PTE Core
Your future in Canada starts here
Accepted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for Canadian immigration, permanent residency and citizenship applications.
About PTE Core
PTE Core is an English test accepted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for Canadian immigration and permanent residency applications. It assesses your Speaking, Writing, Reading and Listening skills using everyday and workplace English.
The test takes about two hours and has 19 question types. Instead of an essay, the main writing task is Write Email. IRCC converts your scores in each skill to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) levels.
PTE Core is designed for immigration, not university admission. If you plan to study, choose PTE Academic.
See the exam format →Learn from real experience
Your trainer achieved a perfect 90 in every skill — Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing — in the official PTE exam, refined through more than 20 exam attempts and extensive strategy development. The same proven methods now help PTE Core students reach the CLB levels they need for Canada.
Our teaching approach
Step-by-step strategies
Simple, effective methods for each question type.
Extensive practice
Targeted exercises and exam-style questions on our practice portal.
Personalised feedback
Detailed written and voice feedback on your answers and the areas to improve.
Exam readiness
A final mock exam and performance evaluation before your test day.
PTE Core courses
Choose the learning plan that suits your needs.
Group Course
(Complete preparation)- All four skills
- Weekly live classes (1.5 hours)
- Practice materials
- Monitored practice & feedback
- Final mock exam
Private Full Course
(Complete preparation)- All four skills
- Flexible scheduling
- Personalised study plan
- Individual feedback
- Final performance evaluation
Private Skill-Focused
(Choose your skills)- Choose 1, 2 or 3 skills
- Complete training for the selected skills
- Personalised lessons
- Practice & feedback
- Final assessment
PTE Core exam format
Three parts, 19 question types, about two hours.
| Part | Question types | Types |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1: Speaking & Writing | Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence, Describe Image, Respond to a Situation, Answer Short Question, Summarize Written Text, Write Email | 7 |
| Part 2: Reading | Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks, Multiple Choice (Multiple Answers), Re-order Paragraphs, Reading: Fill in the Blanks, Multiple Choice (Single Answer) | 5 |
| Part 3: Listening | Summarize Spoken Text, Multiple Choice (Multiple Answers), Fill in the Blanks, Multiple Choice (Single Answer), Select Missing Word, Highlight Incorrect Words, Write from Dictation | 7 |
| Total | About 2 hours, taken on a computer at a Pearson test centre. Scores are reported from 10 to 90 overall and for each skill. | 19 |
Students can practise all 19 PTE Core question types with exam timers on our Student Portal.
PTE Core student results
Recent official score reports from our students, shared with their permission.
Frequently asked questions
Who should take PTE Core?
How is PTE Core different from PTE Academic?
How are PTE Core scores used for Canada?
When will I get my results?
Which course should I choose?
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