PTE Academic · Guides · October 24, 2026 · 7 min read

PTE Respond to a Situation: tips, sample answer and scoring (2026)

Respond to a Situation is a PTE Academic speaking task in which you read and hear a short everyday situation, get about 10 seconds to think, and then speak for up to about 40 seconds as if you were really in it: apologizing to a neighbour, asking a tutor for an extension, turning down a request from a manager. It is one of two tasks added to the test on 7 August 2025, together with Summarize Group Discussion, so older prep books and many “template” lists do not cover it. What earns marks is a reply that fits the situation and the person you are talking to, said fluently and clearly.

What the task looks like

The situation is written in the second person (“You borrowed…”, “Your manager asks…”) and usually ends with a question such as “What would you say?”. After the preparation time you hear a short tone and the microphone opens. Like every PTE speaking task, the recording stops if you are silent for 3 seconds, so a long pause in the middle can end your answer early.

How it is scored

Respond to a Situation is scored on three traits:

• Content (appropriacy). Did you deal with the actual situation? An appropriate answer does what the situation needs (apologize, explain, ask, refuse, suggest), in a register that suits the listener (a friend, a manager, a lecturer, a stranger), with the details from the prompt.
• Oral fluency. A smooth, natural pace without long hesitations, restarts or filler.
• Pronunciation. Speech that a listener can understand without effort.

Pearson does not publish the trait scales in a form that prep sites agree on, so we do not give numbers here. Since 2025 Pearson also says some responses are reviewed by human experts, and memorized answers that ignore the situation lose content marks. For how task scores add up to the 10–90 scale, see the PTE score chart.

A worked example

Here is a practice task from Nomto:

Last weekend you borrowed a ladder from your neighbour. You promised to bring it back on Monday, but you forgot, and now it is Thursday. Your neighbour knocks on your door and asks about the ladder. What would you say to him?

Before you speak, ask yourself three things: what does this person need, what is my relationship with them, and what should happen next? Here the neighbour wants the ladder back, he is someone you know but not a close friend, and the next step is returning it. A strong answer therefore:

1. apologizes clearly for not returning the ladder on time;
2. gives a short, honest reason without making excuses;
3. offers to return it now or at a definite time;
4. thanks the neighbour for lending it.

A model answer from our bank (about 85 words, comfortable in 40 seconds at a natural pace):

Oh, hi! I’m so sorry about the ladder. I said I would bring it back on Monday, and it completely slipped my mind. It’s been a really busy week at work, but that’s no excuse. It’s in my garage, and it’s in the same condition as when you lent it to me. Let me get it for you right now. Thank you so much for lending it, it was a big help with the gutters, and next time I’ll make sure I return it on time.

Notice what it does not do. There is no opening formula like “In this situation I would say”, no long story about work, no list of three reasons. It sounds like one person talking to another, and every sentence does a job the situation asks for.

How to use the 10 seconds

Ten seconds is enough for a plan, not for a script. Decide:

• Who you are talking to, and so how formal to be.
• What your main move is: apologize, ask, refuse, complain, suggest, thank.
• What next: the concrete action or offer you will end on.

Then start speaking as soon as the microphone opens. Your first sentence should already address the person and the problem.

Tips for Respond to a Situation

1. Speak to the person, not about the situation. “I’m really sorry, Professor Lee” scores better for appropriacy than “I would apologize to my professor”.
2. Match the register. With a manager or a lecturer, use polite forms: “Would it be possible to…”, “I was wondering if…”. With a friend or neighbour, keep it warm and simple.
3. Use the details from the prompt. The day, the object, the deadline, the problem. They show you understood the situation and they give you things to say.
4. Always offer a next step. Most situations are small problems. A definite offer (“I can bring it over at six”, “Could we meet on Thursday instead?”) makes the answer complete.
5. Aim for 30–40 seconds. Four to six short sentences are usually enough. Ending a little early is better than filling time with repetition.
6. Keep a steady pace. Fluency counts for every second you speak. Short, simple sentences said smoothly beat long ones with pauses.
7. If you lose a word, go around it. Rephrase rather than stop; 3 seconds of silence closes the microphone.
8. Practise saying no politely. Refusing a manager or a friend comes up often: thank them, give a reason, offer an alternative.

Common mistakes

• Describing instead of responding. Retelling the situation (“So my neighbour lent me a ladder and I forgot…”) uses your time without doing anything the task asks.
• The wrong tone. Sounding casual with a manager or stiff with a friend.
• Forgetting part of the task. If the situation asks you to apologize and suggest a solution, an apology alone is half an answer.
• A long silence at the start. The microphone opens after the tone; a slow start risks the 3-second cut-off.
• Over-explaining. One honest reason is enough. Five excuses sound unnatural and eat your time.

A word on templates

Template lists for this task usually look like “Hello, I am calling regarding… I understand the situation… I would like to suggest…”. A memorized frame said to every prompt does not show appropriacy, and with human review in the mix it is the kind of answer that loses content marks. If a frame helps you start, keep it to two or three phrases you adapt each time:

• an opener that names the person and the issue: “Hi Sam, about the…”;
• a bridge to your action: “What I can do is…” or “Would it be possible to…”;
• a close: “Thanks for understanding” or “Let me know if that works”.

Everything in between should come from the situation.

Common questions

Is Respond to a Situation new in PTE? Yes. It was added on 7 August 2025, together with Summarize Group Discussion. The rest of the format is in the PTE exam pattern.

How long should my answer be? You have about 40 seconds. Aim for 30–40 seconds of steady speech, usually four to six sentences.

Is there a template for Respond to a Situation? You can use two or three adaptable phrases, but a fixed script ignores the situation and scores poorly for content.

Which skills does it count towards? Speaking and Listening.

How many Respond to a Situation questions are there? Usually 2–3; Pearson gives a range and it changes from test to test.

Practise it in the Nomto trainer

The Respond to a Situation trainer runs the task in exam timing: you read and hear the situation, get the preparation time, hear the tone, and the microphone closes after 3 seconds of silence, as on the test. Your answer gets feedback on content (did it fit the situation and the listener), oral fluency and pronunciation, with an approximate estimate on the 10–90 scale, and you can compare it with a model answer. When the task feels routine, try it inside a full speaking section in the mock tests, and see how to prepare for PTE for a plan that covers all 22 tasks.

PTE Academic™ is a trademark of Pearson. Nomto is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Pearson.