# PTE Describe Image: scoring, examples and practice

PTE Describe Image gives you 25 seconds to study an image and 40 seconds to describe it. Content is reviewed by a human as well as AI, and a score of 0 for content stops the scoring there.

## The short answer

Describe Image shows a chart, map or diagram for 25 seconds, then records you for 40 seconds. There are 5 to 6 in a test, scored for Speaking. Content comes first: Pearson scores it with both AI and a human expert, and if content scores 0 the response is not scored on anything else. Only when content is above 0 do pronunciation and oral fluency count.

## Key facts

- **Items per test:** 5-6
- **Preparation:** 25 seconds to study the image
- **Response time:** 40 seconds
- **Skills scored:** Speaking
- **Traits:** Content, oral fluency, pronunciation

*Describe Image timing: 25 seconds to study the image, then 40 seconds to speak.*

| Stage | Time |
| --- | --- |
| Study the image | 25 sec |
| You speak | 40 sec |

*40 seconds is about 100 words: roughly one sentence of overview, two of detail, one to close.*

Timings and scoring rules come from Pearson's task pages and the July 2025 Score Guide, checked 28 September 2026.

## How it's scored

The top content band describes the image fully and accurately and goes further, connecting features of the image into an interpretation rather than listing them. That is the difference between a 40-second answer that reads numbers aloud and one that says what the numbers show.

Content is scored by AI and by a human expert; where the two disagree, a second human decides. A memorized template counts as an irrelevant response, which scores 0 for content, and once content is 0 nothing else on that item is scored.

> The template trap: a fixed opening sentence you say on every image is fine as a runway, but if the body of your answer does not describe this image, content is 0 and the whole item is lost.

## Describe Image examples

Worked examples written for this page. Answer each one before you open the model response: memorizing a response is scored as an irrelevant answer in the real test.

**Example 1 -- a line graph**

*Line graph of cafe sales from 2019 to 2025. Coffee starts at 40 cups a day, below tea at 62, crosses above it in 2021 and reaches 96 by 2025. Tea drifts down from 64 in 2020 to 48 in 2025.*

|  | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Coffee | 40 | 52 | 66 | 74 | 83 | 90 | 96 |
| Tea | 62 | 64 | 61 | 57 | 54 | 51 | 48 |

*Cups sold a day in one cafe. Written for this page, not from a live test.*

Prompt: Study the image, then describe it in 40 seconds.

25 seconds to prepare, then 40 seconds to speak.

Model response: "This line graph compares coffee and tea sales in a cafe from 2019 to 2025. Coffee starts at about 40 cups a day, below tea, but overtakes it in 2021 and keeps climbing to around 96. Tea falls slowly from 2020 to about 48. By 2025 coffee sells roughly twice as much as tea, so the gap that opened in 2021 has widened every year since."

Why it scores: It names the chart, gives the trend for both lines, marks the crossover, and ends with what the pattern means. That is the interpretation the top content band asks for.

**Example 2 -- a process diagram**

*Process diagram of glass recycling in four stages: collection, sorting by color, crushing, then melting, with the output returning as new containers.*

| Stage |  |
| --- | --- |
| 1 | Collection |
| 2 | Sorting by color |
| 3 | Crushing |
| 4 | Melting |
| ↺ | Melted glass is formed into new containers, which re-enter collection. |

*Glass recycling. Written for this page, not from a live test.*

Prompt: Study the image, then describe it in 40 seconds.

25 seconds to prepare, then 40 seconds to speak.

Model response: "This diagram shows glass recycling in four stages. Glass is collected, then sorted by color, then crushed into small pieces, and finally melted so it can be formed into new containers. The output of each stage becomes the input of the next, so the process is continuous."

Why it scores: Stages in order, with the link between them stated. Naming all four stages is the content; the last sentence is the expansion that separates a good answer from a list.

**Example 3 -- when you run out of things to say**

*Pie chart of household spending in three parts: housing 48 percent, transport 32 percent, food 20 percent.*

| Part | Share |
| --- | --- |
| Housing | 48% |
| Transport | 32% |
| Food | 20% |

*Household spending. Written for this page, not from a live test.*

Prompt: Study the image, then describe it. You have 40 seconds and only three numbers.

25 seconds to prepare, then 40 seconds to speak.

Model response: "The pie chart splits household spending into three parts. Housing takes the largest share at almost half, transport is about a third, and food makes up the remaining fifth. Housing therefore costs nearly as much as the other two together."

Why it scores: Three sentences fill 40 seconds comfortably if you do not rush. A short, accurate answer scores better than a long one padded with a memorized introduction.

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## Common mistakes

| What costs marks | Do this instead |
| --- | --- |
| Opening with a long memorized template. | Spend the first three seconds naming the image type and what it shows, then get to the data. |
| Reading every number on the chart. | Give the highest, the lowest and the trend. The scorer wants the shape of the data, not a recital. |
| Stopping at 20 seconds. | Have a closing move ready: state what the image shows overall. It is the expansion the top band rewards. |
| Describing a different image from the one on screen. | Practice with unfamiliar images so you are not reaching for an answer you prepared for a similar-looking chart. That is what scores 0 for content. |

**Know the score you are aiming at** Put a target into the PTE score calculator to see the visa band it reaches, the points it is worth, and how far off you are. [Open the PTE score calculator](/pte/score-calculator)

## How to practice

1. Set a 25-second timer and write only three things: what it is, the extreme values, the trend.
2. Record 40 seconds without stopping, even when you run dry. Filling the time is a skill of its own.
3. Rotate chart types: line, bar, pie, map, process. Each has a different natural sentence order.
4. Check your recordings for whether you interpreted the image or only listed it.

## Common questions

### How long do you get for PTE Describe Image?

25 seconds to study the image, then 40 seconds to speak.

### Can I use a template for Describe Image?

A short opening line is fine, but the answer has to describe the image in front of you. Pearson treats pre-prepared or memorized material as an irrelevant response, which scores 0 for content.

### Is Describe Image scored by a human?

Content is scored by AI and a human expert, and a second human decides if they disagree. Pronunciation and oral fluency are scored by AI only.

### What if I do not fill the full 40 seconds?

That is not penalised directly, but a short answer usually misses content points. Three or four accurate sentences are enough.

**Sources**
- [Pearson: PTE Academic Speaking & Writing task types (checked 28 September 2026)](https://www.pearsonpte.com/pte-academic/test-format/speaking-writing)
- [Pearson: PTE Academic Test Taker Score Guide, July 2025 (PDF)](https://www.pearsonpte.com/ctf-assets/yqwtwibiobs4/WUcBAMkYCC9Dj5vs2HfVA/941d88d07ba7c2a5007f7ce1b18eedbf/Score_Guide__Test_Taker__-_PTE_Academic_-_July_2025__web_.pdf)

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