Choosing a test type and level

Reference table of available levels and formats

Choosing a test type

Digital or Paper

PTE is available as either a digital or a paper test. 

Please note that any SEND accommodation requirements might affect our recommendation for which format of the test you take. See Testing SEND and EAL students for more details.

Digital

PTE is currently available as a digital test for levels 7-15 for both Form A and Form B, as well as Level 11T for Form A. 

The digital format is taken on our Testwise platform and all instructions and questions are fully incorporated into the digital test. 

Digital PTM tests can be taken on a laptop or PC, but are not currently available on tablets. 

NOTE: Level 15 is standardised for international schools only and is not recommended for use in the UK.

Paper

PTE is also available as a paper test for: 

  • Levels 5-14 + Level 11T (Form A) 
  • Levels 7-11 (Form B) 

This currently means that you can test twice a year with paper for Year Groups 1-6 (UK) if you would like to. 

Student booklets are accompanied by an 'At a Glance Guide' which contains all instructions necessary for the teacher or test administrator. 

Form A or Form B

There are two sets of tests available for PTE, Form A and Form B. They are based on the same standardisation and test the same skills at the appropriate ages, but contain different questions with different phrasings and specific scenarios. This means that, for most levels, there are two tests available to choose from. 

Please see the reference table at the top of the page for the available levels in each form and format. 

Annual administration

If you would like to administer the test once a year, you can choose either of the forms to administer. We strongly recommend that you do not randomly assign different forms to different students within the same cohort, but that you pick either Form A or Form B to administer to the entire cohort. 

Testing twice a year

You can use both forms to test twice in the year if you would like to measure a student's baseline at the start of the year, progress or effectiveness of intervention during the year, or retention of knowledge over the school break. 

We recommend testing in the first and third terms of the academic year (UK Autumn term and Spring/Summer term) as these are closest to the original standardisation window. 

IMPORTANT: If you are testing in the first term of the year you MUST use the level for the year below. For example, if you are testing at the beginning of UK Year 5, you will test with Level 9 in the first term of the year, and then with Level 10 in the third term. This is because students will not have learned all of the content covered in the Level 10 test in the first term of the year. 

This is still the same if you are wanting to measure in-year progress: the SAS scores and statistical analysis will allow you to compare a student's progress over the year even though they have taken two different levels of test. 

The table below demonstrates how this schedule works: 

This example shows the use of Form A (but the level below) at the beginning of the academic year, with Form B (of the correct age level) used for the end of the year. You can however use the forms in either order, as long as you remain consistent with your schedule and do not use the same form for the same students more than once. 

Choosing a test level

Please refer to the tables below to see the target year groups and age range covered for each test level. 

UK - Test level age guide

PTE Level Start of school year PTE Level End of school year Year Group (England and Wales) Year Group (Northern Ireland) Age of Year Group Key Stage (England and Wales) Key Stage (Northern Ireland)
             
Level 5 Reception Year 1 4 - 5 Early Years KS1
Level 5 Level 6 Year 1 Year 2 5 - 6 KS1 KS1
Level 6 Level 7 Year 2 Year 3 6 - 7 KS1 KS1
Level 7 Level 8 Year 3 Year 4 7 - 8 KS2 KS1
Level 8 Level 9 Year 4 Year 5 8 - 9 KS2 KS2
Level 9 Level 10 Year 5 Year 6 9 - 10 KS2 KS2
Level 10 Level 11 Year 6 Year 7 10 - 11 KS2 KS2
Level 11T Level 12 Year 7 Year 8 11 - 12 KS3 KS3
Level 12 Level 13 Year 8 Year 9 12 - 13 KS3 KS3
Level 13 Level 14 Year 9 Year 10 13 - 14 KS3 KS3
Level 14 Level 15* Year 10 Year 11 14 - 15 KS4 KS4

*Standardised with students in international schools

International - Test level age guide

Year (UK) Grade (US) Grade (Indian) IB Programme Age of Year Group PTE level
2 1st 1st 1st PYP 6 - 7 7
3 2nd 2nd 2nd PYP 7 - 8 8
4 3rd 3rd 3rd PYP 8 - 9 9
5 4th 4th 4th PYP 9 -10 10
6 5th 5th 5th PYP 10 - 11 11
7 6th 6th 6th PYP 11 - 12 11T*/12
8 7th 7th 7th PYP 12 - 13 13
9 8th 8th 8th PYP 13 - 14 14
10 9th 9th 9th PYP 14 - 15 15

*Level 11T should be administered at the beginning of the academic year with new Year 7/Grade 6 cohorts as a baseline assessment. PLEASE NOTE: Level 11T is not available in the UAE.