Summarize Spoken Text in the PTE Listening Section

PTE Summarize Spoken Text is the first question type in the PTE Listening. Here, you will need to listen to an audio recording and write a minimum of 50 to 70 word summary in 10 minutes. You can hear the recording only once, about 60-90 seconds. You can take notes while listening and use cut, copy and paste buttons for summarising. There will be 2 to 3 questions of this type in the PTE exam followed by instructions on how to proceed. This task measures your listening and writing skills. Your scoring will be based on your grammar, vocabulary, spelling and punctuation. 

Go through this article for PTE Summarize Spoken Text practice questions, followed by tips & strategies to follow on the PTE test day. Try the given PTE SST sample questions yourself.

How PTE Listening Summarize Spoken Text Questions Scored? 

In PTE SST, there will be a maximum of 13 marks for listening and 12 marks for writing. The scoring criteria are as follows- form, content, and grammar (including vocabulary and spelling)

Form	Content	Grammar
You will score: 2 points: if your answer is between 50 to 70 words 1 point: if you summarize less than 50 words or more than 70 words 0 point: if your content is less than 40 words or more than 100 words	You will get: 2 points: if you cover the main idea and support it with key points 0 points: if your content is misinterpreted or irrelevant Note that computer will not evaluate any other criteria, if the topic you summarized is completely off-topic. You will be given 0 marks for the question.	Grammar scores cover punctuation, structure, capital letters, etc. You will receive a score of 2 points if you write the answer without grammatical mistakes. Besides, you should use a diverse vocabulary to demonstrate your understanding of the topic. Avoid repetition by incorporating synonyms and ensure correct spelling throughout your writing to score well.

PTE Summarize Spoken Text Tips

Here are few tips and tricks to crack PTE summarize spoken text task:

Tip 1: Take Good Notes

Spending some time on your note-taking technique is worthwhile as this task tests your listening skills. So. Make use of the erasable notepad given during the test. Note down related keywords to describe the main ideas, and supporting details of the information or concepts mentioned in the audio.

Tip 2: Summarize the most important points

After listening to the audio, don’t immediately jump into writing. Review your notes and summarise the useful points. It is important to note the main idea of the lecture along with the supporting information. You can discard the small, unimportant details. Remember that a good summary doesn’t cover everything you hear or based on what you recollect. It grades on how well you pinpointed the crucial ideas spoken in the test and the way you link those in a short summary.

Tip 3: Write a rough response

The reverse timer of 10 minutes will start once the audio is finished. Quickly write a rough response in 2-3 minutes using your notes. Always stick to the word limit of 50-70 words. You should organize the relevant information logically explaining the issue or concept presented by the speaker. You can paraphrase the ideas but do not write the same words that were spoken.

Tip 4: Check Sentence Structure, Grammar, Vocabulary, and Spellings

Now that you have framed a summary, it is time to re-read and edit in a proper flow. Read the summary and check the sentence structure and vocabulary. Avoid spelling mistakes, omissions, typos, etc. Use the right punctuation. Do not compromise on grammar. And always double-check tenses and the subject-verb agreement for complex sentences.  

Note: Spending 2-3 minutes refining your response and another 2 minutes checking it before submitting is worthwhile. 

PTE Summarize Spoken Text Template and Startegies 

Use the below template to frame and write a concise and organised summary:

• Introduction: Address the main idea/point of the topic through the intro line or you can begin with the lines “The speaker delineates information about…”, “The speaker provided information about..”, “The lecture revealed information about…”, “The speaker gave information about…”, “The speaker was discussing..”
• Body Paragraph: Specify the information or supporting points you listened to using connecting words like “First and foremost,...” “Moreover,...” “Also, …” “In addition to this,...” “Furthermore,...” “Secondly,...” “First of all,..” “He/She talked about..”, “He/She mentioned…”, etc.
• Conclusion: End your summary paragraph using lines such as “In conclusion,...”, “To conclude,...”, “To summarize”, “He/she suggested…”, “Overall, it was…”

The word count is displayed at the bottom of the screen. Make sure you write the summary in  50-70 words properly avoiding grammatical errors and content deviations. 

PTE Listening Summarize Spoken Text Practice Examples with Answers

Below You will see PTE Summarize spoken text sample questions and answers for your reference.

PTE Summarize Spoken Text Practice Example 1

You will hear a short audio. Write a summary for a fellow student who was not present at the lecture. You should write 50-70 words. 

You have 10 minutes to finish this task. Your response will be judged on the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the key points presented in the audio.

Sample Answer 1: The lecture talks about how motivation is not important when it comes to getting things done. Commitment and actions are the determining factors to achieve this. When you get motivated do not set expectations of staying in that state. This motivation can instead be used to note down the things you are going to do every single day, no matter what.

Word count: 61

PTE Summarize Spoken Text Practice Sample 2

You will hear a short audio. Write a summary for a fellow student who was not present at the lecture. You should write 50-70 words. 

You have 10 minutes to finish this task. Your response will be judged on the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the key points presented in the audio.

Sample Answer 2: Flow is a mental state when you are completely immersed in your work and you lose self-consciousness. On average, it takes about 23 minutes to get back to a task after being interrupted. Most people are able to maintain a sustained focus for 45 minutes on average. Multitasking is not productive as you switch between activities and never give full attention.

Word count: 61

PTE Summarize Spoken Text Practice Sample 3

You will hear a short audio. Write a summary for a fellow student who was not present at the lecture. You should write 50-70 words. 

You have 10 minutes to finish this task. Your response will be judged on the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the key points presented in the audio.

Sample Answer 3: The speaker was discussing ageism, highlighting age-based discrimination behaviors like rejecting a haircut or relationship, which are done by ageists. She discussed how Hollywood has about 12% of named characters over the age of 60. Specifying that no one is born ageist, she pointed out a senior moment but didn’t explain why she never passed comment on “junior moment”.

Word count: 59

PTE Summarize Spoken Text Practice Example 4

You will hear a short audio. Write a summary for a fellow student who was not present at the lecture. You should write 50-70 words. 

You have 10 minutes to finish this task. Your response will be judged on the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the key points presented in the audio.

Sample Answer 4: The lecture is about the concept of black holes and escape velocity studied in high school physics. The speaker defines the escape velocity of any object as the speed with which it has to go to escape the gravitational field. It should not be falling back on the surface or Earth.

Word count: 50

PTE Summarize Spoken Text Practice Sample 5

You will hear a short audio. Write a summary for a fellow student who was not present at the lecture. You should write 50-70 words. 

You have 10 minutes to finish this task. Your response will be judged on the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the key points presented in the audio.

Sample Answer 5: The author was portraying someone's particular way of bringing unexpected beauty and newness to every concept and situation in his work. A good example is his famous radio play about the people of a small town. The way he wrote it makes their everyday lives seem special, funny, lovely, and moving.

Word count: 51

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