What PTE Home is and which level your route needs
PTE Home is Pearson's speaking and listening SELT for UK visas: a single computer-based test of around 30 minutes with a pass or fail result, results usually within 48 hours, valid for two years and accepted by the Home Office in the UK and in more than 115 countries, per Pearson's PTE Home page read on 21 October 2026. Per the PTE Home Test Taker Handbook (November 2025), it "assesses the skills of Listening and Speaking" and "is a pass-fail test, taken in a secure and friendly test environment by those who need to provide proof to UK Visas and Immigration that their English language proficiency meets the Common European Framework of Reference at Levels A1, A2, and B1." There is no examiner in the room. You wear a headset, the computer plays the questions and records your answers, and other candidates are speaking around you. It suits people who freeze in front of a stranger and want a fast result; it does not suit people who have never spoken into a microphone, unless they practise first, which is what the second half of this page is for.
| Test | Pearson lists it for | Route in GOV.UK terms |
|---|---|---|
| PTE Home A1 | "Spouse or Partner visa (first-time applicants)", "Parent of a child in the UK visa (first-time applicants)", Representative of an Overseas Business, Sportsperson | First partner or parent application on the family route, plus the two A1 work routes |
| PTE Home A2 | "Spouse or Partner visa extension", "Parent of a child in the UK visa extension" | Family route extension after 2.5 years |
| PTE Home B1 | "Settlement (indefinite leave to remain)", "Citizenship" | Settlement and naturalisation (B2 speaking and listening for most settlement routes from 26 March 2027) |
PTE Home is not for Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Student or the other four-skills routes; those need PTE Academic UKVI, which is a different test with a different fee. The which test do I need page has the full route matrix, and the comparison table at the end of this page sets PTE Home against PTE Academic UKVI and the other SELTs.
The format item by item: A1, A2 and B1 compared
Pearson publishes the item types and counts on the three level pages, and they differ by level. Here they are side by side.
| Item type (Pearson's name) | PTE Home A1 | PTE Home A2 | PTE Home B1 | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repeat Sentence | 22 questions | 22 or 23 questions | 17 questions | "You will hear a short sentence. You will need to repeat the sentence exactly as you heard it." |
| Describe Image | 5 questions | 4 or 5 questions | 4 or 5 questions | "You have 25 seconds to study the image and prepare your response", then you describe it. |
| Conversation: Listen and Answer | 5 questions | Listed under this heading, but described as a story retell: "After listening to a story, you will be asked to retell it in your own words." No count given. | Not listed | A1: "You will hear a short conversation and then a question about the conversation." |
| Retell Story | Not listed | Not listed as a separate heading (see the row above) | Listed: "retell the story in your own words in 30 seconds" | Listen once, then speak. |
| Story: Listen and Answer | Not listed | Not listed | 4 or 5 items, each a story followed by 3 questions | Listen to a story, then answer three spoken questions about it. |
| Stated length | "a single 30-minute computer-based test" | "just 25 minutes" | "22-minute test" | Handbook: "PTE Home lasts no longer than 30 minutes." |
Three things follow from the table. First, at A1 and A2 roughly two thirds of the items are Repeat Sentence, so short-term memory for a spoken sentence is the skill that decides the result, not vocabulary. Second, B1 shifts the weight to listening comprehension: you hear a story once and must either retell it or answer three questions about it, and the handbook says "You will not be able to replay the video/audio clips during the test." Third, the handbook adds that "You will hear international English speakers with a variety of accents", so do not practise with one voice only.
- Speaking and listening only; no reading, no writing, no examiner, no partner candidate.
- Around 30 minutes, no scheduled breaks; the clock does not stop if you ask for one.
- Pass or fail at the level booked; results usually within 48 hours, up to 5 days.
- SELT URN on the score report; valid two years from the test date.
- Fee set per country; shown in the price finder, not on the page.
Test day: the room, the headset and the rules that cost people the fee
The handbook is specific and the rules are enforced. "You must arrive at least 30 minutes before your test and sign in at the test center reception. If you arrive late you will not be allowed to take the test and you will lose your test fee." You then agree to the Test Taker Agreement, the administrator checks your ID and "take[s] your palm vein scan and signature", and everything personal goes into a locker. Phones, watches, wallets, hats, coats and notes are not allowed in the room. Video and audio are recorded throughout.
