PTE Describe Image
An image — usually a chart, sometimes a picture or diagram — with about 25 seconds to prepare and 40 seconds to speak. This is the one Speaking item where a light structure genuinely helps, because the hard part is not what to say but not running dry at 25 seconds.
A structure for forty seconds
- What it is — "This bar chart shows…" (one sentence).
- The biggest feature — the highest, the lowest, the clearest trend.
- One or two supporting details, with figures if there are figures.
- A closing line — what the image shows overall.
Four sentences fills forty seconds at a natural pace. Prepare the shape, not the words — a fully memorised opening delivered at a different speed from the rest is audible.
What matters and what does not
- Keep talking for the full time. An item that stops at 20 seconds scores less than one that runs the full 40, even with weaker content.
- Do not analyse. No reasons, no implications. Describe.
- Accuracy of figures matters less than fluency here — this item feeds Speaking, and content is one part of three.
- Start immediately when the tone sounds.
If you run out of things to say, return to the overall message in different words rather than going silent. Filling the time is worth more than saying something new.
Describe Image — FAQs
2 questions
About 40 seconds, after roughly 25 to prepare.
Describe what you can see. The item scores spoken English, not chart interpretation.
More speaking & writing question types
Sources
Written from the test board's own published material and checked on 1 October 2026.