As we progress into the 21st century, communications are becoming…
Read the text aloud.
As we progress into the 21st century, communications are becoming faster and faster. Think of millions of different media images you are bombarded with every day. It is as important now to be able to read and make sense of those images, as it has been to be able to read ordinary text.
Opens question #010137 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
As we progress into the 21st century,|communications are becoming faster and faster.‖Think of millions of different media images|you are bombarded with every day.‖It is as important now|to be able to read and make sense of those images,‖as it has been to be able to read ordinary text.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 20–24 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| communications | com·mu·ni·CA·tions | /kəmjunəˈkeɪʃənz/ |
| bombarded | bom·BAR·ded | /bɑmˈbɑrdɪd/ |
| important | im·POR·tant | /ɪmˈpɔrtənt/ |
| becoming | be·COM·ing | /bɪˈkʌmɪŋ/ |
| ordinary | OR·di·na·ry | /ˈɔrdənɛri/ |
| different | DIF·fer·ent | /ˈdɪfɚənt/ |
53 words, aim 20–24 seconds. Say 21st as "twenty-first". Breathe after faster, after day, and after images (before "as it has been"); short pauses at the other commas.
Where marks are usually lost
com·mu·ni·CA·tions has five syllables with stress on the fourth — don't rush it. OR·di·na·ry and DIF·fer·ent are front-stressed; bom·BAR·ded, im·POR·tant, be·COM·ing take the second. Keep -s on communications, millions, images and the -ed in bombarded.
General tip: as important now … as it has been is a comparison: lift now slightly, then keep as it has been flowing without a new start.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 随着我们进入21世纪，通信变得越来越快。想一想你每天被数以百万计的不同媒体图像所轰炸。现在，能够阅读并理解这些图像，与过去能够阅读普通文字一样重要。
हिन्दी: जैसे-जैसे हम 21वीं सदी में आगे बढ़ रहे हैं, संचार तेज़ से तेज़ होता जा रहा है। सोचिए, हर दिन आप पर लाखों अलग-अलग मीडिया छवियों की बौछार होती है। आज उन छवियों को पढ़ना और समझना उतना ही महत्वपूर्ण है, जितना पहले साधारण पाठ पढ़ पाना था।
नेपाली: हामी 21 औं शताब्दीमा अघि बढ्दै जाँदा, सञ्चार झन्झन् छिटो हुँदै गइरहेको छ। हरेक दिन तपाईंमाथि बर्सिने लाखौं फरक-फरक मिडिया छविहरूको बारेमा सोच्नुहोस्। अब ती छविहरू पढ्न र बुझ्न सक्नु त्यत्तिकै महत्त्वपूर्ण छ, जति पहिले सामान्य पाठ पढ्न सक्नु थियो।
Tiếng Việt: Khi chúng ta tiến vào thế kỷ 21, truyền thông đang ngày càng nhanh hơn. Hãy nghĩ đến hàng triệu hình ảnh truyền thông khác nhau mà bạn bị dội vào mỗi ngày. Ngày nay, việc có thể đọc và hiểu những hình ảnh đó cũng quan trọng như việc có thể đọc văn bản thông thường trước đây.
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.