ID that is accepted
Per the handbook, "you must bring one of the following documents to take PTE Home: Passport; Government ID card (only accepted in the issuing country); Valid travel document (excluding Emergency Travel Documents)." The name, date of birth, citizenship and gender "must exactly match the details in your test booking", and "Digital IDs are not accepted. In some countries, a passport is the only acceptable form of ID." Enter every middle name when you register; the handbook says that if your details are incorrect "you will not be allowed to sit the test."
At the computer
- You are given "a computer with headphones and built-in microphone" and "an erasable whiteboard and two pens". You may not write on the board until the test starts.
- "The test will guide you through an equipment check to make sure your headphones and microphone are working correctly." If anything is wrong, raise your hand at once.
- "There will be other test takers in the same room, and they will be speaking at the same time as you, so we recommend that you keep your headset on during the entire test."
- "You are advised to speak at a conversational level when talking. You do not need to raise your voice."
- "You cannot go back to previous questions to amend your answers."
- "You are not allowed to leave the test before it finishes. Doing so will mean you lose your test fee and your scores will not be provided."
Our view, labelled as such
The two habits that lose PTE Home passes have nothing to do with English. One is whispering because the room is full of strangers; the microphone needs a normal speaking voice. The other is stopping mid-sentence when a neighbour starts talking. Practise with background noise on: a radio in the next room, or a family member reading aloud nearby, while you record your answers.
Repeat Sentence: 16 practice sentences and the technique
Everything in this section and the two that follow was written by TalkDrill. These are not Pearson's items; Pearson's own video guides at pearsonpte.com show the real screens. The task is to repeat a sentence "exactly as you heard it". The technique that works is to listen for meaning, not for words: hear the sentence as a small picture, then say the picture. Candidates who try to memorise word by word lose the end of the sentence. If you miss a word, keep going; a fluent sentence with one slip beats a silence.
A1 and A2 length (8 to 11 words)
- The bus to the town centre leaves at half past eight.
- My daughter's school is next to the big supermarket.
- Please bring your passport and the letter from the council.
- We usually visit my husband's parents on Sunday afternoon.
- The doctor's surgery is closed on Wednesday afternoons.
- I bought a winter coat and two pairs of gloves yesterday.
- Can you tell me where the nearest post office is?
- It was very cold this morning, so we stayed at home.
B1 length (12 to 16 words)
- If the train is delayed again tomorrow, I will have to take the earlier bus.
- The landlord has agreed to repair the heating before the end of the month.
- Most of the parents at the meeting wanted the school to start ten minutes later.
- She has been working at the care home since she moved to Leicester in 2023.
- You should book an appointment with the pharmacist before you order the new medicine.
- Although the flat is small, it is close to the station and the rent is reasonable.
- The council sent a letter asking us to put the bins out on Tuesday instead of Monday.
- He would rather work the night shift because the buses are quieter and he can study in the day.
How to drill them: have someone read each sentence once at normal speed, or record them in your own voice and play them back, then repeat immediately and record your repeat. Compare. TalkDrill's read-aloud mode scores the words you dropped and the sounds that drifted, which is the closest thing to the machine's ear you can get before test day. Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi speakers should watch the v and w sounds in sentences 2, 4 and 12; the v and w drill takes five minutes.
Describe Image: 6 practice images with A1 and B1 model answers
You get 25 seconds to study the image, then you describe it. Pearson's video guides show the real screens; practise with everyday scenes and simple charts. Use the 25 seconds to find three things: where it is, who or what is in it, and what is happening. Then speak in that order. At A1 three short sentences is enough. At B1 add a comparison or a guess ("it looks like", "probably because"). Since we cannot show you images here, each row describes the picture in words; practise by finding a similar photo on your phone and timing yourself.
