The PTE Academic Changed.
Here Is What Is New.
Essential if you booked your test after August 2025
A student preparing for PTE described their routine like this: twelve templates memorised, hours of drilling the same opening lines, the same conclusion structure no matter what the prompt said. Three weeks before their test date, they found out the format had changed in August 2025. The test they had been preparing for no longer existed.
QWhat actually changed?
Pearson updated PTE Academic from 7 August 2025. The test now has 22 tasks instead of 20 and runs up to two hours and fifteen minutes. Two completely new question types were added. Respond to a Situation asks you to listen to a real scenario, for example a workplace problem or a polite request, and reply naturally. Summarise Group Discussion asks you to listen to several speakers and pull together the key points in your own words. Neither task rewards a rehearsed script.
QWill my templates still work?
For some tasks, a solid structural habit is still useful. For the two new task types, templates work against you. Respond to a Situation requires a response that fits the specific scenario you just heard. A pre-written script cannot do that. The scoring model has also changed. There is now human oversight on top of the AI marking, with authenticity checks built in. Answers that sound generic or rehearsed, the kind that could fit any prompt, are now more likely to score lower.
QHow has the scoring changed?
PTE has always been computer-marked. That has not changed. What is new is a hybrid layer: AI scores first, then human reviewers check for authenticity, and the rating scales for writing tasks have been expanded. Each skill is still scored from 10 to 90. The practical impact is that the old trick of padding answers with memorised phrases now hurts your score more than it helps it.
“Stop rehearsing scripts. Start practising real responses. That is the entire shift in one sentence.”
QHow much harder is the new version?
For students with real, functional English, it is not harder. It is arguably better, because it rewards genuine communication rather than performance. For students who built their entire preparation around memorised templates, it is a real problem. The old system could be managed by someone who drilled scripts but had limited natural range. The new one cannot.
QWhat should I do if I have been preparing with old material?
Three things. First, check that your practice resources are from August 2025 or later. If they have not been updated, they are teaching you for a test that no longer exists. Second, practise Respond to a Situation and Summarise Group Discussion specifically. These are not variations on tasks you already know. Third, record yourself responding naturally and listen back. Note where you sound like you are reading from a script versus actually replying. That gap is what the test now catches.
QDoes this affect the score requirement for my visa?
The UK Home Office and the Australian Department of Home Affairs both accept PTE Academic for visa applications. The minimum score requirements have not changed with the August 2025 update. What changed is how you reach those scores. The scoring model is different, not the threshold.
Go deeper
Your PTE Answer Sounds Like a Script. Here Is What a Real Response Sounds Like.
Side-by-side examples of robotic versus natural responses for Respond to a Situation, and the exact language patterns that score well.
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About the author
Muskan
Co-founder, WizardTeacher · Content and curriculum lead
Muskan is co-founder of WizardTeacher and leads all content and curriculum development. She researches exam formats, marking criteria, and preparation strategies to ensure every resource on WizardTeacher is grounded in what the examiners actually reward.