Two sisters were at a dinner party when the conversation…
Read the text aloud.
Two sisters were at a dinner party when the conversation turned to upbringing. The elder sister started to say that her parents had been very strict and that she had been rather frightened of them. Her sister, younger by two years, interrupted in amazement. “What are you talking about?” she said. “Our parents were very lenient. I remember being allowed to stay out late and to do all sorts of things. How could you call them strict?”
Opens question #010165 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
Two sisters were at a dinner party|when the conversation turned to upbringing.‖The elder sister started to say|that her parents had been very strict|and that she had been rather frightened of them.‖Her sister,|younger by two years,|interrupted in amazement.‖“What are you talking about?” she said.|“Our parents were very lenient.‖I remember being allowed to stay out late|and to do all sorts of things.‖How could you call them strict?”
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 30–35 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| conversation | con·ver·SA·tion | /kɑnvɚˈseɪʃən/ |
| interrupted | in·ter·RUP·ted | /ɪntɚˈʌptɪd/ |
| amazement | a·MAZE·ment | /əˈmeɪzmənt/ |
| remember | re·MEM·ber | /rɪˈmɛmbɚ/ |
| upbringing | UP·bring·ing | /ˈʌpbrɪŋɪŋ/ |
| lenient | LE·ni·ent | /ˈliniənt/ |
77 words in 30–35 seconds. No digits; "two years" is already in words. Breathe after upbringing, them, amazement, lenient and things. Make the two questions sound like real speech, with a rise at the end.
Where marks are usually lost
Front stress on UP·bring·ing and LE·ni·ent, not the middle. Third-syllable stress on in·ter·RUP·ted and con·ver·SA·tion. Keep the endings of sisters, parents, frightened, interrupted and allowed.
General tip: Read the quoted lines with feeling; flat reading of “What are you talking about?” sounds like a word list.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 两姐妹在一次晚宴上，话题转到了家庭教养。姐姐开始说她们的父母非常严厉，她当时相当害怕他们。比她小两岁的妹妹惊讶地打断她：“你在说什么呀？我们的父母非常宽容。我记得自己被允许在外面玩到很晚，做各种各样的事。你怎么能说他们严厉？”
हिन्दी: दो बहनें एक डिनर पार्टी में थीं जब बातचीत परवरिश की ओर मुड़ी। बड़ी बहन कहने लगी कि उनके माता-पिता बहुत सख्त थे और वह उनसे काफी डरती थी। उससे दो साल छोटी बहन ने हैरानी से बीच में टोका: “तुम क्या कह रही हो? हमारे माता-पिता बहुत उदार थे। मुझे याद है मुझे देर तक बाहर रहने और तरह-तरह के काम करने की अनुमति थी। तुम उन्हें सख्त कैसे कह सकती हो?”
नेपाली: दुई दिदीबहिनी एउटा डिनर पार्टीमा थिए, जब कुराकानी हुर्काइतिर मोडियो। दिदीले भन्न थालिन् कि उनका बुबाआमा धेरै कडा थिए र उनी तिनीहरूदेखि निकै डराउँथिन्। दुई वर्ष कान्छी बहिनीले छक्क परेर बीचमै रोकिन्: “तिमी के भनिरहेकी छौ? हाम्रा बुबाआमा धेरै उदार थिए। मलाई सम्झना छ, मलाई राति अबेरसम्म बाहिर बस्न र सबै किसिमका काम गर्न दिइन्थ्यो। तिमी तिनलाई कडा कसरी भन्न सक्छौ?”
Tiếng Việt: Hai chị em đang ở một bữa tiệc tối thì câu chuyện chuyển sang chủ đề cách nuôi dạy. Người chị bắt đầu nói rằng cha mẹ họ rất nghiêm khắc và cô đã khá sợ họ. Cô em, nhỏ hơn hai tuổi, kinh ngạc ngắt lời: “Chị đang nói gì vậy? Cha mẹ mình rất dễ dãi. Em nhớ mình được phép đi chơi về muộn và làm đủ thứ chuyện. Sao chị có thể gọi họ là nghiêm khắc?”
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.