Retell Lecture in PTE: what it is, how it is marked and how to practise

In Retell Lecture you hear a lecture of up to 90 seconds, get 10 seconds to prepare, then speak for 40 seconds in your own words. Pearson gives no credit for an unoriginal response and warns against memorised templates, so treat a frame (topic, main points, implication) only as a thinking aid and fill it with the lecture's own content. Take notes in key words and keep talking.

The question assesses listening, speaking, pronunciation and oral fluency. Pearson's page adds that your reading skills are only used to understand the instructions and that your writing skills are not assessed.

You will also see this question written as "PTE re tell lecture" or "retell a lecture". It is the same question.

Retell Lecture is a PTE Academic question. If you sit PTE Core for Canada, the Speaking and Writing part lists a different set of question types, and Retell Lecture is not one of them. Pearson's PTE Core Speaking and Writing page shows 7 question types in that part, and Retell Lecture is not on the list.

The Score Guide describes content in bands. Here is the gist of four of them, in our words, with Pearson's descriptors behind each:

Pronunciation and oral fluency use the same criteria as the other speaking questions. We explain them on our Repeat Sentence page. In short: easy to understand, a steady natural pace, and no restarts.

Pearson's tips for Answer Short Question add a rule about silence that applies to Retell Lecture too:

Our reading: the image is a clue to the topic, so use those few seconds to predict vocabulary. If you stumble, do not go back. Pearson says repeating ideas, correcting yourself and hesitating all use up your time and cost you points, and a pause of three seconds ends the recording. Keep talking, and move to your next note.

People search for a Retell Lecture template, so here is what Pearson says. First, the marking rule:

Pearson's Score Guide lists, among the responses that get no score points, one that "does not deal properly with the prompt due to significant amounts of pre-prepared/memorized material." In its worked Describe Image example, it adds that responses containing pre-prepared or memorized material are classified as irrelevant responses. Pearson has also published a paper on test integrity. In it, Pearson says that any template relying on long passages of memorised, pre-scripted material is considered gaming. For Describe Image and Retell Lecture, the speaking item types the paper covers, it says the templates it sees often combine fragmented, repetitive phrases with fully memorised introductory and concluding sentences. So fixed opening and closing sentences are the shape Pearson points to. The paper also explains why this matters:

A lecture is new every time, so a memorised paragraph can never be about the lecture you just heard. The Pearson pages we read give no approved frame and no list of allowed phrases. A frame is only a thinking aid: an order of moves that you fill with the lecture's own content.

A frame, not a script

1. Open with the topic, in your own words. One sentence that says what the lecture is about.
2. Give the main points in the order you heard them. Each point gets one detail or example from the lecture. Use signposts such as first, another point, however, finally.
3. Close with something the lecture implies. A closing implication is part of a strong retell, as the marking section above shows. Take the closing idea from the lecture, not from a stock sentence.

A simple test: if you could say the sentence without hearing the lecture, it is a script. Leave it out.

While the audio plays

1. Write key words, not sentences. One to three words per idea. You will not have time for more.
2. Lay the notes out in order down the page. Put the topic at the top, one line for each main point, and the lecture's ending at the bottom. Put examples and numbers to the side.
3. Mark the structure words. Circle words such as however, because, as a result and for example. They tell you how the points connect.
4. Use a few symbols. A small, fixed set saves time. See the table below.

In the preparation time

Look at your notes and decide three things: how you will start, your order, and your closing idea, all taken from this lecture. Do not write full sentences. Know the first thing you will say about the topic and be ready to start the moment the microphone opens.

While you speak

1. Stay on the clock. Our rough plan for the speaking time is a few seconds on the topic, most of the time on the main points with one detail each, and a few seconds on the closing idea.
2. Use the lecture's ideas, not its sentences. Change the words you can. The table below gives you swaps.
3. Keep talking. If you forget a point, move to the next one and ignore small mistakes.
4. Aim for a steady, clear pace. Our estimate is that you will say roughly a hundred words in the time. That is a guide, not a Pearson figure.

