PTE Academic · Guides · October 24, 2026 · 7 min read

PTE Describe Image: tips, template and sample answers (2026)

In PTE Describe Image you see a chart, table, diagram, map or picture, get about 25 seconds to study it, then speak about it for up to about 40 seconds. The answer is scored on content (did you describe the main features and what they show), oral fluency and pronunciation. A strong answer names what the image is, picks out the two or three most important points with real numbers, and ends with an overall conclusion, all in steady, unhurried speech.

How the task works

The microphone opens after a short tone at the end of the preparation time. If you are silent for 3 seconds, it closes and the answer ends there. Forty seconds is short: at a normal pace that is about five or six sentences, so you have no time to describe every bar or every step.

How Describe Image is scored

• Content. How well you describe the image: what it shows, the main features, the key numbers or stages, and a sensible conclusion or comparison. Reading out random numbers without saying what they mean earns little.
• Oral fluency. Smooth, continuous speech. Pauses inside phrases, fillers (“uh”, “um”), restarts and long silences all lower it.
• Pronunciation. Clear sounds and natural stress. Numbers and units are where many speakers get unclear: “fifteen” and “fifty” must sound different.

Pearson does not publish exact trait scales that all sources agree on, so we describe them in words. Since 2025 some responses are also checked by human experts, and memorized answers that do not match the image lose content credit.

A worked example: bar chart

Here is a practice task from Nomto (task di-0002): a bar chart titled “Share of commuters who cycle to work in five fictional cities, 2015 and 2025”.

In the 25 seconds of preparation, look for four things:

1. What it is: share of commuters who cycle, five cities, two years.
2. The overall trend: cycling grew in four of the five cities.
3. The extremes: Calvista highest in both years; Dunholm lowest.
4. Anything unusual: Arlenport almost tripled; Elsbridge was the only city to fall.

A strong answer, about 40 seconds:

The chart compares the percentage of commuters who cycled to work in five cities in 2015 and 2025. In most places cycling became more popular. Calvista had the highest share in both years, going from twelve to eighteen per cent. The most dramatic change was in Arlenport, where the figure nearly tripled, from four to eleven per cent. Bexmoor and Dunholm grew only a little, and Dunholm remained the lowest at five per cent. Elsbridge was the exception, with a small fall from seven to six per cent.

Why it works: the first sentence says what the chart is about in the speaker’s own words, the second gives the big picture, and the rest moves from the most important point to the least. Every number is attached to a meaning (“highest”, “nearly tripled”, “the exception”). There is nothing a listener would need to see the chart to follow.

A worked example: process diagram

Not every image has numbers. Here is another practice task from Nomto (task di-0012), a six-step diagram titled “How a home rainwater collection system works”: rain falls on the roof; gutters carry the water to a downpipe; a filter removes leaves and dirt; clean water is stored in a tank; a pump sends water to the toilet and garden tap; extra water overflows into the drain.

The diagram shows how a house can collect and reuse rainwater in six stages. First, rain falls on the roof, and the gutters carry it to a downpipe. Before the water is stored, it passes through a filter that removes leaves and dirt. The clean water is then kept in a tank. When it’s needed, a pump sends it to the toilet and to a tap in the garden. Finally, if the tank gets too full, the extra water simply overflows into the drain.

For processes and cycles, the content comes from covering the stages in order with clear sequence words (first, then, before, finally). For maps, it comes from location language (to the north of, next to, opposite). For a photo, describe the scene, the main people or objects, and what seems to be happening.

A minimal frame instead of a template

Many prep sites sell long Describe Image templates: “The given image presents an informative depiction of…” followed by filler about “the highest value” and “the lowest value” that could fit any chart. A template like that mostly fills time. It adds little to content because it says nothing specific about the image, and reciting it often sounds rushed and mechanical. Since 2025, answers that are clearly memorized and do not match the image lose credit.

A short frame is enough to get you started without thinking:

1. Opening: “The chart shows / compares …” plus the topic, in your own words.
2. Body: “The most noticeable point is …” then two or three key features with numbers or stages.
3. Close: “Overall, …” plus one sentence of conclusion or comparison.

Everything inside the frame must come from the image in front of you.

Tips that actually help

1. Spend the preparation time on the title and the extremes. The title gives your first sentence; the highest, lowest and biggest change give the body.
2. Start within a second of the tone. Have your first sentence ready before the microphone opens.
3. Pick three or four points, not ten. You cannot cover everything in 40 seconds, and trying to makes you rush and stumble.
4. Round the numbers. “About a third” or “nearly twenty per cent” is easier to say smoothly than “nineteen point seven”.
5. Keep going if you lose a detail. A short general sentence (“the other cities changed less”) is better than a pause.
6. Speak at a calm, steady pace. Faster is not better: it blurs numbers and breaks phrasing.
7. Stop when you are done. A clean conclusion followed by silence is fine; the microphone closes after 3 seconds. Do not add filler just to reach 40 seconds.
8. Practice every image type. Bar, line, pie, table, process, map and picture each need slightly different language. Do not let any of them surprise you.

Common mistakes

• Reading out every value in order, like a list, with no comparison or conclusion.
• Getting stuck on a label you cannot pronounce. Use a general word (“the third city”) and move on.
• Long pauses while you look for the next point, which can trigger the 3-second cut.
• Speaking past the time limit with a long template introduction, so the key points never get said.
• Mixing up rise and raise, or fifteen and fifty.

Practice Describe Image in the Nomto trainer

The Describe Image task in the Nomto PTE trainer gives you 25 seconds to study each image and 40 seconds to speak, with the tone and the 3-second microphone rule. The bank covers bar, line, stacked and scatter charts, pie charts, tables and process diagrams. After each answer you get estimates for content, oral fluency and pronunciation, an approximate score on the 10–90 scale, the key points a strong answer would cover, and a sample answer to compare with. The same habits help in Re-tell Lecture, where you also have 40 seconds and need to select what matters. For the full list of speaking tasks, see the PTE exam pattern.

Common questions

How many Describe Image questions are there in PTE? Usually 5–6. Pearson gives a range, and the exact number changes from test to test.

Is there a template for PTE Describe Image? A long memorized template adds little, because content is scored on what you say about the specific image. Use a short frame (opening, two or three key points, “overall”) and fill it with details from the image.

Do I have to speak for the full 40 seconds? No. Covering the main features and finishing cleanly matters more than filling time. If you stop for 3 seconds, the microphone closes.

What if I don’t understand the image? Describe what you can see: the title, the labels, the biggest and smallest items, any obvious trend. A fluent general description earns more than silence.

How many points should I mention? Three or four key features plus a conclusion is a realistic target for 40 seconds.

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