visionlanguage

21 Nov, 2025

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1. What Changed on 7 August 2025?

The exam board Pearson introduced significant updates to the PTE Academic from 7 August 2025. These include:

• Two new speaking-tasks: “Respond to a Situation” and “Summarize a Group Discussion”.
• Hybrid scoring: AI plus human review for certain tasks, especially longer responses.
• Improved detection of memorised templates and generic responses — the system now emphasises authenticity and relevance.
• While the core structure remains similar, the focus has shifted more toward real-world communicative ability than just structured templates.

2. What Do We Mean by “Templates”?

In PTE preparation, “templates” refer to pre-written or memorised response structures for tasks (especially Speaking and Writing) that a candidate uses with minimal adaptation, e.g.:

• “In my opinion, the main factor is…”
• “To begin with, firstly…”
• A fixed essay outline for every essay prompt.

  Such templates helped many test-takers in the past to structure responses quickly and meet time constraints, but they often didn’t guarantee content relevance or originality.

3. Are Templates Still Working After 7 August?

Short answer: Not as reliably as before.

Detailed explanation:

• Because human markers are now involved for tasks like essay-writing, summarizing spoken text, describe-image and the new tasks, responses that feel too generic or “templated” are more likely to be flagged.
• The updates emphasise relevance of content (did you actually answer what the prompt asked?), clarity, coherence, and natural language — not just ticking off template “slots”.
• However: Some elements of structure can still help (e.g., having a clear opening, body, conclusion in writing, or clear response strategy in speaking). The key is to use flexible structure + context-specific content, rather than rigid memorised paragraphs.
• In other words: Templates as blindly memorised scripts are risky; templates as scaffolds or frameworks for thinking are still useful — provided you customise them fully to the prompt and respond genuinely.

4. Implications for Preparation (As VLE Advises)

At Vision Language Experts, our recommendation for your PTE strategy post-August is:

✅ What to keep doing:

• Use structured frameworks (intro-body-conclusion) for essays and speaking responses, but adapt the content fully.
• Practice with full mock tests under timed conditions.
• Build your ability to think on your feet — especially for the new tasks (responding to a situation; summarizing group discussion).
• Improve listening to multi-speaker dialogues, summarizing responses, paraphrasing, critical thinking.
• Focus on language accuracy, vocabulary, coherence, pronunciation/fluency.

❌ What to change or avoid:

• Avoid memorising long templates word for word (especially for speaking tasks).
• Do not rely on “fill-in-the-blank” templates in response to any prompt — risk of being penalised for irrelevance.
• Avoid neglecting content quality in favour of speed alone — relevance now matters more.
• Don’t treat the test as just formulaic; treat it as communication of ideas in English.

5. Summary: Are Templates Dead?

No — they’re not dead, but their value has changed significantly. Before 7 August, heavy reliance on memorised responses might have carried less risk. After 7 August, because of human oversight and new tasks emphasising authenticity, templates used without adaptation and contextual thinking are likely to backfire.

At Vision Language Experts, we advise mastering flexible frameworks + adaptability + genuine content rather than rigid scripts.

6. Final Thoughts & Our Offer

If you’re preparing for PTE Academic now, you must align with the updated exam dynamics. The exam now rewards real communication, relevance and adaptability over rote responses. At Vision Language Experts, we’ve updated our training modules, mock tests and coaching materials to reflect the post-7 August format. We invite you to join our next batch and ensure your preparation is fully up to date.

If you’d like, we can provide sample speaking and writing responses that reflect the new format (with and without templates) — would you like us to include those?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vishal Kapoor

(PTE & NAATI Expert)

Vishal Kapoor is having 6+ years of expertise in instructing PTE and NAATI, both in Australia and internationally, with an impressive 100% success rate among students. As a certified expert by Pearson in PTE and NAATI, Vishal Kapoor has developed a comprehensive teaching approach derived from extensive research and a wealth of teaching experience. Tailoring coaching techniques to individual skill levels and target scores, Vishal's guidance has proven instrumental in helping numerous aspirants attain their desired scores. With a commitment to personalized tips and solutions, Vishal Kapoor is dedicated to facilitating the success of those preparing for PTE and NAATI examinations.

Introducing the AI PTE Portal , meticulously designed to closely simulate the actual PTE exam experience. Crafted by Vishal Kapoor, this innovative AI portal ensures an authentic and immersive preparation environment for PTE aspirants