| # | The image (described) | A1 model answer | B1 model answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A kitchen. A woman is cooking at the stove. A boy is sitting at the table with a book. There is a window with rain outside. | This is a kitchen. A woman is cooking. A boy is reading at the table. It's raining outside. | This is a family kitchen, probably in the evening. A woman is cooking at the stove while a boy, maybe her son, does his homework at the table. It's raining outside, so it looks like a normal school night at home. |
| 2 | A bus stop. Four people are waiting. One man is looking at his phone. An older woman has shopping bags. A bus is coming. | This is a bus stop. Four people are waiting. A man is looking at his phone. The bus is coming. | Four people are waiting at a bus stop in a town. One man is checking his phone, and an older woman has two heavy shopping bags, so she has probably been to the supermarket. The bus is just arriving, which is why nobody looks worried. |
| 3 | A doctor's surgery reception. A receptionist behind a desk. A mother with a small child. A sign says "Please wait to be called". | This is a doctor's surgery. A woman is at the desk. A mother is with a small child. There is a sign. | This is the reception at a GP surgery. A receptionist is behind the desk and a mother is checking in with her small child, who seems unwell. The sign asks people to wait to be called, so they will sit down next. |
| 4 | A park in autumn. Children on swings. A man walking a dog. Leaves on the ground. | This is a park. Children are playing on the swings. A man is walking his dog. There are leaves on the ground. | This is a park in autumn, because the leaves are orange and on the ground. Two children are on the swings and a man is walking a small dog along the path. It looks like a weekend afternoon, cold but sunny. |
| 5 | A simple bar chart: "How people travel to work": car 50, bus 30, walk 15, bike 5. | This chart is about travel to work. Most people go by car. Thirty people take the bus. Few people cycle. | The chart shows how people travel to work. Half of them, fifty, drive, and thirty take the bus. Fifteen walk and only five cycle, so cycling is the least common choice by a long way. |
| 6 | A market stall with fruit and vegetables. A seller weighing tomatoes. A customer paying with coins. A price sign "Tomatoes 2 pounds a kilo". | This is a market. A man is selling fruit and vegetables. A woman is buying tomatoes. They cost two pounds a kilo. | This is a market stall selling fruit and vegetables. The seller is weighing tomatoes for a customer who is paying in cash, and the sign says they cost two pounds a kilo, which is cheaper than most supermarkets. It's probably a Saturday morning market. |
Keep talking until the recording stops. The machine cannot score what you did not say. If you run out of things to describe, say what you think will happen next.
Retell Story and Listen and Answer: 4 stories, 12 questions, 4 conversations
At A2 and B1 you hear a short story once and then retell it in your own words (Pearson's B1 page gives 30 seconds for this; the A2 page gives no time), and at B1 you also answer three spoken questions about other stories. At A1 you hear a short conversation and one question. The skill is the same: catch who, what, when and why, in order. Have someone read each story aloud once, at natural speed, then cover the text. Record your retell, then answer the three questions. Model answers follow each story.
Story 1 (A2 and B1): the late bus
Amina usually takes the number 6 bus to work at seven o'clock. On Monday the bus did not come because of roadworks on the main road. She waited twenty minutes, then she phoned her manager and walked to the station. She caught a train and arrived at work at eight fifteen. Her manager said it was fine and gave her a cup of tea.
Model retell (B1, 30 seconds): Amina normally gets the number 6 bus at seven. On Monday it didn't come because of roadworks, so after waiting twenty minutes she rang her manager and walked to the station instead. She took a train and got to work at quarter past eight, and her manager was understanding and made her a tea.
Questions and answers: 1. Why didn't the bus come? Because of roadworks on the main road. 2. How did Amina get to work in the end? She walked to the station and took a train. 3. What time did she arrive? At eight fifteen.
Story 2 (A2 and B1): the pharmacy
Daniel went to the pharmacy to collect his father's medicine. The pharmacist said the prescription was not ready because the doctor had not signed it. Daniel called the surgery, and the receptionist promised to send it by the afternoon. He went back at four o'clock and collected the medicine. The pharmacist also gave him a leaflet about a free flu vaccine.
Model retell (B1): Daniel went to collect his father's medicine, but the prescription wasn't ready because the doctor hadn't signed it. He phoned the surgery, they said they'd send it that afternoon, and when he returned at four it was there. The pharmacist also handed him a leaflet about a free flu jab.
Questions and answers: 1. Why was the prescription not ready? The doctor had not signed it. 2. When did Daniel go back? At four o'clock. 3. What else did the pharmacist give him? A leaflet about a free flu vaccine.
Story 3 (B1): the parents' evening
Grace went to her son's parents' evening on Thursday. The maths teacher said he was doing well but talked too much in class. The English teacher said his reading had improved a lot since September because he now borrowed books from the library every week. Grace decided to take him to the library on Saturdays and to limit his games to one hour on school nights.
