Children as young as 14 months old will spontaneously help…
Read the text aloud.
Children as young as 14 months old will spontaneously help others for no reward. But a study of 3 to 5 year olds found that, although they would spontaneously draw pictures, if they were given a reward for drawing pictures, then later they wouldn’t make any drawings unless a reward was offered.
Opens question #010378 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
Children as young as 14 months old|will spontaneously help others for no reward.‖But a study of 3 to 5 year olds found that,|although they would spontaneously draw pictures,‖if they were given a reward for drawing pictures,|then later they wouldn’t make any drawings|unless a reward was offered.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Words to stress correctly
| spontaneously | spon·TA·ne·ous·ly | /spɑnˈteɪniəsli/ |
| although | al·THOUGH | /ɔlˈðoʊ/ |
| reward | re·WARD | /rɪˈwɔrd/ |
| unless | un·LESS | /ənˈlɛs/ |
52 words, aim for 20–24 seconds. Say 14 as "fourteen", and 3 to 5 as "three to five". Breathe after reward. and after the first pictures,; short pauses after old, that,, the second pictures, and drawings.
Where marks are usually lost
Stress: spon·TA·ne·ous·ly (twice), al·THOUGH, re·WARD, un·LESS. Pausing before 14 or 3 to 5. Dropping the -s in months, others, olds, pictures, drawings and the -ed in offered.
General tip: say wouldn’t as one word with a clear final t, and stress the final syllable of un·LESS so the contrast lands.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 小至 14 个月大的孩子会自发地帮助他人，不求回报。但一项针对 3 到 5 岁儿童的研究发现，虽然他们会自发地画画，但如果因为画画得到了奖励，之后除非有奖励，否则他们就不再画画了。
हिन्दी: केवल 14 महीने के बच्चे भी बिना किसी इनाम के स्वतः दूसरों की मदद करते हैं। लेकिन 3 से 5 साल के बच्चों पर एक अध्ययन में पाया गया कि, हालाँकि वे अपने आप चित्र बनाते थे, अगर चित्र बनाने के लिए उन्हें इनाम दिया गया, तो बाद में वे तब तक चित्र नहीं बनाते थे जब तक इनाम न दिया जाए।
नेपाली: जम्मा 14 महिनाका बालबालिकाले पनि कुनै पुरस्कार नपाई आफैँ अरूलाई सहयोग गर्छन्। तर 3 देखि 5 वर्षका बालबालिकामा गरिएको एक अध्ययनले पत्ता लगायो कि, उनीहरू आफैँ चित्र कोर्ने भए पनि, चित्र कोरेबापत पुरस्कार दिइयो भने पछि पुरस्कार नदिएसम्म उनीहरूले चित्र कोर्दैनथे।
Tiếng Việt: Trẻ em chỉ mới 14 tháng tuổi đã tự nguyện giúp người khác mà không cần phần thưởng. Nhưng một nghiên cứu ở trẻ 3 đến 5 tuổi cho thấy, dù các em tự nguyện vẽ tranh, nếu được thưởng vì vẽ tranh thì sau đó các em sẽ không vẽ nữa trừ khi có phần thưởng.
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.