Question 1Reading: Multiple Choice, Single Answer
According to the passage, why are rovers not steered in real time?
Is PTE Academic hard?
There is no pass mark. The test reports a score from 10 to 90, and how hard it feels depends on the score your university or visa asks for in each skill.
| Pass mark | None: each university or visa sets the score it needs |
|---|---|
| Score scale | 10 to 90 overall, and a score for each skill |
| Length | About two hours in one sitting |
| Competent English for Australia | At least 47 listening, 48 reading, 51 writing and 54 speaking |
What makes it hard
- Recordings play once. Listening tasks reward notes taken while the speaker talks, not memory afterwards.
- Skills are scored together. Write from Dictation counts for both listening and writing, so spelling matters in a listening task.
- Word limits are strict. Summarize Written Text over 75 words scores zero, however good the ideas.
- The clock is tight in Reading: 23 to 30 minutes for every Reading task with no time per question.
The scores Australia asks for
For tests taken from 7 August 2025, the Department of Home Affairs sets these minimum PTE Academic scores in each of the four skills.
| English level | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Competent | 47 | 48 | 51 | 54 |
| Proficient | 58 | 59 | 69 | 76 |
| Superior | 69 | 70 | 85 | 88 |
Where to start
Reading and the Listening tasks with a fixed answer are the quickest to improve with practice, because every answer can be checked exactly. Start with the free diagnostic to see which area costs you most.
Try 2 questions
Driving on Mars
Robotic rovers on Mars cannot be steered in real time from Earth. Depending on where the two planets are in their orbits, a radio signal takes from a few minutes to more than twenty minutes to travel each way. Engineers therefore send a set of instructions once a day, and the rover carries them out on its own, using cameras and software to avoid hazards. This is one reason rovers travel slowly: a mistake could leave a vehicle stuck far beyond the reach of any repair.
Life at hydrothermal vents
Until the late 1970s, most biologists assumed that almost all life on Earth depended, directly or indirectly, on energy from the Sun. Plants and algae capture sunlight through photosynthesis, and animals eat the plants or one another. The deep ocean floor, far below the reach of light, was expected to support only sparse life, fed by organic matter drifting down from the surface.
That view changed when scientists using a submersible explored hot springs on the floor of the eastern Pacific. Around these hydrothermal vents, where seawater heated by volcanic activity pours out of the sea floor rich in dissolved minerals, they found dense communities of animals, including giant tube worms, clams and crabs. The basis of these communities is not photosynthesis but chemosynthesis. Certain bacteria obtain energy from chemical reactions involving compounds such as hydrogen sulphide in the vent fluid, and use it to produce organic matter. Some vent animals feed on the bacteria; others, like the tube worms, house them inside their bodies and depend on them for nourishment.
The discovery had consequences beyond marine biology. It showed that whole ecosystems can run on chemical energy, independent of sunlight, and it encouraged speculation that life on Earth may have begun in a similar setting. It has also influenced the search for life elsewhere. Several moons in the outer solar system are thought to have oceans beneath their icy surfaces, and if those oceans have hydrothermal activity, they might provide conditions in which life could exist.
Vent communities are not entirely cut off from the sunlit world, however: many of the animals depend on oxygen dissolved in seawater, which was produced by photosynthesis near the surface.
Question 2Reading: Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers
According to the passage, what did the discovery of vent communities show or suggest?
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Questions people ask
What is the pass mark for PTE Academic?
There is none. You get a score from 10 to 90, and each university, employer or visa sets the score it needs.
What PTE score do I need for Australian PR?
Competent English is the minimum for skilled visas and earns 0 points. Proficient English (58 listening, 59 reading, 69 writing, 76 speaking) earns 10 points and Superior English (69, 70, 85, 88) earns 20, for tests from 7 August 2025.
Is PTE easier than IELTS?
They test the same four skills in different ways. PTE is taken on a computer in one sitting of about two hours, with integrated tasks that score two skills at once.
Which part of PTE is hardest?
Speaking and writing scores carry the highest Australian minimums: Superior English needs 85 in writing and 88 in speaking, against 69 in listening and 70 in reading.