Skip to content
Practise free

5 PTE Respond to a Situation tips

You read or hear an everyday situation and respond as if you were speaking to the person involved.

Tips

  1. 1

    Work out who you're talking to

    A classmate, a manager and a customer need different tones.

  2. 2

    Acknowledge, then respond

    One sentence to show you understand, then your suggestion with a reason.

  3. 3

    Be specific

    “Let's meet on Thursday at 3” is better than “let's meet sometime”.

  4. 4

    Close politely

    End with an offer or a thank you, so your response sounds complete.

  5. 5

    Practise everyday phrases

    I understand that…, Would it be possible to…, Let me know if…

Mistakes to avoid

  • Describing the situation instead of responding to the person.
  • Using a tone that's too casual for a manager or customer.