Paraphrase swaps

Use these like this. Ask a friend to read the lecture once at a steady pace, or use a text-to-speech voice. Take notes as you listen, pause for the preparation time, then record your retell. Compare your recording with the key points list, then with the model. These lectures are our own and the facts in them are invented for practice. We do not claim they match the real ones in length or difficulty, and we do not claim any model would earn a particular score.

Pearson's timings are 10 seconds to prepare and 40 seconds to speak.

Lecture A: green roofs

Green roofs, which are roofs covered with soil and plants, are becoming more common in large cities. Their first benefit is temperature control. A planted roof absorbs heat in summer and holds warmth in winter, so the building below needs less air conditioning and less heating. Their second benefit is water management. When it rains heavily, the soil holds the water and releases it slowly, which reduces the pressure on city drains. There are drawbacks, however. A green roof is heavy, so many older buildings cannot carry one without expensive structural work. It also needs regular maintenance, such as watering and weeding. Even so, a number of cities now offer tax discounts to owners who install them, and some require green roofs on new buildings above a certain size. Experts expect the idea to spread, especially as cities look for cheaper ways to cope with extreme heat and flooding.

• Key points: what green roofs are; benefit one is temperature control; benefit two is water management; drawbacks are weight, structural work and upkeep; some cities give discounts or require them; experts expect them to spread.
• Sample notes: GREEN ROOFS (soil + plants), more common. + temp: absorb heat summer / hold warmth winter -> less aircon, heat. + water: soil holds rain -> slow release -> drains less pressure. - heavy -> old bldgs need struct. work; upkeep. but: tax discounts; req. new big bldgs. -> will spread (heat + flood).
• Model retell: The lecture is about green roofs, which are roofs covered in soil and plants and are becoming more common in big cities. The speaker gives two main benefits. First, they help control temperature, so buildings need less heating and air conditioning. Second, they hold rainwater and release it slowly, which eases the pressure on drains. On the other hand, they are heavy, so older buildings may need costly structural work, and they need regular upkeep. Even so, some cities offer tax discounts or require green roofs on large new buildings, and experts expect the idea to spread as cities deal with heat and flooding.
• What the model does: it opens with the topic in one sentence, signposts the two benefits with "first" and "second", uses "on the other hand" for the drawbacks, and ends with the experts' expectation. It changes the lecture's words where it can ("temperature control" becomes "control temperature", and "cope with" becomes "deal with").

Lecture B: museums are changing

Museums used to place objects behind glass with a short label and little else. Today, many museums are changing that approach. One change is the use of touch screens and audio guides, which let visitors choose how much detail they want. A second change is the display of everyday objects, such as kitchen tools and school uniforms, alongside famous artworks, because curators believe visitors connect more easily with things they recognise. A third change is the invitation to local communities to help decide what is shown. Supporters say this makes museums more welcoming. Critics, however, worry that too much technology distracts visitors from the objects themselves. Museum directors reply that technology should support the display and never replace it, and several report that visitor numbers have risen since they made the changes.

• Key points: the old way was objects behind glass with a short label; three changes (touch screens and audio guides, everyday objects beside art, communities helping to decide); supporters say it is more welcoming; critics fear distraction; directors say technology supports and does not replace; several report more visitors.
• Sample notes: MUSEUMS: old = objects behind glass + label. NOW changing: 1 touch screens / audio -> visitor chooses detail. 2 everyday objs next to art -> connect w/ familiar. 3 local communities help decide. + welcoming. - tech distracts (critics). Directors: tech supports, not replaces; visitors up (several).
• Model retell: The lecture describes how museums are moving away from putting objects behind glass with a short label. The speaker mentions three changes. First, touch screens and audio guides let visitors choose how much detail they get. Second, everyday objects are shown beside famous artworks because visitors connect with things they recognise. Third, local communities help decide what is displayed. Supporters think this is more welcoming, but critics worry that technology distracts people from the objects. Directors answer that technology should support the display, and several say visitor numbers have gone up.
• What the model does: it sets the old way against the new, counts the changes in order, gives each one a reason, and finishes with the two sides and the directors' reply. It does not try to include every word.

Common questions