PTE Describe Image template
You see a chart, graph, map, process or picture and describe it in detail. A clear template lets you speak without stopping.
The template
This six-sentence frame works for bar charts, line graphs, pie charts and tables. Fill each [slot] with what you see, and keep speaking at an even pace even if one slot is uncertain.
- 1The chart type illustrates topic in place between start time and end time.
- 2Overall, main trend, with top category remaining the highest throughout the period.
- 3Top category reached a peak of highest figure in time.
- 4By contrast, lowest category accounted for only lowest figure.
- 5Meanwhile, another category rose / fell / fluctuated from figure to figure.
- 6In conclusion, the chart type shows that overall implication.
Worked example
A line graph titled “Average daily bicycle trips in a city centre, 2016–2024”, with three lines: commuters (from 4,000 to 9,500), students (between 2,000 and 3,000) and tourists (from 1,500 down to 800).
The line graph illustrates average daily bicycle trips in a city centre between 2016 and 2024. Overall, cycling increased considerably, with commuters remaining the highest group throughout the period. Commuter trips reached a peak of about nine and a half thousand in 2024. By contrast, tourists accounted for only around eight hundred trips by the end of the period. Meanwhile, student trips fluctuated between two and three thousand. In conclusion, the line graph shows that cycling in the city centre is driven mainly by people travelling to work.
Why it works
- Oral fluency and pronunciation make up most of the Describe Image score, so a smooth, confident delivery beats a hesitant one that mentions every number.
- The frame always covers the content points examiners look for: what the image shows, the overall trend, the highest, the lowest and a conclusion.
- Rounded figures such as “about nine and a half thousand” are acceptable and keep you from pausing to read exact decimals.
Try the template on a real-style question
Answer a Describe Image card and get an instant estimated score.