PTE Respond to a Situation 2026 | New Method (No Template), by Language Academy PTE on YouTube. 19 min 22 s.
- Video length
- 19 min 22 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Read the situation prompt in the 10 seconds you get. Pick out three things: who is speaking, what the situation is, and the right tone, formal or informal.
Start with a greeting in the correct tone. Say Hi or Good morning, then add one friendly line that fits the situation.
Move into the main point with a line like Today I want to talk about. Keep it natural and use your own words.
Add two or three sentences that use details from the prompt, such as names, times or places. This is what earns Content marks.
Close by saying what you need next, thank the listener and stop. Do not add extra filler after the close.
Aim to speak for 30 to 35 of the 40 seconds. A 15 to 20 second answer loses Content marks.
Record yourself on a practice prompt and listen back. Check that you covered the who, the what and the tone.
Repeat with the six sample situations, such as the drama club party, the interview with Ms Harrison and the dorm noise complaint.
Tips and common mistakes
A fixed structure is fine, but a memorised script is not. Pearson treats pre-prepared material as irrelevant and a human reviews Content.
If your Content score is 0, the whole answer scores 0, so always include details from the prompt.
Speak at a steady pace and avoid long pauses, since Oral Fluency is scored along with Pronunciation.
In PTE Core you get 20 seconds to prepare instead of 10, so use the extra time to note the who, what and tone.
Questions
How long should I speak in Respond to a Situation?
Aim for 30 to 35 of the 40 seconds you get. Stopping cleanly at 33 to 35 seconds is fine, but stopping at 15 to 20 seconds costs Content marks.
Can I use a template for this task?
A fixed structure like greet, address, close is fine. A memorised script is not, because Pearson treats pre-prepared material as irrelevant and a human reviews Content.
How many of these questions are in the test?
Expect 2 to 3 questions. It is the last Speaking question type, just before Summarize Written Text.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
