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PTE Home B1 practice test

PTE Home B1 is the Pearson test for settlement in the UK and for British citizenship. It is the only level with four task types: as well as repeating sentences and describing pictures, you retell stories and answer questions about short announcements. The sentences are the longest of the three levels, often with two ideas joined together, and the result is a pass or a fail.

Length
Up to 30 minutes
Skills
Speaking and listening
Taken
Alone, on a computer
Result
Pass or fail

Used for settlement (indefinite leave to remain) and British citizenship.

Free practice tests

What is in the test

  1. Repeat sentence · 17 questions

    A longer sentence, often with two parts, is played once. Repeat all of it, including the second half.

  2. Describe image · 4 or 5 questions

    After 25 seconds with a picture, describe it, and add what you think is happening and why.

  3. Retell story · 4 or 5 questions

    You hear a story once. Then you retell it in your own words in 30 seconds.

  4. Story: listen and answer · 4 or 5 questions

    You hear a short story or announcement, then three questions about it. You give a short spoken answer to each.

How to prepare

  • Split long sentences into two halves. B1 sentences often have two parts joined by "because", "although" or "if". Hold each half as one idea.
  • Retell in order, with linking words. "First... then... in the end..." keeps a 30-second retelling clear, even if you miss a detail.
  • Give short answers to story questions. "In September" or "at the post office" is enough. You do not need a full sentence.
  • Add one opinion to a picture. After saying what you see, add what you think is happening or why. This shows B1 language.
  • Do not go back. If you make a mistake, carry on. The computer scores fluency as well as content.

For each task in detail, with examples, common mistakes and a one-week plan, see our PTE Home B1 tips.

Worked example: listen and answer at B1

An announcement written for this page in the style of the B1 task, with its three questions and how to catch each answer.

  1. What you hear

    "The health centre on Park Road is changing its opening hours. From the first of March it will open at eight instead of nine on weekdays, and it will stay open until seven on Thursday evenings. Appointments can still be booked by phone, but repeat prescriptions must now be ordered online."

  2. Question 1: When do the new hours start?

    From the first of March. The date comes early, before the details, so catch it before the times start arriving.

  3. Question 2: Which evening does the centre stay open late?

    Thursday. The question changes the words: stay open until seven becomes open late. Expect the question to use different words from the recording, and listen for the meaning.

  4. Question 3: How must people order repeat prescriptions now?

    Online. The word but signals the change. Phone is the trap here: it is still used, but only for appointments.

Common mistakes at B1

B1 sentences join two ideas, so most mistakes at this level happen at the join or in the second half.

  • Not: Although it was raining, but we walked to the station.

    Better: Although it was raining, we walked to the station.

    Although and but do the same job, so use only one. The recording will only have one, and adding the other changes the sentence you repeat.

  • Not: He told me that he has paid the bill.

    Better: He told me that he had already paid the bill.

    After told me, the verb usually moves one tense back. Listen for had, and for small words like already that are easy to drop.

  • Not: If I would have more time, I would learn another language.

    Better: If I had more time, I would learn another language.

    Would belongs in one half of the sentence only. The if half uses the past form.

  • Not: The price of food has went up.

    Better: The price of food has gone up.

    After has and have, use the third form of the verb: gone, not went; taken, not took.

  • Not: There is a car. There is a bike. There is a shop.

    Better: A car is waiting at the lights while a cyclist rides past a shop.

    A list of things sounds like A1. At B1, join ideas with while, because and so, and finish with what you think is going on.

  • Not: A retelling that stops at the problem.

    Better: A retelling that reaches how the problem was solved.

    With only 30 seconds, the ending matters more than the middle details. Plan to reach it by the twentieth second.

Sample B1 retelling, explained

The story you hear, written for this page: "When Grace moved to a new town, she did not know anyone. She saw a poster for a walking group and went along one Sunday, although she was nervous. The other walkers were friendly, and one of them told her about a job at the local school. Grace applied, and she now works there and leads the walking group herself."

Grace moved to a new town where she did not know anyone. She was nervous, but she joined a walking group on a Sunday. The people were friendly, and one of them told her about a job at a school. She applied and got the job, and now she even leads the group.

Why it works

  • It keeps the story's order: the move, the group, the job, the ending.
  • It reuses the key nouns from the recording, walking group, job and school, but builds its own sentences around them.
  • But, and and now join the events, so it sounds like one story rather than a list of facts.
  • At about 55 words it takes a little under 30 seconds at a steady pace.
  • It leaves out the poster. Dropping a small detail is better than running out of time before the ending.

Questions

Who needs PTE Home B1?
Pearson lists it for settlement (indefinite leave to remain) and British citizenship, which both need speaking and listening at level B1. For settlement applications made on or after 26 March 2027, the Immigration Rules raise the level on most routes to B2. GOV.UK lists who is exempt, including people aged 65 or over and nationals of some majority English-speaking countries.
How long do I get to retell a story at B1?
Pearson gives 30 seconds. That is enough for four or five short sentences, so practise reaching the ending inside that time.
How many questions follow each B1 story?
Three, each answered out loud. Short answers are enough, so listen for facts such as days, places and reasons rather than trying to remember every sentence.
Is B1 much harder than A2?
The language is a step up: longer sentences, past and future in the same story, and reasons as well as facts. There is also one more task type, listen and answer, which tests whether you caught specific details.

Other levels and tests

Official sources

TestWise Prep is independent and is not connected to Pearson. PTE and PTE Home are trademarks of Pearson. Test format checked against Pearson's pages on 10 October 2026; every practice question here is our own.