Describe Image is the third question type in the Speaking and Writing part of PTE Core. You see a picture, usually a chart, map, process diagram or photo, study it for 25 seconds, then describe it for 40 seconds after a short tone. A test has 3 or 4 of them, and they count toward your Speaking score. This guide explains how the answer is scored, a structure that fits 40 seconds, and a model answer.

The example and model answer below are original and written for this independent practice site. They are not official Pearson material.

How it works on screen

1. The image appears with a countdown. You have 25 seconds to study it and plan.
2. A short tone plays and the microphone opens. Start speaking straight away.
3. You have up to 40 seconds. A progress bar shows the recording.
4. If you don’t start within 3 seconds, or you stop for 3 seconds, the recording ends. You can’t record again.

How it’s scored

Two points from Pearson’s Score Guide are worth knowing:

• Top Content marks need more than a list. A 5 covers all the elements, the relationships between them, and a development, conclusion or implication.
• A memorized template scores zero for Content, and a zero in Content means no points for the response. Fixed phrases like “This image shows” are fine; a whole prepared speech that could fit any picture is not.

Pronunciation and fluency are scored alongside Content, so a steady answer with a small slip is better than a perfect sentence followed by a long pause.

A structure that fits 40 seconds

1. Overview (one sentence). Say what the image is and what it’s about. “This bar chart shows…”
2. Key details (two or three sentences). Give the highest and lowest values, or the main steps, with real numbers or labels from the image.
3. Comparison or trend (one sentence). How do the parts relate? What changes?
4. Conclusion (one sentence). What does it suggest overall? “Overall, this suggests…”

Use your 25 seconds to find these four things, not to write full sentences.

Practice image

Picture this bar chart. Its title is “Bike-share trips in Riverside by season, 2025 (thousands)”, and it has four bars:

Model answer

About 35 seconds at a steady pace:

This bar chart shows how many bike-share trips people took in Riverside in each season of 2025. Summer was by far the busiest season, with about 95 thousand trips. Autumn came second with 61 thousand, followed by spring with 48 thousand. Winter was much quieter, with just 12 thousand trips, which is only about an eighth of the summer figure. Overall, the chart suggests that the weather has a strong effect on how often people use the bikes, so the city might need fewer bikes on the streets in winter.

Why it works

• It opens with an overview that names the chart type and topic.
• It uses real numbers for the highest and lowest values and orders the rest.
• It compares winter with summer instead of only listing figures.
• It ends with an implication, which is what separates the top Content band from a plain list.

Tips for other image types

• Line graphs: describe the overall trend, the peak and the lowest point, and any sudden change.
• Pie charts: start with the largest share and the smallest; group the middle ones.
• Maps and floor plans: pick a starting point (the entrance, the north side) and move in one direction.
• Process diagrams: count the steps, then use sequence words: first, next, after that, finally.
• Photos: say where it is, who or what is in it, what is happening and how it might feel.

Test yourself

Keep practising

Describe Image counts only for Speaking, and CLB 7 needs a Speaking score of 68 (see the PTE Core score chart). For the other speaking tasks, read the Repeat Sentence and Read Aloud tips, or see the whole format in the PTE Core test guide.