PTE General (formerly known as the London Tests of English) are international English language exams for speakers of English as a foreign language (EFL).
They are developed by Pearson Language Tests, a new business unit of the Pearson group which carries out language testing and certification. Pearson administer the exams with Edexcel, one of the largest examining bodies of academic and vocational qualifications in the UK. Edexcel is a Pearson company. The exams are accredited by QCA, the Qualification and Curriculum Authority.
PTE General are theme-based exams designed to test how well a learner can communicate in authentic and realistic situations, and not on how well they remember formal vocabulary and structures. For this reason, the tests use real-life scenarios rather than grammatical exercises. They test the four skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking.
There are six levels which are mapped to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The Framework was developed by the Council of Europe to enable language learners, teachers, universities or potential employers to compare and relate language qualifications by level.
| CEFR level | PTE General | Exam time |
|---|---|---|
| C2 Proficient | Level 5 | 2h55 |
| C1 Advanced | Level 4 | 2h30 |
| B2 Upper Intermediate | Level 3 | 2h |
| B1 Intermediate | Level 2 | 1h35 |
| A2 Elementary | Level 1 | 1h30 |
| A1 Foundation | Level A1 | 1h15 |
Reading, writing, listening and speaking are tested at all levels. The alignment of the London Tests of English to the CEFR has been established by mapping the test specifications to the CEFR descriptors. This mapping process was submitted to an external audit by University of Westminster. Work is in progress to further improve the robustness of the alignment on the basis of empirical data.[1]
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PTE General were originally developed by the University of London Schools Examination Board in 1982. The Examination Board merged with Business & Technological Council (BTEC) in 1996 to become Edexcel, the largest examining body of academic and vocational in the UK.
PTE General were one of the first set of ESOL exams to apply the Notional-Functional Syllabus and Schema Theory to language testing. Schema Theory was developed by psychologists such as R.C.Anderson and Frederic Bartlett. Schemata are learned models suggesting relationships between objects and help structure future learning. (Schemata is the plural and schema is the singular form of this word.)
PTE General tasks are related through a common theme which allows candidates to activate the different domains of knowledge they have acquired and thus further enhance second language acquisition. It also provides a coherent thread for candidates to guide them through the various tasks.
The tasks can be interrelated through a common topic or a scenario where the different tasks “build” a story and integrate different language skills.
London Tests of English have been formally accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA).[2] The QCA is the British regulatory body that monitors qualifications in schools, colleges and in the workplace.
The Tests are prepared and marked by teams of professionals from Edexcel (a Pearson company) and successful candidates receive a certificate of attainment from Edexcel. In some countries (Poland, Greece) the oral interview is assessed by locally trained assessors, whereas in other countries (France, Italy) they are entirely graded in London. The exams are taken in over 45 countries around the world.
Pearson have developed an online marking system, ePEN, and a web-based test centre service system, Edexcel Online, to provide rapid feedback on the individual performance of students in the exams.
Levels 4 and 5 of the PTE General are accepted for entrance to universities in the UK and by a variety of international companies.
Test sessions are offered in May, June, November and December.