Trade unions originated in Europe during the Industrial Revolution. Because…
Read the text aloud.
Trade unions originated in Europe during the Industrial Revolution. Because of the machinery that had become commonplace, skilled labour became less in demand so employers had nearly all of the bargaining power. Employers mistreated the workers and paid them too little for the work they did. Trade unions were organised that would help in the improvement of working conditions.
Opens question #010093 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
Trade unions originated in Europe|during the Industrial Revolution.‖Because of the machinery that had become commonplace,|skilled labour became less in demand‖so employers had nearly all of the bargaining power.‖Employers mistreated the workers|and paid them too little for the work they did.‖Trade unions were organised|that would help in the improvement of working conditions.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 23–27 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| originated | o·RIG·i·nat·ed | /ɚˈɪdʒəneɪtəd/ |
| industrial | in·DUS·tri·al | /ɪnˈdʌstriəl/ |
| revolution | rev·o·LU·tion | /rɛvəˈluʃən/ |
| machinery | ma·CHIN·er·y | /məˈʃinɚi/ |
| improvement | im·PROVE·ment | /ɪmˈpruvmənt/ |
| mistreated | mis·TREAT·ed | /mɪsˈtritɪd/ |
59 words, aim 23–27 seconds. No numbers. Breathe after Revolution, demand, power and did; short pauses after Europe, commonplace, workers and organised.
Where marks are usually lost
o·RIG·i·nat·ed has five syllables, stress on RIG — don't stumble on it in the first line. in·DUS·tri·al, ma·CHIN·er·y, im·PROVE·ment, mis·TREAT·ed take second-syllable stress; rev·o·LU·tion the third. Keep -ed on originated, skilled, mistreated, organised, and -s on unions, employers, workers, conditions.
General tip: Industrial Revolution is one name — say it as a single unit without a gap in the middle.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 工会起源于工业革命时期的欧洲。由于机器已变得普遍，熟练劳动力的需求减少，因此雇主几乎掌握了全部议价权。雇主虐待工人，给他们的工作报酬过低。于是人们组织起工会，以帮助改善工作条件。
हिन्दी: ट्रेड यूनियनों की शुरुआत औद्योगिक क्रांति के दौरान यूरोप में हुई। मशीनों के आम हो जाने के कारण कुशल श्रम की माँग घट गई, इसलिए लगभग सारी सौदेबाज़ी की ताक़त मालिकों के हाथ में आ गई। मालिकों ने मज़दूरों के साथ बुरा व्यवहार किया और उनके काम के लिए बहुत कम मज़दूरी दी। ऐसी ट्रेड यूनियनें बनाई गईं जो काम की परिस्थितियों को सुधारने में मदद करें।
नेपाली: ट्रेड युनियनहरूको सुरुआत औद्योगिक क्रान्तिका बेला युरोपमा भयो। मेसिनहरू सामान्य भइसकेकाले दक्ष श्रमको माग घट्यो, त्यसैले लगभग सबै मोलमोलाइको शक्ति रोजगारदाताहरूको हातमा पुग्यो। रोजगारदाताहरूले कामदारहरूसँग दुर्व्यवहार गरे र उनीहरूको कामका लागि धेरै थोरै ज्याला दिए। काम गर्ने अवस्था सुधार्न सघाउने गरी ट्रेड युनियनहरू गठन गरिए।
Tiếng Việt: Công đoàn ra đời ở châu Âu trong thời kỳ Cách mạng Công nghiệp. Vì máy móc đã trở nên phổ biến, lao động có tay nghề ít được cần đến hơn, nên giới chủ nắm gần như toàn bộ quyền mặc cả. Giới chủ ngược đãi công nhân và trả lương quá thấp cho công việc họ làm. Các công đoàn được tổ chức để giúp cải thiện điều kiện làm việc.
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.