Re-tell Lecture, PTE Academic

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Score Weightage

Overall Score 6%

Speaking 13%

Listening 13%

Source: Pearson PTE Academic Scoring Information for Teachers and Partners. Weightings are averages and may vary per test form.

The Do's and Don'ts

Take Strategic NotesListen for content words and capture: main points, supporting details and examples, important dates and numbers, and connections between ideas. Do not worry about spelling -- focus on meaning. Leave space in your notes to add points the speaker returns to later.

Use a StructureOrganize your response with a clear Introduction, Key Points, and Conclusion.

ParaphraseThink in English when you speak -- do not translate. Translating results in slow, hesitant, unnatural speech. Prepare your notes in English and speak from them directly. Paraphrasing in your own words also demonstrates a stronger vocabulary than copying the lecture.

Check the TimerAim to finish just before the 40-second mark to avoid being cut off mid-sentence.

Don't Mimic the AudioThe goal is to retell ideas in your own words, not to reproduce the lecture verbatim. Strings of words repeated directly from the recording -- without reformulation -- lower your Content score significantly.

Avoid FillersAvoid 'um,' 'uh,' or 'ah,' as these heavily penalize your fluency score.

Don't Add Unrelated InfoIf you didn't hear it in the lecture, don't guess or add outside facts. Stick strictly to what was discussed.

Don't RushSpeaking too fast leads to poor pronunciation. Speak clearly and use downward inflection at the end of each sentence.

Tips & Tricks

The 10-Second Organize

Use the 10 seconds after the audio to circle the 3–4 most important keywords in your notes. This prevents stumbling while looking for what to say next.

The E2 Structure

Use these sentence starters to keep fluency high:

"The speaker was discussing..." → "He/She mentioned that..." → "The lecture also described..." → "In conclusion, the main point was..."

The 38-Second Goal

Try to finish your conclusion at the 38-second mark. This gives a safe buffer before the microphone closes.

Stay Calm

If the lecture is difficult, focus on capturing a few clear keywords. Speaking those keywords fluently is better than struggling to explain a complex concept.

Standardized Response Template

Introduction

"The speaker was discussing [Main Topic]..."

Key Point 1

"He/She mentioned that [Key Point 1]..."

Key Point 2

"The lecture also described [Key Point 2]..."

Key Point 3

"Additionally, it was suggested that [Key Point 3]..."

Conclusion

"In conclusion, the main point was [Final Summary]."

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Test-Taking Strategies & Practice

1 Take systematic and effective notes

Write down: main points and principles, supporting details and examples, important dates and numbers, and connections between ideas. Do not worry about spelling -- focus on meaning. Use abbreviations and symbols. Leave space around your notes to add details the speaker returns to later.

2 Use the 10-second review time efficiently

After the lecture ends, you have 10 seconds before the microphone opens. Do not try to rewrite your notes. Instead:

Quickly scan your notes and circle the 3-4 most important points
Decide on a logical order to present them
Think about the connective words you will use (however, additionally, as a result, in conclusion)

3 Think in English -- do not translate

When you speak, think directly in English rather than translating from your first language. Translation causes slow, hesitant, unnatural-sounding speech. Also paraphrase the lecture in your own words rather than repeating strings of words from the recording.

Practice Lectures

Question 1 Transcript - Oceans Interview

Interviewer: You said you wished you could take everyone back to look at the Florida Keys.

Interviewee: Fifty years ago. We have managed to consume on the order of 90% of the big fish in the ocean: the tunas, the swordfish, the sharks. They're mostly gone. Until recently, people believed that humans could not change the nature of the ocean. But in fact we have -- not just because of what we've been taking out, but also what we're putting into the sea.

Interviewer: If you were going to give a grade on the health of the oceans today, what would it be?

Interviewee: The oceans are in trouble. It's hard for me to assign a specific grade. Maybe C-.

Question 2 Transcript - Space Shuttle

The shuttle was designed to be a space truck -- a multi-purpose vehicle. It is the most versatile space vehicle ever built. We have used it to launch satellites, repair satellites in orbit, and bring them back to Earth. We used it as part of our partnership with the Russians on the Mir space station, and now we are using it to build the new international space station -- a huge international partnership.

Sample Response Analysis (Question 2)

B1 (32 seconds)

Includes some main points with a degree of inaccuracy. Uneven speech with several hesitations. Limited grammar control. Basic vocabulary.

B2 (39 seconds)

Several main points retold but omission of key details shows only moderate understanding. Somewhat staccato speech with hesitations and reformulation.

C1 (39 seconds)

Accurately retells most of the main points. Phrasing somewhat uneven but speech continues comprehensibly. Good grammar control. Vocabulary appropriate and varied.

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Official Scoring Criteria

ContentMax: 6

Full Comprehension, Clear, accurate, demonstrates full comprehension by paraphrasing main ideas seamlessly in own words and expanding on important points with specificity. Ideas well connected and organized logically.

Good Comprehension, Clear and accurately captures main ideas and some important details, reflecting good comprehension. Ideas formulated in own words with minor inconsistencies. Ideas connected and flow smoothly.

Sufficient Comprehension, Captures some main ideas and details but may include a few inaccurate ideas, or focus on less important details. Ideas not well connected, requiring some listener effort to follow.

Adequate Comprehension, Captures some ideas but may not capture them fully accurately or differentiate between important points and details. May include irrelevant information or repetition of language from lecture.

Limited Comprehension, Mostly inaccurate, incomplete, or focuses on non-essential information while missing main ideas. May rely heavily on repeating language from lecture without reformulation.

Minimal, Repeats isolated words and phrases from the lecture but does not provide adequate context or meaning. Does not communicate in any meaningful way.

Too Limited, The response is related to the lecture but is too limited to assign a higher score.

PronunciationMax: 5

Highly Proficient, All vowels and consonants produced in a manner easily understood by regular speakers. Correct assimilation, deletions, and sentence-level stress throughout.

Advanced, Vowels and consonants pronounced clearly and unambiguously. A few minor distortions do not affect intelligibility. Stress placed correctly on all common words.

Good, Most vowels and consonants correct. Some consistent errors may make a few words unclear. Stress-dependent vowel reduction may occur on a few words.

Intermediate, Some consonants and vowels consistently mispronounced. At least 2/3 of speech intelligible, but listeners may need to adjust to the accent.

Intrusive, Many consonants and vowels mispronounced, resulting in a strong intrusive foreign accent. Listeners may have difficulty understanding about 1/3 of the words.

Non-English, Pronunciation seems completely characteristic of another language. Listeners may find more than 1/2 of the speech unintelligible.

Oral FluencyMax: 5

Highly Proficient, Speech shows smooth rhythm and phrasing. No hesitations, repetitions, false starts, or phonological simplifications.

Advanced, Acceptable rhythm with appropriate phrasing and word emphasis. No more than one hesitation, one repetition, or a false start. No significant phonological simplifications.

Good, Acceptable speed but may be uneven. May have more than one hesitation, but most words in continuous phrases. No long pauses and speech does not sound staccato.

Intermediate, May be uneven or staccato. At least one smooth three-word run; no more than two or three hesitations, repetitions, or false starts. May have one long pause, but not two.

Limited, Irregular phrasing or sentence rhythm. Poor phrasing, staccato or syllabic timing, and/or multiple hesitations make spoken performance notably uneven or discontinuous.

Disfluent, Slow and labored with little discernible phrase grouping, multiple hesitations, pauses, false starts, and/or major phonological simplifications. Most words are isolated.

Content is scored by both AI and human. If Content = 0, no further scoring occurs. Pronunciation and Oral Fluency are AI-scored only.