The insults and criticism were not unexpected. What was surprising…
Read the text aloud.
The insults and criticism were not unexpected. What was surprising was people’s enthusiasm about the competition. Thousands have participated in the discussion.
Opens question #010103 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
The insults and criticism|were not unexpected.‖What was surprising|was people’s enthusiasm about the competition.‖Thousands have participated|in the discussion.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 8–10 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| participated | par·TI·ci·pa·ted | /pɑrˈtɪsəpeɪtɪd/ |
| enthusiasm | en·THU·si·a·sm | /ɪnˈθuziæzəm/ |
| competition | com·pe·TI·tion | /kɑmpəˈtɪʃən/ |
| unexpected | un·ex·PEC·ted | /ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/ |
| surprising | sur·PRI·sing | /sɚˈpraɪzɪŋ/ |
| discussion | dis·CUS·sion | /dɪˈskʌʃən/ |
22 words, aim 8–10 seconds. There are no numbers. Breathe after unexpected and after competition; short pauses after criticism, surprising and participated.
Where marks are usually lost
Stress: com·pe·TI·tion, un·ex·PEC·ted, en·THU·si·a·sm, par·TI·ci·pa·ted. Hesitating before enthusiasm. Dropping endings: insults, Thousands, people’s (-s); unexpected, participated (-ed is a full extra syllable).
General tip: enthusiasm ends in a weak “-zm” with no extra vowel. Keep the, about and have short and unstressed so the long words stand out.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 侮辱和批评并非出乎意料。令人惊讶的是人们对这场比赛的热情。成千上万的人参与了讨论。
हिन्दी: अपमान और आलोचना अप्रत्याशित नहीं थे। आश्चर्य की बात थी प्रतियोगिता के प्रति लोगों का उत्साह। हज़ारों लोगों ने चर्चा में भाग लिया है।
नेपाली: अपमान र आलोचना अनपेक्षित थिएनन्। अचम्मलाग्दो कुरा चाहिँ प्रतियोगिताप्रति मानिसहरूको उत्साह थियो। हजारौंले छलफलमा भाग लिएका छन्।
Tiếng Việt: Những lời lăng mạ và chỉ trích không phải là điều bất ngờ. Điều đáng ngạc nhiên là sự nhiệt tình của mọi người đối với cuộc thi. Hàng nghìn người đã tham gia thảo luận.
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.