Read Aloud · Part 1: Speaking & Writing

The free market is extremely competitive and companies are constantly…

40 students marked "I sat this"Added 14 Mar 2020Question #010149
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Read the text aloud.

The free market is extremely competitive and companies are constantly trying to gain an edge over their rivals. Merchandising and brand image play a major role in attracting customers, but they often lead to over-packaging. This is a serious problem since most packaging these days are made of plastics which are not biodegradable. Some people blame the manufacturers for their blatant disregard, while others point the finger at consumers.

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Opens question #010149 in the RealPTE practice screen.

How to read it

The free market is extremely competitive|and companies are constantly trying to gain an edge over their rivals.‖Merchandising and brand image play a major role in attracting customers,|but they often lead to over-packaging.‖This is a serious problem|since most packaging these days are made of plastics|which are not biodegradable.‖Some people blame the manufacturers for their blatant disregard,|while others point the finger at consumers.

| short pause   ‖ breathe

Words to stress correctly

biodegradablebi·o·de·GRAD·a·ble/baɪoʊdəˈɡreɪdəbəl/
manufacturersman·u·FAC·tur·ers/mænjəˈfæktʃɚɚz/
competitivecom·PET·i·tive/kəmˈpɛtətɪv/
merchandisingMER·chan·dis·ing/ˈmɝtʃəndaɪzɪŋ/
attractingat·TRACT·ing/əˈtræktɪŋ/
extremelyex·TREME·ly/ɛksˈtrimli/

69 words, aim for 27–31 seconds. No numbers. Breathe after rivals, over-packaging and biodegradable; take short pauses at the commas.

Where marks are usually lost

Stress com·PET·i·tive, MER·chan·dis·ing and bi·o·de·GRAD·a·ble correctly. Don't hesitate before biodegradable or manufacturers. Keep the plural -s on companies, rivals, customers, plastics, manufacturers, consumers.

General tip: Say over-packaging as one unit without a gap at the hyphen, and link point the finger at smoothly as a phrase.

What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt

中文: 自由市场竞争极其激烈,公司不断设法胜过对手。商品营销与品牌形象在吸引顾客方面起着重要作用,但它们常常导致过度包装。这是一个严重的问题,因为如今大多数包装都由不可生物降解的塑料制成。有些人指责制造商公然无视,另一些人则把矛头指向消费者。

हिन्दी: मुक्त बाज़ार बेहद प्रतिस्पर्धी है और कंपनियाँ लगातार अपने प्रतिद्वंद्वियों पर बढ़त पाने की कोशिश करती हैं। मर्चेंडाइज़िंग और ब्रांड छवि ग्राहकों को आकर्षित करने में बड़ी भूमिका निभाती हैं, लेकिन अक्सर अत्यधिक पैकेजिंग का कारण बनती हैं। यह गंभीर समस्या है क्योंकि आजकल अधिकांश पैकेजिंग ऐसे प्लास्टिक से बनती है जो जैव-अपघटनीय नहीं है। कुछ लोग निर्माताओं की खुली लापरवाही को दोष देते हैं, जबकि अन्य उपभोक्ताओं पर उँगली उठाते हैं।

नेपाली: खुला बजार अत्यन्त प्रतिस्पर्धी छ र कम्पनीहरू आफ्ना प्रतिद्वन्द्वीभन्दा अगाडि हुन निरन्तर प्रयास गरिरहन्छन्। सामान प्रवर्द्धन र ब्रान्ड छविले ग्राहक आकर्षित गर्न ठूलो भूमिका खेल्छन्, तर तिनले प्रायः अत्यधिक प्याकेजिङ निम्त्याउँछन्। यो गम्भीर समस्या हो किनभने आजकल अधिकांश प्याकेजिङ जैविक रूपमा नकुहिने प्लास्टिकबाट बनेका हुन्छन्। कसैले उत्पादकहरूको खुला बेवास्तालाई दोष दिन्छन् भने अरूले उपभोक्तातर्फ औँला ठड्याउँछन्।

Tiếng Việt: Thị trường tự do cạnh tranh cực kỳ gay gắt và các công ty liên tục tìm cách vượt lên đối thủ. Tiếp thị hàng hóa và hình ảnh thương hiệu đóng vai trò lớn trong việc thu hút khách hàng, nhưng thường dẫn đến đóng gói quá mức. Đây là vấn đề nghiêm trọng vì ngày nay hầu hết bao bì làm từ nhựa không phân hủy sinh học. Một số người đổ lỗi cho nhà sản xuất vì sự coi thường trắng trợn, trong khi những người khác chỉ trích người tiêu dùng.

More Read Aloud questions

Read Aloud format (Pearson)

PromptText up to 60 words
Preparation30–40 seconds
Time to answerDepends on the length of the text
Skills assessedSpeaking
Scored onContent; 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.