Respond to a Situation in PTE: how it works, how it is marked and a flexible structure
In Respond to a Situation you hear and read a situation of up to 60 words, then speak for 40 seconds. In PTE Academic you get 10 seconds to think, and the content mark needs the details in the prompt. The Pearson pages we read give no template, and Pearson's Score Guide gives no score points when significant amounts of memorised material stop a response dealing properly with the prompt, so treat our four moves (address, do the job, support it, close) only as a thinking aid, filled with the details of the prompt.
This page is for PTE Academic. Pearson describes it as the test "For global study, visa applications to Australia and New Zealand, and professional registration." It gives Pearson's rules in its own words, says plainly what a template can and cannot do, and gives you a structure, a language bank and three sample answers that we wrote ourselves. Pearson's pages decide the rules, and this is not immigration advice.
What Respond to a Situation asks you to do
You hear and read an everyday situation, then say what you would say.
"Listen to and read a description of a situation. Then answer a question about it with an extended response."
| Detail | What Pearson says |
|---|---|
| Text length | Up to 60 words. The audio plays automatically and you can listen once. |
| Thinking time | 10 seconds, then 40 seconds to speak (PTE Academic). |
| Notes | You can take notes on the erasable whiteboard while the audio plays. |
| Questions in the test | 2-3 in the PTE Academic Score Guide. |
| Skill assessed | Speaking. Reading and listening are only used to read the instructions and to read and listen to the prompt. |
PTE Core has the same question with a different clock. Pearson's PTE Core page says:
"You will have 20 seconds to think about your response, and then 40 seconds to speak."
PTE Core also scores the answer on different traits. It lists appropriacy, fluency and pronunciation, where PTE Academic lists content, pronunciation and oral fluency. For PTE Core, Pearson's format page says:
"Appropriacy: Is the language used in your response relevant to and appropriate to the situation in the prompt?"
How Respond to a Situation is marked
Content, pronunciation and oral fluency.
"Content: Is your response relevant to the prompt and does it convey prompt information accurately?"
"Content is scored based on whether you deal with the situation effectively and whether you communicate in a clear manner using appropriate expressions."
"Do not miss out any key information or misinterpret the situation (e.g., if the situation says you need the slides by Friday but you say by Sunday – this is a misinterpretation)."
"You should deliver your response using appropriate formal or informal language depending on the situation and who you are talking to."
"Content, Pronunciation and Oral Fluency are all AI-scored traits. A human expert will also review Content before your final score for the task is confirmed."
"Partial credit scoring applies. No credit is given for no answer or an irrelevant answer."
The Score Guide describes content in bands. Here is the gist, in our words, with Pearson's descriptors behind each:
| Band | What the Score Guide describes |
|---|---|
| Top | Deals with the situation effectively, accomplishes the main communication goal with full regard for the context, and is fully developed, going beyond the language of the prompt. |
| Strong | Deals with the situation adequately and accomplishes the main goal, with only minor omissions or misreadings of the prompt. |
| Middle | Partly accomplishes the main goal, with some omissions or misreadings. |
| Basic | Partly accomplishes only the most basic aspect of the goal. It may repeat language from the prompt without reformulating it. |
| Low | Contains some relevant content but does not achieve the main goal or address the specifics of the context. |
| Minimal | Either repeats isolated words and phrases from the prompt without enough context or meaning, or gives a suitable answer to the main goal with no elaboration or support. |
Pronunciation and oral fluency use the same criteria as the other speaking questions, which we explain on our Repeat Sentence page.
Pearson's own tips
Use the preparation time, and speak for the whole time.
"You have 10 seconds to prepare, so examine the prompt to decide what main points you will need to convey, and whether you will need to use a formal or informal register."
"If you repeat ideas, correct yourself, or hesitate, you will use up valuable time and also lose score points. So, keep talking and ignore any mistakes that you make."
