PTE Core Respond to a Situation Practice Online 2026

PTE Core's Respond to a Situation gives you a short everyday scenario and asks you to reply as you would in real life.

You get 20 seconds to prepare and 40 seconds to speak. PTEAce scores your response with AI for content, pronunciation and oral fluency.

A free account is needed to see and answer the practice questions.

Respond to a Situation at a glance

Questions in the exam
1
Timing
~20s audio, 20s prep, 40s record
Skills scored
Listening, Oral fluency, Pronunciation
Marking on PTEAce
Scored by AI on the PTE 10–90 scale

Tips

  • Work out who you are talking to and why, then pick a matching level of formality.
  • Cover every part of the prompt — what happened, what you need and what you suggest.
  • Use the full 20 seconds of preparation to plan two or three points.

FAQs

Who takes PTE Core?

PTE Core is the general-English PTE test, used mainly for Canadian immigration (IRCC).

How long do I get to prepare in PTE Core Respond to a Situation?

20 seconds to prepare and 40 seconds to speak.

More Speaking practice

  • Read Aloud — Read a short text aloud after a brief preparation.; 6–7 in the exam; 30–40s prep, 30–35s record; tests Pronunciation, Oral fluency, Reading; about 4% of the Academic score; AI marked. Read Aloud study guide
  • Repeat Sentence — Listen to a sentence and repeat it exactly.; 10–12 in the exam; 3–9s audio, 15s record; tests Pronunciation, Oral fluency, Listening; about 7% of the Academic score; AI marked. Repeat Sentence study guide
  • Describe Image — Describe a chart, graph, or photo in detail.; 6–7 in the exam; 25s prep, 40s record; tests Pronunciation, Oral fluency, Content; about 15% of the Academic score; AI marked. Describe Image study guide
  • Re-tell Lecture (PTE Academic) — Listen to a short lecture and re-tell what you heard.; 1–2 in the exam; 60–90s audio, 10s prep, 40s record; tests Pronunciation, Oral fluency, Listening, Content; about 6% of the Academic score; AI marked. Re-tell Lecture study guide
  • Answer Short Question — Hear a short question and answer in 1–2 words.; 5–6 in the exam; 3–9s audio, 10s record; tests Listening, Vocabulary; about 2% of the Academic score; AI marked. Answer Short Question study guide
  • Summarize Group Discussion (PTE Academic) — Listen to a multi-speaker discussion and summarise the key points.; 1–2 in the exam; up to 3 min audio, 10s prep, 2 min record; tests Listening, Oral fluency, Pronunciation, Content; about 9% of the Academic score; AI marked.
  • Respond to a Situation (PTE Academic) — Hear a real-world situation and give an appropriate spoken response.; 1–2 in the exam; ~20s audio, 10s prep, 40s record; tests Listening, Oral fluency, Pronunciation, Content; about 6% of the Academic score; AI marked.

Keep learning