Northcote Parkinson, a British writer, formulated Parkinson's rule: "Work expands…
Read the text aloud.
Northcote Parkinson, a British writer, formulated Parkinson's rule: "Work expands to fill the time allotted to it; or, conversely, the amount of work completed is in inverse proportion to the number of people employed." Simply said: If you have an hour to do a 5-minute job, it will take an hour to do it. A large number of people accomplish less work than a smaller number of people.
Opens question #010194 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
Northcote Parkinson,|a British writer,|formulated Parkinson's rule:‖"Work expands to fill the time allotted to it;‖or, conversely,|the amount of work completed is in inverse proportion|to the number of people employed."‖Simply said:|If you have an hour to do a 5-minute job,‖it will take an hour to do it.‖A large number of people accomplish less work|than a smaller number of people.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 26–31 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| formulated | FOR·mu·lat·ed | /ˈfɔrmjəleɪtəd/ |
| proportion | pro·POR·tion | /prəˈpɔrʃən/ |
| accomplish | ac·COM·plish | /əˈkɑmplɪʃ/ |
| completed | com·PLET·ed | /kəmˈplitəd/ |
| allotted | al·LOT·ted | /əˈlɑtɪd/ |
| parkinson's | PAR·kin·son's | /ˈpɑrkɪnsənz/ |
68 words, aim 26–31 seconds. Say 5 as "five" ("a five-minute job"). Breathe after rule:, it;, employed.", job and do it; pause at the commas around a British writer and conversely.
Where marks are usually lost
Stress FOR·mu·lat·ed and PAR·kin·son's on the first syllable, pro·POR·tion, ac·COM·plish, al·LOT·ted on the second. Keep the -s in expands, Parkinson's and the -ed in allotted, completed, employed. Don't hesitate at Northcote.
General tip: Signal the quotation with a slight lift after rule: and keep a steady rhythm inside it; the Simply said sentences should sound conversational.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 英国作家诺斯古德·帕金森提出了帕金森定律："工作会不断膨胀，直到填满所分配的时间；或者反过来说，完成的工作量与所雇人数成反比。"简单地说：如果你有一个小时来做一件5分钟的事，那它就会花掉一个小时。一大群人完成的工作反而比一小群人少。
हिन्दी: ब्रिटिश लेखक नॉर्थकोट पार्किंसन ने पार्किंसन का नियम बनाया: "काम उसे दिए गए समय को भरने तक फैलता है; या इसके विपरीत, पूरा किया गया काम नियुक्त लोगों की संख्या के व्युत्क्रमानुपाती होता है।" सीधे शब्दों में: यदि 5 मिनट के काम के लिए आपके पास एक घंटा है, तो उसमें एक घंटा ही लगेगा। बड़ी संख्या में लोग कम संख्या के लोगों से कम काम पूरा करते हैं।
नेपाली: बेलायती लेखक नर्थकोट पार्किन्सनले पार्किन्सनको नियम बनाए: "काम आफूलाई दिइएको समय भर्ने गरी फैलिन्छ; वा उल्टो भन्दा, पूरा गरिएको कामको मात्रा काममा लगाइएका मानिसको संख्यासँग विपरीत अनुपातमा हुन्छ।" सजिलो भाषामा: यदि 5 मिनेटको काम गर्न तपाईंसँग एक घण्टा छ भने, त्यो गर्न एक घण्टा नै लाग्छ। धेरै मानिसले थोरै मानिसले भन्दा कम काम पूरा गर्छन्।
Tiếng Việt: Northcote Parkinson, một nhà văn Anh, đã đưa ra quy tắc Parkinson: "Công việc nở ra để lấp đầy thời gian được phân bổ cho nó; hay ngược lại, khối lượng công việc hoàn thành tỷ lệ nghịch với số người được thuê." Nói đơn giản: nếu bạn có một giờ để làm việc mất 5 phút, bạn sẽ mất cả giờ để làm. Một nhóm đông người hoàn thành ít việc hơn một nhóm ít người.
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.