Starting 7th August 2025, the PTE exam will introduce two new speaking tasks as part of its major update. These PTE Two New Speaking Tasks are designed to better assess your real-world English communication skills, especially in academic and professional settings. If you're taking the PTE after this change, understanding how to approach these tasks will be key to achieving your best score. This blog will break down the new tasks, giving you practical advice on how to prepare and succeed.

🎯 Why Is PTE Changing Its Speaking Section?

Pearson’s goal with these changes is to make the PTE exam more realistic and reflective of how English is used in real life. Instead of just focusing on grammar and repetition, the exam will now test your ability to:

• Think on your feet and respond quickly.
  
  

• Understand spoken content and organize your thoughts.
  
  

• Speak naturally and fluently in real-life scenarios.
  
  

These updates will help you show off your practical communication skills, which are crucial for studying or working in English-speaking environments.

🔍 Overview of the PTE Two New Speaking Tasks

Here are the two new speaking tasks you need to know about:

• Summarize Group Discussion
  
  

• Respond to a Situation
  
  

Both tasks assess how well you can understand, process, and deliver a spoken response. Whether it’s summarizing a group discussion or reacting to a scenario, the emphasis is on clear, structured, and natural speech.

🧩 Task 1: Summarize Group Discussion

What Happens in This Task?
In this task, you will listen to a conversation among several speakers discussing a specific topic. Here's what you can expect:

• The audio will last about 2–3 minutes.
  
  

• You’ll get 10 seconds to organize your thoughts.
  
  

• After that, you’ll have up to 2 minutes to summarize the key points of the discussion.
  
  

How to Approach It

• Take brief notes on each speaker’s main point as you listen.
  
  

• Focus on the main ideas, agreements, and disagreements in the conversation.
  
  

• Structure your summary like this:
  
  

• Introduction: “The discussion focused on…”
  
  

• Body: Mention each speaker’s perspective.
  
  

• Conclusion: End with a brief summary of any overall conclusions or disagreements.
  
  

Tips to Score High

• Keep your tone formal and neutral—don’t add personal opinions.
  
  

• Use linking phrases like “One speaker mentioned that…, while another argued that…”
  
  

• Stay concise and balanced—summarize the key points without going off-topic.
  
  

🎤 Task 2: Respond to a Situation

What Happens in This Task?
In this task, you’ll listen to a brief scenario and then respond as if you were part of it. Here’s how it works:

• You’ll hear a scenario that lasts 20–30 seconds.
  
  

• After hearing the prompt, you’ll have 10 seconds to prepare.
  
  

• Then, you’ll speak for 40 seconds, offering a clear and appropriate response.
  
  

How to Approach It

• Acknowledge the situation: Start by showing empathy or understanding, e.g., “I understand your concern” or “That sounds frustrating.”
  
  

• Provide a solution: Offer a response or suggestion that is relevant to the situation.
  
  

• Keep your tone clear, polite, and professional.
  
  

Tips to Score High

• Use natural and simple English—don’t overcomplicate your response.
  
  

• Even if you don’t have a perfect solution, focus on offering a clear and reasonable response.
  
  

• Finish politely: End your answer with a smooth closing, like “I’ll get that sorted right away” or “Thanks for your patience.”
  
  

📌 Key Differences from the Old Format

The PTE Two New Speaking Tasks introduce a big shift from the previous test format. Here’s how they differ:

• These tasks focus on real-life communication, which means you need to think and respond like you would in everyday situations.
  
  

• Fluency and clarity are now just as important as grammar and vocabulary.
  
  

• The tasks are designed to make your responses sound more spontaneous and authentic—no more robotic answers.
  
  

• The scoring process will now combine both human evaluators and AI, ensuring a more accurate assessment.
  
  

These changes mean that it’s no longer just about memorizing and repeating information—it’s about being able to effectively communicate your ideas in real-time.

🧠 How to Prepare for the New Tasks

1. Active Listening Practice
   
   

• Listen to podcasts, news discussions, or debates, and practice summarizing what each speaker says.
  
  

• Pay attention to tone, attitude, and main ideas rather than just the words.
  
  

2. Practice Responding to Real-Life Scenarios
   
   

• Think about situations like resolving a customer complaint, handling a scheduling issue, or explaining something to a colleague.
  
  

• Practice speaking with politeness, clarity, and confidence.
  
  

3. Practice Speaking Under Time Pressure
   
   

• Use a timer when practicing:
  
  

• 10 seconds to plan your response for the Respond to a Situation task.
  
  

• 40 seconds to speak in the Respond to a Situation task.
  
  

• 2 minutes to summarize in the Summarize Group Discussion task.
  
  

• Get comfortable organizing your thoughts quickly and speaking within time limits.
  
  

4. Work on Your Vocabulary and Tone
   
   

• For the Summarize Group Discussion task, use academic language like: “The discussion was centered around…” or “One participant pointed out that…”
  
  

• For the Respond to a Situation, aim for politeness and professionalism: “I’ll handle that for you right away” or “Thank you for your patience.”
  
  

✅ What to Do in the Exam

• Speak clearly and use simple, neutral language—avoid slang or overly casual expressions.
  
  

• Stick to the facts in the audio—don’t guess or add anything that wasn’t mentioned.
  
  

• Watch the timer and wrap up your response before the time runs out.
  
  

• Stay calm and focus on delivering a structured, logical response.
  
  

• Keep a steady pace—don’t rush, but also don’t speak too slowly.
  
  

❌ What NOT to Do

• Don’t add personal opinions in the Summarize Group Discussion task—stick to summarizing what was said.
  
  

• Don’t memorize answers—your responses should sound natural, not robotic.
  
  

• Avoid slang or overly casual language in the Respond to a Situation task.
  
  

• Don’t overthink—stay calm and focus on being clear and organized.
  
  

• Don’t panic if you miss a detail—clarity and structure matter more than perfection.
  
  

📝 Sample Phrases to Practice

Summarize Group Discussion:

• “One speaker mentioned that…”
  
  

• “Another participant raised the point that…”
  
  

• “There was agreement that…”
  
  

Respond to a Situation:

• “Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”
  
  

• “Let me look into that for you.”
  
  

• “I’ll get that resolved right away.”
  
  

🎯 Final Thoughts

The PTE Two New Speaking Tasks mark a significant shift towards assessing real-world communication skills. These changes make the exam feel more natural and relevant to your future studies or career. With the right preparation and a focus on fluency, clarity, and confidence, you can approach these tasks with confidence and perform at your best.

Source: Angel EduNext