The ritual of the state opening of parliament still illustrates…
Read the text aloud.
The ritual of the state opening of parliament still illustrates the basis of the British constitution. The sovereignty of the Royal Family has passed to the sovereignty of parliament, leaving the monarchy with the trappings of power, while prime ministers are still denied the kind of status that is given to American and French presidents.
Opens question #010243 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
The ritual of the state opening of parliament|still illustrates the basis of the British constitution.‖The sovereignty of the Royal Family|has passed to the sovereignty of parliament,‖leaving the monarchy with the trappings of power,‖while prime ministers are still denied the kind of status|that is given to American and French presidents.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 21–25 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| constitution | con·sti·TU·tion | /kɑnstəˈtuʃən/ |
| american | a·ME·ri·can | /əˈmɛrəkən/ |
| illustrates | IL·lus·trates | /ˈɪləstreɪts/ |
| sovereignty | SOV·ereign·ty | /ˈsɑvrənti/ |
| parliament | PAR·lia·ment | /ˈpɑrləmənt/ |
| presidents | PRE·si·dents | /ˈprɛzədɛnts/ |
55 words, aim 21–25 seconds. No numbers. Breathe after constitution, after the second parliament (before “leaving”) and after power; short pauses after the first parliament, after Family and after status.
Where marks are usually lost
Stress: con·sti·TU·tion, a·ME·ri·can, IL·lus·trates, SOV·ereign·ty, PAR·lia·ment, PRE·si·dents. Hesitating before sovereignty (it comes twice). Dropping endings: illustrates, trappings, ministers, presidents (-s), passed, denied (-ed).
General tip: parliament has only three syllables — the “ia” is one weak vowel; sovereignty has a silent “g”. Say both the same way each time.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 议会开幕大典的仪式仍然体现着英国宪政的基础。王室的主权已转移至议会的主权，君主制只保留了权力的外在排场，而首相们仍然得不到美国和法国总统所享有的那种地位。
हिन्दी: संसद के राजकीय उद्घाटन का अनुष्ठान आज भी ब्रिटिश संविधान के आधार को दर्शाता है। शाही परिवार की संप्रभुता संसद की संप्रभुता में जा चुकी है, जिससे राजतंत्र के पास केवल सत्ता का दिखावा बचा है, जबकि प्रधानमंत्रियों को अब भी वह दर्जा नहीं मिलता जो अमेरिकी और फ़्रांसीसी राष्ट्रपतियों को दिया जाता है।
नेपाली: संसदको राजकीय उद्घाटनको विधिले अझै पनि बेलायती संविधानको आधारलाई देखाउँछ। राजपरिवारको सार्वभौमसत्ता संसदको सार्वभौमसत्तामा सरेको छ, जसले राजतन्त्रलाई शक्तिको बाहिरी तडकभडक मात्र छोडेको छ, जबकि प्रधानमन्त्रीहरूलाई अझै पनि अमेरिकी र फ्रान्सेली राष्ट्रपतिहरूलाई दिइने जस्तो हैसियत दिइँदैन।
Tiếng Việt: Nghi lễ khai mạc quốc hội của nhà nước vẫn minh họa nền tảng của hiến pháp Anh. Chủ quyền của Hoàng gia đã chuyển sang chủ quyền của quốc hội, để lại cho chế độ quân chủ chỉ những hình thức bề ngoài của quyền lực, trong khi các thủ tướng vẫn bị từ chối loại địa vị được trao cho các tổng thống Mỹ và Pháp.
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.