PTE Academic, Speaking and writing
PTE Respond to a Situation
You read or hear an everyday situation and respond as if you were speaking to the person involved.
Format and scoring
| Skill | Speaking |
|---|---|
| Preparation | 20 seconds |
| Response time | Up to 40 seconds |
| How it's scored | Scored on appropriacy, oral fluency and pronunciation. |
| Weight (estimate) | About 6% of your speaking score |
How to answer Respond to a Situation
- 1Work out who you're talking to and what they need.
- 2Greet them and acknowledge the situation.
- 3Give your response or suggestion with a reason.
- 4Close politely.
Respond to a Situation template
- 1Hi name or role, I understand that the situation.
- 2I think the best thing to do would be to your suggestion.
- 3That way, the benefit or reason.
- 4Please let me know if a polite closing offer. Thanks!
Common mistakes
- Describing the situation instead of responding to the person.
- Using a tone that's too casual for a manager or customer.
Sample question
Group member missing a deadline
You are working on a group assignment that is due this Friday. One member of your group, Sam, has not completed his section and has not replied to any messages for three days. You see Sam in the student café. What would you say to him?
Listen to and read a description of a situation. You will have 20 seconds to think about your answer. Then you will hear a beep. You will have 40 seconds to answer the question. Please answer as completely as you can.
Show a model answer (90 / 90)
Hi Sam, it's good to see you. I hope everything's all right, because we haven't heard from you for a few days and we were starting to worry. I just wanted to remind you that our assignment is due on Friday, and we still need your section to finish the final report. If you're having a difficult week, that's completely understandable, so perhaps we could share your part between us, or I could help you with the research this afternoon. Could you let us know by this evening which option works best for you?