A young man from a small provincial town-a man without…
Read the text aloud.
A young man from a small provincial town-a man without independent wealth, without powerful family connections and without a university education - moved to London in the late 1580’s and, in a remarkably short time, became the greatest playwright not of his age alone but of all time. How did Shakespeare become Shakespeare?
Opens question #010026 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
A young man from a small provincial town-a man without independent wealth,‖without powerful family connections|and without a university education‖- moved to London in the late 1580’s|and, in a remarkably short time,‖became the greatest playwright not of his age alone|but of all time.‖How did Shakespeare become Shakespeare?
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 20–24 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| university | u·ni·VER·si·ty | /junəˈvɝsəti/ |
| independent | in·de·PEN·dent | /ɪndɪˈpɛndənt/ |
| remarkably | re·MAR·ka·bly | /rɪˈmɑrkəbli/ |
| education | e·du·CA·tion | /ɛdʒəˈkeɪʃən/ |
| connections | con·NEC·tions | /kəˈnɛkʃənz/ |
| provincial | pro·VIN·cial | /prəˈvɪnʃəl/ |
53 words, aim 20–24 seconds. 1580’s = 'fifteen eighties'. Breathe after wealth, education, short time and all time. The dashes mark an aside; keep it moving and resume 'moved to London' at full voice.
Where marks are usually lost
Stress u·ni·VER·si·ty, in·de·PEN·dent, e·du·CA·tion on the third syllable, re·MAR·ka·bly, con·NEC·tions, pro·VIN·cial on the second. Don't hesitate before 1580’s. Keep the endings in connections, moved, became.
General tip: Three parallel 'without…' phrases: stress wealth, connections, education evenly, and let the question 'How did Shakespeare become Shakespeare?' fall at the end, not rise.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 一个来自偏远小镇的年轻人——没有独立的财富，没有有权势的家庭关系，也没有上过大学——在1580年代末来到伦敦，并在极短的时间内成为不仅是他那个时代、而且是有史以来最伟大的剧作家。莎士比亚是如何成为莎士比亚的？
हिन्दी: एक छोटे प्रांतीय कस्बे का युवक—जिसके पास न अपनी संपत्ति थी, न ताक़तवर पारिवारिक संबंध और न विश्वविद्यालय की शिक्षा—1580 के दशक के अंत में लंदन आया और बहुत ही कम समय में न सिर्फ़ अपने युग का बल्कि सभी समयों का सबसे महान नाटककार बन गया। शेक्सपियर, शेक्सपियर कैसे बना?
नेपाली: एउटा सानो प्रान्तीय सहरको युवक—जोसँग आफ्नो सम्पत्ति थिएन, शक्तिशाली पारिवारिक सम्बन्ध थिएन, विश्वविद्यालयको शिक्षा पनि थिएन—सन् १५८० को दशकको अन्त्यमा लन्डन आयो र अत्यन्त छोटो समयमा आफ्नो युगको मात्र होइन, सबै समयको सबैभन्दा महान् नाटककार बन्यो। शेक्सपियर कसरी शेक्सपियर बने?
Tiếng Việt: Một thanh niên từ một thị trấn tỉnh lẻ nhỏ bé—không có tài sản riêng, không có quan hệ gia đình quyền thế, không có bằng đại học—chuyển đến London vào cuối thập niên 1580 và, trong thời gian ngắn đáng kinh ngạc, trở thành nhà viết kịch vĩ đại nhất không chỉ của thời đại mình mà của mọi thời đại. Shakespeare đã trở thành Shakespeare như thế nào?
More Read Aloud questions
Read Aloud format (Pearson)
| Prompt | Text up to 60 words |
|---|---|
| Preparation | 30–40 seconds |
| Time to answer | Depends on the length of the text |
| Skills assessed | Speaking |
| Scored on | Content; Pronunciation; Oral fluency |
How it is scored
- Content is scored by counting the correct words in your response.
- If you stay silent for more than 3 seconds, the recording stops.
- You can record your response only once.
Source: Pearson, PTE Academic & UKVI test format, Part 1: Speaking & Writing, checked 9 October 2026.