Model retell: Grace attended her son's parents' evening on Thursday. The maths teacher was pleased with his work but said he chatted too much, while the English teacher said his reading had improved a great deal because he borrows library books weekly. Grace decided to keep up the Saturday library visits and cut his gaming to an hour on school nights.
Questions and answers: 1. What problem did the maths teacher mention? He talks too much in class. 2. Why had his reading improved? Because he borrows books from the library every week. 3. What two things did Grace decide? To take him to the library on Saturdays and to limit games to one hour on school nights.
Story 4 (B1): the new flat
Hassan and his wife moved to a new flat in March. It is smaller than their old one, but it is on the ground floor, which is better for his wife's knee. The rent is fifty pounds a month higher. Hassan says the extra money is worth it because they no longer need a taxi to the shops; the supermarket is two minutes away. Their neighbour, a retired nurse, helped them carry the boxes.
Model retell: Hassan and his wife moved into a smaller ground-floor flat in March, which suits his wife's bad knee. It costs fifty pounds more a month, but he thinks it's worth it because the supermarket is two minutes away and they've stopped paying for taxis. A neighbour who used to be a nurse helped them move in.
Questions and answers: 1. Why is the ground floor better? Because of his wife's knee. 2. How much more is the rent? Fifty pounds a month. 3. Who helped them move? Their neighbour, a retired nurse.
Four A1 conversations with one question each
| # | You hear | Question | Model answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Woman: "What time does the shop close today?" Man: "At six, but on Sundays it closes at four." | What time does the shop close on Sundays? | It closes at four o'clock on Sundays. |
| 2 | Man: "Is the doctor free on Tuesday?" Receptionist: "Not Tuesday. I have Wednesday at ten or Friday at two." | Which days are available? | Wednesday at ten and Friday at two. |
| 3 | Boy: "Mum, can we go to the park?" Mother: "After lunch. It's raining now." | When will they go to the park? | After lunch, when the rain stops. |
| 4 | Customer: "How much are the apples?" Seller: "One pound fifty a kilo, or two kilos for two pounds fifty." | How much do two kilos cost? | Two pounds fifty. |
More listening-first items are in our 150-question practice bank, and the English listening practice quiz gives you one new short conversation a day.
Scoring, results, the SELT URN and retakes
Per Pearson's PTE Home scoring page, "All PTE tests, including PTE Home tests, are scored by a computer using state-of-the-art scoring technology" and "With PTE Home tests, you receive a pass or fail result." The handbook describes the process as "a blend of responsible AI and expert human scorers". There is no band and no sub-score; the score report says pass or fail at the level you booked.
| Step | What Pearson states | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Result timing | "Results typically in 48 hours"; "Scores are typically available within 48 hours, but may take up to 5 days"; "We aim to provide results within five business days" | Scoring page; handbook |
| Where you see it | Sign in to myPTE, "My Activity", "View Score"; download as PDF | Handbook |
| What UKVI checks | "Your Score Report will contain a SELT Unique Reference Number (URN) which you can provide to the UK Home Office so that they can securely verify your result"; "We do not verify or authorize any printed Score Reports" | Scoring page; handbook |
| Sharing | "PTE Home test results are securely and automatically shared with the UK Home Office" | PTE Home A1 page |
| Validity | "Your Score Report is valid for two years from the date you take your test" | Handbook; matches the GOV.UK two-year rule |
| Retakes | Book a new test only after the last score is released; one booking at a time; up to 12 tests in 12 months; no free retake | Handbook retake policy |
| Challenging a result | A paid rescore, "scored entirely by a human expert", may go up or down; a technical review checks the audio but does not change the score | Handbook |
Put the URN, not a photo of the report, on the visa form. For how the URN system works across all five providers and what happens if a certificate is withdrawn, see results, certificates and validity.
Fees, booking, rescheduling and ID
Fee. Pearson does not print a figure. The PTE Home page says "The cost of a PTE Home test depends on which country you take your test in. It may also be subject to taxes." The price finder on the page, and the booking screen in myPTE, show the local amount. Any fee you see on a third-party site is that site's figure, not Pearson's.
