Legal writing is usually less discursive than writing in other…
Read the text aloud.
Legal writing is usually less discursive than writing in other humanities subjects, and precision is more important than variety. Sentence structure should not be too complex; it is usually unnecessary to make extensive use of adjectives or adverbs, and consistency of terms is often required.
Opens question #010166 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
Legal writing is usually less discursive|than writing in other humanities subjects,‖and precision is more important than variety.‖Sentence structure should not be too complex;‖it is usually unnecessary|to make extensive use of adjectives or adverbs,‖and consistency of terms is often required.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 17–20 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| unnecessary | un·NEC·es·sa·ry | /ənˈnɛsəsɛri/ |
| consistency | con·SIS·ten·cy | /kənˈsɪstənsi/ |
| humanities | hu·MAN·i·ties | /hjuˈmænɪtiz/ |
| variety | va·RI·e·ty | /vɚˈaɪəti/ |
| discursive | dis·CUR·sive | /dɪˈskɝsɪv/ |
| precision | pre·CI·sion | /priˈsɪʒən/ |
45 words in 17–20 seconds; no numbers. Breathe after subjects, variety, complex and adverbs. The semicolon after complex is a full stop for your voice.
Where marks are usually lost
All six hard words stress the second syllable: un·NEC·es·sa·ry, con·SIS·ten·cy, hu·MAN·i·ties, va·RI·e·ty, dis·CUR·sive, pre·CI·sion. Hesitating before discursive or unnecessary. Dropping the -s in subjects, adjectives, adverbs, terms and the -ed in required.
General tip: Say unnecessary as four quick beats after the stressed NEC; slowing down makes it sound like five separate words.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 法律写作通常不像其他人文学科的写作那样散漫，精确比多样更重要。句子结构不应过于复杂；通常没有必要大量使用形容词或副词，并且常常要求术语保持一致。
हिन्दी: कानूनी लेखन आम तौर पर अन्य मानविकी विषयों के लेखन से कम विस्तारपूर्ण होता है, और सटीकता विविधता से अधिक महत्वपूर्ण है। वाक्य संरचना बहुत जटिल नहीं होनी चाहिए; विशेषणों या क्रियाविशेषणों का व्यापक उपयोग सामान्यतः अनावश्यक है, और शब्दों की एकरूपता अक्सर आवश्यक होती है।
नेपाली: कानुनी लेखन सामान्यतया अन्य मानविकी विषयका लेखनभन्दा कम फैलावदार हुन्छ, र विविधताभन्दा सटीकता बढी महत्त्वपूर्ण हुन्छ। वाक्य संरचना धेरै जटिल हुनु हुँदैन; विशेषण वा क्रियाविशेषणको व्यापक प्रयोग सामान्यतया अनावश्यक हुन्छ, र शब्दावलीको एकरूपता प्रायः आवश्यक पर्छ।
Tiếng Việt: Văn viết pháp lý thường ít lan man hơn văn viết trong các ngành nhân văn khác, và sự chính xác quan trọng hơn sự đa dạng. Cấu trúc câu không nên quá phức tạp; thường không cần dùng nhiều tính từ hay trạng từ, và sự nhất quán về thuật ngữ thường được yêu cầu.
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.