 

'The more you practice, the more you become perfect'.