Our reading: two points matter most. The details in the prompt are part of what is marked, so repeat names, days and numbers exactly. And the whole time is yours, so plan to use it, with something useful to say in the second half as well as the first.
Is there a template for Respond to a Situation?
The Pearson pages we read give no template. A set of moves is only a thinking aid.
People search for a template for this question. The Pearson pages we read give none. The content mark depends on whether you deal with this situation, using the information in this prompt, so a script written in advance cannot do the job. Pearson's Score Guide also lists, among the responses that get no score points, one that:
"A response that does not deal properly with the prompt due to significant amounts of pre-prepared/memorized material (Content)."
The Pearson pages we read give no approved structure, so what follows is ours and only a thinking aid: four moves that you fill with the details of this prompt. If you could say a sentence without hearing the prompt, it is not one of the moves.
Four moves
- Address. Greet the person in the right register and say, in your own words, what the situation is. This shows you understood.
- Do the job. Carry out the main action the prompt asks for: apologise, request, suggest, explain, refuse, thank. Include the key details exactly as given.
- Support it. Add a reason, an offer, an alternative or a next step. This is what fills the speaking time with useful content.
- Close. Thank the person, confirm what happens next, or invite a reply.
Our time map for a forty-second answer: a few seconds to address, about fifteen to do the job, about fifteen to support it, and a few to close. It is a guide, not a Pearson rule.
A language bank, not a script
These are our examples of the sort of language each job needs. They are not approved wording, because the Pearson pages we read give none, and a sentence you say without hearing the prompt is the kind of memorised material the Score Guide warns about.
| What you need to do | Formal | Informal |
|---|---|---|
| Apologise | I apologise for the inconvenience. | Sorry about that. |
| Request | Would it be possible for you to extend the deadline? | Could you give me a bit longer? |
| Suggest | I would like to suggest meeting on Wednesday instead. | How about Wednesday instead? |
| Decline | Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend. | I can't make it, sorry. |
| Explain | The reason is that I have a prior commitment. | It's because I've got a shift. |
| Offer help | I would be happy to prepare the slides. | I can do the slides if you like. |
| Close | Thank you for your understanding. | Thanks, talk soon. |
Choose formal for a lecturer, a manager you do not know well, an official or a stranger. Choose informal for a friend or a close colleague. Use the register that the situation and the listener call for.
Three practice situations with sample answers
Our own prompts and our own answers, with notes.
These prompts and answers are ours. The people, places and events are invented. Each sample answer is written to show the four moves. We do not claim any sample would earn a particular score, and you should not copy the wording. In the real test you hear and read the prompt, and the answer must come from you.
Situation 1: a formal request
Prompt (ours): You are speaking to your lecturer, Dr Naidoo. You missed three days of classes because you were ill, and your essay is due on Monday. Ask for an extension until Thursday and say what you will do to catch up.
Sample answer (ours): "Good morning, Dr Naidoo. I hope you are well. I'm calling about my essay, which is due on Monday. I was ill for the last three days, so I missed class and I haven't been able to finish. Would it be possible to extend the deadline until Thursday? I have already read the sources, and I will finish the writing over the weekend. I'll also get the notes from a classmate so that I'm not behind. Thank you very much for your understanding, and I apologise for the inconvenience."
What it does: it greets in a formal register, says why it is calling, repeats the details exactly (Monday, three days, Thursday), asks politely, supports the request with what the speaker has done and will do, and closes with thanks. Details checklist: Dr Naidoo, three days, Monday, Thursday, a plan to catch up.
Situation 2: an informal refusal with an alternative
Prompt (ours): Your friend Sam has invited you to a film on Saturday evening, but you have to work a double shift. Tell Sam you cannot come, say why, and suggest another time.
