Prepare for Success: How to Tackle the New PTE Question Types in 2025

If you're planning to take the PTE Academic after 7th August 2025, there's a major update you need to know. Pearson has introduced two brand-new speaking tasks, officially known as the New PTE Question Types, designed to reflect real-world communication in academic and professional settings.

What’s Changing in the Speaking Section?

The updated format includes two new speaking tasks:

• Summarize Group Discussion

• Respond to a Situation

These tasks aim to simulate real-life interactions — whether it’s summarizing a conversation at a meeting or responding politely in a tricky scenario. Instead of just repeating sentences or reading text, you now need to listen, understand, and speak naturally and clearly.

Why These Changes Matter

Pearson didn’t make these updates randomly. The new question types are meant to:

• Evaluate your real-time thinking and ability to respond appropriately

• Encourage structured, natural speaking

• Simulate everyday communication settings

• Discourage rote learning and template-driven answers

For test-takers who are confident in conversational English and contextual understanding, this change is a positive one.

Breakdown of the New PTE Speaking Tasks

1. Summarize Group Discussion

What to Expect:

• Listen to a 2–3 minute discussion involving 3–4 speakers

• You’ll get 10 seconds to plan your response

• You then have up to 2 minutes to deliver your summary

How to Answer:

• Focus on the key ideas or opinions shared by each speaker

• Use academic, formal language such as: “The group discussed…”, “One participant highlighted…”, “There was a disagreement about…”

• Stay neutral and objective, no personal opinions

• Conclude with a clear wrap-up: “In conclusion, the discussion presented a range of viewpoints.”

Goal: Demonstrate your ability to comprehend multiple viewpoints and summarize clearly and objectively.

2. Respond to a Situation

What to Expect:

• Listen to a short real-life audio clip (20–30 seconds)

• You’ll be shown a prompt related to the situation

• You get 10 seconds to prepare

• Speak for around 40 seconds, responding as if you're in the situation

How to Answer:

• Begin with empathy or understanding, e.g., “I understand your concern…”

• Speak politely, and with confidence

• Provide one practical suggestion or action

• Conclude with a helpful phrase like: “Please let me know if there’s anything else I can assist with.”

Goal: Show that you can respond appropriately and naturally in real-life scenarios.

Format Summary

Summarize Group Discussion

• Audio Length: 2–3 minutes

• Preparation Time: 10 seconds

• Speaking Time: Up to 2 minutes

• Objective: Deliver a neutral, well-structured summary of group opinions

Respond to a Situation

• Audio Length: 20–30 seconds

• Preparation Time: 10 seconds

• Speaking Time: 40 seconds

• Objective: Respond appropriately with clarity and empathy in a real-life situation

How to Prepare for the New PTE Question Types

1. Train Your Listening Skills

• Watch group discussions, interviews, and debates

• Focus on identifying each speaker’s opinion, tone, and argument

• Practice summarizing the conversations aloud

2. Boost Your Speaking Fluency

• Shadow native speakers using TED Talks, podcasts, or YouTube videos

• Imitate their tone, speed, and intonation

• Practice forming answers spontaneously and clearly

3. Practice Real-Life Scenarios

• Role-play everyday situations like:

  • Requesting a refund

  • Responding to a classmate

  • Assisting someone politely

• Use language that is both polite and solution-focused

4. Learn Effective Phrases

For Summarizing Discussions:

• “The discussion focused on…”

• “One speaker emphasized…”

• “There was a difference of opinion regarding…”

For Situational Responses:

• “Thanks for bringing this to my attention.”

• “Here’s what we can do next…”

• “I’ll be happy to assist with that.”

Top Tips to Succeed

• Practice structuring your thoughts quickly in under 10 seconds

• Keep answers concise and relevant

• Maintain a formal tone for summaries and a polite tone for situations

• Record your practice answers to evaluate tone, clarity, and pace

• Aim for clarity over complexity

Mistakes to Avoid

• Speaking too fast or too softly

• Using informal expressions or slang

• Giving personal opinions during the group summary

• Going off-topic due to nerves or lack of structure

• Ignoring the tone and intent of the task

Final Thoughts

The new PTE question types introduced in August 2025 are designed to assess how effectively you can use English in authentic, real-world situations. This isn’t about perfect grammar — it’s about sounding clear, confident, and coherent.

Focus on understanding the format, practice regularly in real-life settings, and work on your delivery, structure, and tone. The better you handle these tasks, the closer you'll be to your target PTE score.

And if you’re looking for expert guidance, Angel EduNext’s updated PTE preparation resources are already designed to match the 2025 format.