Booking. Per the handbook: choose the PTE Home level, the centre and the date on pearsonpte.com, create a myPTE account with your name exactly as on your ID, including middle names, and pay in full in the stated currency. Pearson's A1 page says "Available in 500+ test centers globally" and the PTE Home page "Test centers in over 115 countries". Tests can be booked up to six months ahead.
Rescheduling and cancelling. The handbook is exact: "You can reschedule your test for free if there are more than 14 full calendar days left before your test. The maximum number of times you can reschedule a single test appointment is 6." With 14 days or less you cannot reschedule; you must cancel and rebook. Cancellation refunds: "at least 14 full calendar days before your test, you will receive a full refund"; "between 13 and 8 full calendar days before your test, you will receive a 50% refund"; "No refunds will be provided if there are fewer than 7 calendar days left." Illness or a family emergency may be considered on the emergency reschedule form with evidence, at Pearson's discretion.
Special requirements. Because the test is "computer-delivered and computer-scored", accommodations are limited and must be requested before booking; the handbook asks for the form "at least six weeks before your chosen test". A hand injury that prevents the palm vein scan must be reported before booking or you will be turned away and lose the fee.
Country-by-country centre lists and the other providers' fees are on our fees, booking and centres page.
PTE Home vs PTE Academic UKVI and the other SELTs
| Test | Skills | Who you speak to | Length (official) | Result | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PTE Home A1, A2, B1 | Speaking and listening | A computer, headset microphone | Around 30 minutes | Pass or fail, usually within 48 hours | UK and 115+ countries |
| PTE Academic UKVI | Four skills | A computer | Longer than PTE Home; see Pearson's PTE Academic UKVI page | Scores per skill, used for four-skills work and study routes | UK and worldwide |
| Trinity GESE (UK only) | Speaking and listening | An examiner, by video link at a Trinity centre | 6, 7 or 10 minutes by grade | Pass at the grade; provisional by 9am next day | UK only |
| IELTS Life Skills | Speaking and listening | An examiner and one other test taker | Around 20 minutes (ielts.org) | Pass or fail; timing not stated | UK and worldwide |
| LanguageCert ESOL SELT | Speaking and listening | A live examiner on a computer-based test | 8 to 13 minutes by level | Pass at 60 out of 100; provisional in minutes, official in 3 working days | UK and 120+ countries |
| Skills for English UKVI | Speaking and listening (or four skills) | A computer, no examiner | 30, 35 or 50 minutes by level | Pass at the level; as little as 3 to 5 days | Outside the UK only |
If you are choosing between PTE Home and PTE Academic UKVI, the route decides it, not preference: speaking-and-listening routes take PTE Home, four-skills routes take PTE Academic UKVI. If you are choosing between PTE Home and a human-examiner test at the same level, ask yourself which makes you freeze: a stranger's face or a microphone. Our comparison of the two machine-scored tests is on the LanguageCert and Skills for English page, and the broader PTE and IELTS comparison is in PTE vs IELTS: which is easier.
How to practise for PTE Home in two weeks
- Day 1: watch Pearson's free video guides for your level (linked from the PTE Home page) so the screens are familiar, and do the free one-hour online course the handbook mentions.
- Days 2 to 5: Repeat Sentence, ten minutes a day. Eight sentences from this page, recorded and compared, then the same again with the radio on in the next room. Use read-aloud mode for a word-by-word check.
- Days 6 to 8: Describe Image. Six photos from your own phone, 25 seconds to look, then talk until a timer stops you at 40 seconds. Place, people, action, guess.
- Days 9 to 11: Retell Story and Listen and Answer. The four stories above, read to you once by someone else, then four new ones they invent. For B1, answer in full sentences.
- Days 12 to 13: a full 30-minute mock in one sitting, headset on, no pauses: 17 to 22 sentences, 5 images, 4 stories. Then a conversation session in TalkDrill's AI mock interview to loosen up, because a week of repeating sentences makes people stiff.
- Day 14: check the booking level, the name on the account against the passport, the journey, and arrive 30 minutes early.
The 14-day roadmap has the same plan alongside the Trinity and IELTS versions, and the UK visa English test hub carries the route matrix and the 26 March 2027 change strip. Official sources for this page: Pearson's PTE Home page, the A1, A2 and B1 pages, the scoring page, the PTE Home Test Taker Handbook (November 2025, linked from Pearson's test taker handbook page) and the GOV.UK SELT guidance.