Sample answer (ours): "Hi Sam, thanks so much for the invite. I'd love to come, but I'm working a double shift on Saturday, so I won't be able to make it. I'm really sorry. How about we go on Sunday afternoon instead? There's usually a show at about three, and I'm free all day. If that doesn't work, we could try next weekend. Let me know what suits you. I can check the film times tonight and book seats for us, and I'll bring the snacks next time as well. Talk soon!"
What it does: informal register, a warm opening, a clear refusal with the reason from the prompt, a concrete alternative and a back-up one, and an offer to help with the plan. Details checklist: Sam, film, Saturday evening, double shift, a different time.
Situation 3: raising a problem at work
Prompt (ours): You are in a meeting with your manager. The printer on your floor has been broken for two days and it is slowing your team down. Explain the problem and ask what can be done.
Sample answer (ours): "Hello, can I raise a quick problem? The printer on our floor has been broken for two days, and it's slowing the team down because we keep walking to another floor to print client documents. Could we ask the maintenance team to look at it today? In the meantime, would it be possible to let us use the printer on the second floor? That would help us finish the client reports on time, and I can email the maintenance team myself if that helps. Thank you, I appreciate your help."
What it does: a polite opening, the problem and its effect (from the prompt), a request for action, a temporary solution, an offer to help, and a close. Details checklist: printer, our floor, two days, slowing the team, what can be done.
Six more prompts to record yourself on
| No. | Situation (ours) | Speak to | Details to include |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | A classmate has borrowed your notes and not returned them. Your exam is on Friday. Ask for them back. | Classmate | Notes, Friday exam, a time to meet |
| 5 | You are late for a team project meeting because your bus broke down. Call the group leader. | Group leader | Bus problem, how late, what you will do |
| 6 | A neighbour's music has been loud for three nights. Ask politely for it to be turned down after ten. | Neighbour | Three nights, after ten, a friendly tone |
| 7 | Your hotel room was not ready at check-in. Speak to the receptionist and ask what can be done. | Receptionist | Not ready, how long you have waited, a request |
| 8 | You have been offered extra shifts but you have exams. Speak to your supervisor. | Supervisor | Exams, which shifts you can do, thanks for the offer |
| 9 | You are organising a farewell lunch for a colleague. Invite another colleague and give the details. | Colleague | Day, time, place, how to reply |
How to practise
Ten minutes a day, recorded.
- Read the prompt aloud once, then give yourself ten seconds. In those seconds, note who you are speaking to, what you must do, and the details you must include.
- Record forty seconds. Use the full time. If you finish early, add a reason, an offer or a next step.
- Play it back with a checklist. Did you include every detail from the prompt, exactly? Was the register right? Did you do the main job early? Did you restart or repeat? Did you fill the time with something new, not just the prompt's own words?
- Rewrite the weakest sentence. Then record the whole answer again.
A last warning from the Score Guide, which lists as a weaker response one that "may include repetition of language from prompt without reformulation or context." Say it in your own words.
Common questions
Pearson says: “Listen to and read a description of a situation. Then answer a question about it with an extended response.” The text is up to 60 words and you can listen once.
In PTE Academic you have 10 seconds to think and then 40 seconds to speak. PTE Core gives 20 seconds to prepare and 40 seconds to speak.
The Pearson pages we read give none. The score depends on dealing with the situation in the prompt and conveying its information accurately, and the Score Guide lists significant amounts of pre-prepared or memorized material among the reasons for a response to get no score points. Our four moves (address, do the job, support it, close) are only a thinking aid that you fill with the details of the prompt. They are not wording to memorise.
On content, pronunciation and oral fluency, all AI-scored, with a human expert also reviewing content. Content is about whether you deal with the situation effectively and communicate clearly with appropriate expressions.
Pearson says: “Try to speak for the whole 40 seconds if you can.” If you repeat ideas, correct yourself or hesitate, you use up time and lose score points.
The Score Guide lists 2-3 Respond to a Situation questions.
It depends on who you are speaking to. Pearson says you should deliver your response using appropriate formal or informal language depending on the situation and who you are talking to.