Does the One-Line Strategy Still Work After the Latest PTE Update?
The “One-Line Strategy” has become quite a popular topic in the PTE community recently. With so much misinformation circulating, we wanted to clarify exactly how this strategy works—and whether it still works after the most recent PTE updates.
Let’s start by understanding what PTE is (and isn’t). Just like any other exam, it has a structured marking scheme. This “marking scheme,” or Pearson score guide, is updated by Pearson around twice a year. The latest update became effective on November 4, 2024, and it outlines how you’ll score points across different sections, including Reading Aloud (RA).
In RA tasks, Pearson AI will evaluate your response in three areas:
- Content – How accurately do you read the words in the text?
- If you read all the words, you receive full marks for content. Miss or change words, and you lose points.
- Pronunciation – How clearly can a native English speaker understand your words?
- You’re scored from 0 to 5. For a full 5, all words should be understandable.
- Fluency – How naturally does your reading flow?
- Here, too, you’re scored from 0 to 5, based on whether you read without unnatural pauses or hesitations. It’s all about smoothness, not accent.
Now, here’s how the One-Line Strategy fits in.
How Does the One-Line Strategy Affect Your Score?
The One-Line Strategy means reading only a part of the text, not the entire paragraph. But here’s the catch: if you skip most of the words in a passage (say, reading only 10 out of 60), you’ll miss out on full content points. In our example, if the full passage would earn you 3 content points, reading just a fraction might only earn you 0.5. That’s a big loss.
But here’s why people still consider the One-Line Strategy. If those few words are read with perfect pronunciation and fluency, you could still score high in those two areas. This means it’s possible to get around 10.5 out of 13 possible points in RA using this strategy—which is over 80%! With excellent pronunciation and fluency, 79+ is achievable.
However, this strategy is a gamble. To make up for content loss, you’ll need to master every word you do say, with perfect clarity and flow. For most people, a well-practiced full reading is a safer bet, especially if you’re just aiming to score well without the added stress.
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