PTE Core 备考经验

从去年开始准备加拿大移民语言考试，历时一年，终于尘埃落定。

总的来说，我并不是英语特别好的学生，所以确实花了不少时间。三门考试的难度，我的体感是：雅思 > 思培 > PTE Core。

慢慢分析一下。雅思 G 类是从 A 类演变而来的，所以很多方面的要求依然偏高。思培是我后来改考的，整体感觉容易一些，但作文和口语始终是卡分项——这两部分由人工评分。作文几乎不能出错，而且话题不固定；尤其后来考的人多了，题库变得难以预测。口语更难，也是大多数人卡分的地方：考试时长很长，换句话说，丢分的机会也更多。

今天重点讲讲 PTE Core 怎么准备。我最后考到了 CLB 10 / 10 / 9 / 9。

口语

• RA（朗读）：无论是单句还是整段，单句最好做到虚实结合，控制在 10–12 个字，语速约为整段的 1.25 倍。注意发音，不要吞音、含糊不清；声音尽量大而清晰，便于机器收音。

  • 练习：题库 YNWAC、多墨（80+）、ZoomPTE

• RS（重复句子）：把题库背下来。我习惯在考试时记下关键词，这样复述的时候不至于忘词。

  • 练习：YNWAC、ZoomPTE、萤火虫星际（针对难题，训练反应速度）

• RTS、DI：套模板即可，流利度优先。

写作

• WE（写作文）：找一套模板好好背，一字不漏；写的时候不能出语法错误。考试时间 10 分钟：5 分钟写完，3 分钟检查，留 2 分钟余量。

  • 练习：题库固定

• SST：思路与 WE 相同。

• SWT（总结书面文本）：直接抄写原句，把它们组合成一句总结即可。

阅读

• FIB（填空）：刷题即可。

  • 练习：YNWAC

• RO（段落排序）：刷题即可。碰到不会的题就看代词——比如某段出现 it、the camera，说明前文已经提到过这个东西，那么引出它的段落就要排在这一段之前。

  • 练习：YNWAC

听力

• WFD（听写）：练习盲打，不看键盘。学会试词（每句约 5 个）。最重要的是，听力部分时间是固定的，所以一定要给 WFD 预留 6 分钟，避免来不及作答。

My study plan officially started on 28 August, and since most of the actual work happened between then and 9 September, I’m putting the study journal here for completeness.

I’ve been preparing for Canada’s immigration language exams since last year, and after a full year the whole thing has finally come to an end.

I was never a particularly strong English student, so it genuinely took me a lot of time. In terms of difficulty, my own experience ranks them: IELTS > CELPIP > PTE Core.

Let me break that down. IELTS General evolved out of the Academic version, which is why its demands are still high across the board. CELPIP was the test I switched to afterwards — easier overall, but writing and speaking were the two sections that consistently capped my score, and they’re the ones graded by human examiners. In writing you can’t really afford mistakes, and the topics aren’t fixed; as more people started taking the test, the question bank became increasingly unpredictable. Speaking is harder still, and it’s where most people lose marks — the section runs long, which simply means more opportunities to slip.

What I want to focus on today is how to prepare for PTE Core, where I eventually scored CLB 10 / 10 / 9 / 9.

Speaking

• RA (Read Aloud): Whether it’s a single sentence or a full passage, a single sentence works best with a deliberate mix of stressed and unstressed syllables, kept to roughly 10–12 words and delivered at about 1.25 times the pace you’d use for a full passage. Watch your pronunciation — don’t swallow syllables or let words run together. Speak loudly and clearly so the system picks you up properly.

  • Practice: YNWAC question banks, Duomo (80+), ZoomPTE

• RS (Repeat Sentence): Memorise the question bank. During the test I like to jot down keywords, so I don’t go blank halfway through repeating the sentence.

  • Practice: YNWAC, ZoomPTE, Firefly Galaxy (for the hardest sentences, to train reaction speed)

• RTS, DI: Lean on templates. Fluency matters more than anything else.

Writing

• WE (Write Essay): Find a good template and memorise it word for word. Grammatical errors are what cost you most, so avoid them at all costs. You get 10 minutes: five to write, three to check, and two in reserve.

  • Practice: the question bank is fixed

• SST: Same approach as WE.

• SWT (Summarise Written Text): Lift sentences from the source verbatim and stitch them into a single summary sentence.

Reading

• FIB (Fill in the Blanks): Just keep drilling.

  • Practice: YNWAC

• RO (Re-order Paragraphs): Also just drilling. When you’re stuck, follow the pronouns — if a paragraph opens with it or the camera, the thing it refers to must have been introduced earlier, so whichever paragraph introduces it belongs before this one.

  • Practice: YNWAC

Listening

• WFD (Write from Dictation): Practise touch typing so you never look down at the keyboard. Learn to test-check your words (about five per sentence). Most importantly, the listening section runs on a fixed clock, so always leave yourself six minutes for WFD — otherwise you’ll run out of time before you finish.