Crack the 2025 PTE Speaking Section: A Deep Dive into the Two New Tasks

Big changes are coming to the PTE exam starting from 7th August 2025! The exam will feature two PTE Two New Speaking Tasks, aimed at better assessing how well you can communicate in real-world situations. These changes will make the exam more relevant to everyday academic and professional interactions, whether you’re planning to study or work abroad. In this blog, we’ll break down these new tasks, how to approach them, and what you can do to prepare for success on test day.

🎯 Why Is PTE Changing Its Speaking Section?

Pearson’s main goal with these changes is to make the PTE speaking section a better reflection of real-life communication. Instead of focusing on repetitive tasks, the new format emphasizes how you handle spontaneous speech, quick thinking, and effective communication—all critical skills when you’re in an English-speaking academic or professional environment. Here’s why this change matters:

• It’s all about practical skills, not just grammar.
  
  
• You’ll need to demonstrate that you can listen, respond quickly, and speak naturally.
  
  
• These tasks help you show how well you can engage in real conversations.
  
  

The new format makes the test more authentic and reliable, preparing you better for the challenges you’ll face in everyday life.

🔍 Overview of the PTE Two New Speaking Tasks

Here’s a breakdown of the two new speaking tasks:

• Summarize Group Discussion
  
  
• Respond to a Situation
  
  

Both tasks assess your ability to understand spoken content and respond in a clear, structured, and appropriate way. In short, you’ll need to think on your feet and communicate effectively in a variety of scenarios.

🧩 Task 1: Summarize Group Discussion

What Happens in This Task?
 For this task, you’ll listen to a conversation among several speakers discussing a specific topic. The key details are:

• The audio will be about 2–3 minutes long.
  
  
• You’ll have 10 seconds to gather your thoughts.
  
  
• You’ll then need to speak for up to 2 minutes, summarizing the discussion.
  
  

How to Approach It

• Listen actively: Take notes on what each speaker says, focusing on the main points.
  
  
• Identify any common themes, agreements, or disagreements.
  
  
• Structure your response:
  
  
  • Intro: “The discussion was about…”
    
    
  • Body: Mention each speaker’s perspective.
    
    
  • Conclusion: Summarize whether the group agreed or disagreed.
    
    

Tips to Score High

• Stay neutral and formal—don’t offer your own opinions.
  
  
• Use transition phrases like “One speaker said…, while another emphasized…” to keep your summary clear.
  
  
• Keep your response concise, avoiding unnecessary details. Focus on the main points.
  
  

🎤 Task 2: Respond to a Situation

What Happens in This Task?
 You’ll hear a short scenario, followed by a prompt about your role in the situation. Here’s what you’ll need to do:

• The scenario will last 20–30 seconds.
  
  
• You’ll have 10 seconds to prepare your response.
  
  
• You’ll then need to speak for 40 seconds, providing a solution or response.
  
  

How to Approach It

• Begin by showing empathy: “I understand your concern…” or “I can see why that’s an issue.”
  
  
• Offer a clear solution or polite response that fits the context.
  
  
• Make sure your tone is calm, polite, and professional.
  
  

Tips to Score High

• Use simple, clear language. Avoid sounding too formal or robotic.
  
  
• If you don’t have the perfect solution, don’t worry! Focus on offering a reasonable response.
  
  
• Wrap up smoothly with a polite conclusion: “I’ll take care of that for you” or “Thanks for your patience.”
  
  

📌 Key Differences from the Old Format

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

• Real-life relevance: These tasks are designed to assess your ability to engage in real conversations, not just repeat memorized answers.
  
  
• Fluency and structure are now just as important as accuracy.
  
  
• The new format focuses on spontaneous speech, making you sound natural and unscripted.
  
  
• The test will now use human + AI scoring, improving the reliability of the assessment.
  
  

The goal is to see how well you can communicate in everyday scenarios, not just how well you can memorize language rules.

🧠 How to Prepare for the New Tasks

1. Practice Active Listening
   
   
   • Listen to discussions or debates on various topics and practice summarizing the main points each speaker makes.
     
     
   • Pay attention to tone, attitude, and ideas, not just the words.
     
     
2. Simulate Real-Life Situations
   
   
   • Practice responding to everyday scenarios like dealing with a customer service issue or helping a colleague with a problem.
     
     
   • Use clear, polite, and natural language to make your responses sound conversational.
     
     
3. Practice Speaking Under Time Pressure
   
   
   • Set a timer and practice:
     
     
     • 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 the discussion in the Summarize Group Discussion task.
       
       
   • Stay calm and stay organized under pressure.
     
     
4. Improve Your Vocabulary and Tone
   
   
   • For the Summarize Group Discussion task, use more formal language like: “The discussion centered around…” or “The speakers expressed different views on…”
     
     
   • For the Respond to a Situation task, aim for professional and polite phrases: “Let me look into that” or “I’ll take care of this for you.”
     
     

✅ What to Do in the Exam

• Speak clearly and use neutral, simple language. Avoid slang or overly casual expressions.
  
  
• Stick to the facts you hear in the audio—don’t guess or make assumptions.
  
  
• Keep an eye on the timer and try to finish your response with a smooth conclusion.
  
  
• Speak at a steady pace—don’t rush, but don’t drag on either.
  
  
• Stay confident—even if you miss a small detail, focus on delivering a clear and organized response.
  
  

❌ What NOT to Do

• Don’t give personal opinions in the Summarize Group Discussion task—just focus on summarizing the speakers’ views.
  
  
• Don’t memorize answers—they’ll sound robotic. Speak naturally and spontaneously.
  
  
• Avoid using slang or informal language, especially in the Respond to a Situation task.
  
  
• Don’t overthink—keep your answers simple and straightforward.
  
  
• Don’t panic if you miss a small detail. Focus on clarity and structure.
  
  

📝 Sample Phrases to Practice

Summarize Group Discussion:

• “One speaker mentioned that…”
  
  
• “Another participant argued that…”
  
  
• “There was general agreement that…”
  
  

Respond to a Situation:

• “Thanks for bringing this to my attention.”
  
  
• “Let me check what I can do for you.”
  
  
• “Could I suggest another option?”
  
  

🎯 Final Thoughts

The introduction of the PTE Two New Speaking Tasks makes the test a more accurate reflection of your real-world communication skills. With the right preparation, these tasks can become your advantage, helping you demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively and naturally in English. Focus on staying calm, organized, and confident, and with enough practice, you’ll be well-prepared to ace these new tasks on test day.Source: Angel EduNext