PTE Respond to a Situation Practice
51 original everyday situations with real exam timing: listen, prepare for 10 seconds, speak for 40. Then play back your answer, get a practice estimate from the optional transcript or tick the key points you covered, and compare with a model response.
- Free, no sign-up
- Original questions
- Exam timing
Question 1 of 51
Missed group meeting
Your recording stays in your browser and is never uploaded. The result is a practice estimate from an optional transcript (on-device in most recent browsers, or the browser's own in Chrome and Edge) or from key points you tick yourself. It is not Pearson's scoring.
How Respond to a Situation works
You read and hear a short description of an everyday situation, often on campus, at work or with friends, followed by a question about what you would say. After 10 seconds to prepare, you speak for up to 40 seconds as if you were talking to the person in the situation.
How this task is scored (practice estimate)
After each recording you can get a practice estimate. It is labelled as an estimate and is not a Pearson score. You choose how it is made before you start.
Transcript on (automatic)
- Content (key points): every situation has a fixed list of key points taken from the prompt (for example the apology, the problem and the request), each with a few keywords. A key point counts as covered when one of its keywords appears in the transcript.
- Fluency (rough estimate): your pace in words per minute, counted from when the recording opened to when you pressed Stop, plus hesitation and repeated words. The comfortable range is our own rule of thumb, not a Pearson figure. Long pauses (over 1.5 seconds) are counted only with the on-device transcript, which supplies word timings; with the browser transcript only pace is estimated.
- Headline percentage: the share of key points covered, lowered a little by the fluency estimate. Full coverage with the weakest fluency estimate still shows 70 percent. It is on our own scale and is never turned into a 10 to 90 score.
Transcript off (self-checked)
- You listen to your recording and tick the key points you covered. The result is labelled a self-checked estimate, rests on your own judgement, and has no fluency part because no pace is known.
What is NOT measured
- Pronunciation is never measured. A transcript cannot judge sounds, stress or accent.
- Keywords cannot judge tone, register, politeness or whether your response suits the situation, which the real content review looks at. A good idea in different words can be missed, and a keyword in the wrong place can be counted.
- Speech recognition can mishear words, and the on-device model can quietly tidy up slips, so the estimate can run generous. The on-device transcript works in most recent browsers and the browser transcript in Chrome and Edge only. If neither works, the page says so and you use the tick option.
Results are saved only in this browser. See them on the progress page.
A simple template that works
Use the 10 seconds to choose your register and pick 3–4 points from the prompt. Then follow this shape:
- Greet and set the context (1 sentence). “Hi Priya, I'm calling about this morning's meeting.” / “Excuse me, Dr Morgan, do you have a moment?”
- Explain the problem using the prompt's details (1–2 sentences). Name the specific facts: the day, the item, the reason.
- Make your request or response (1–2 sentences). “Would it be possible to…” / “Could you…”
- Offer a solution or next step (1 sentence). “I'm happy to…” / “I can send it by…”
- Close politely. “Thanks so much for understanding.”
Common mistakes
- Describing instead of responding.Don't say “I would tell her that I was late.” Speak directly to her: “I'm so sorry I was late.”
- Dropping prompt details.If the situation mentions a Friday deadline or a doctor's certificate, use it. Missing or changing key information costs content marks.
- Stopping early. Aim to speak for most of the 40 seconds, at a steady pace, without long pauses or restarts.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I get for Respond to a Situation?
After the situation is played (it's also shown as text of up to 60 words), you have 10 seconds to prepare and 40 seconds to speak. The audio plays once and you can record only once.
How is Respond to a Situation scored?
Pearson scores it on content, pronunciation and oral fluency. Content checks whether you deal with the situation effectively, use appropriate expressions, and cover the information in the prompt without misreading it.
Does this page score my answer?
It gives a practice estimate, not an official score. With the optional transcript on, the page looks for each key point of the situation in the transcript and estimates your pace (and long pauses too, with the on-device transcript). With it off, you tick the key points you covered and the result is labelled self-checked. Keyword matching cannot judge tone, politeness or whether your response fits the situation, and pronunciation is never measured.
Should I use a formal or informal tone?
Match the person in the situation. Speaking to a tutor, manager or customer service assistant calls for polite, formal language; a friend or flatmate can be more relaxed. Deciding the register is one of the best uses of your 10 seconds of preparation.
When was Respond to a Situation added to PTE?
It was introduced in PTE Academic on 7 August 2025, along with Summarize Group Discussion. It's also part of PTE Core, where the preparation time is longer.
Are these real exam questions?
No. All situations here are original, written to match the style and length of the real task.