From 7 August 2025, Pearson made one of the biggest changes in PTE Academic's recent history: two brand-new question types, Respond to a Situation and Summarize Group Discussion, became a permanent part of the exam. The total number of question types has increased from 20 to 22, and total test time has stretched slightly to accommodate them, now running to roughly two hours and fifteen minutes. If your test is booked on or after this date, here is everything PTE King's research has found about what changed and how to prepare.

Respond to a Situation: what it actually tests

You are shown a short, everyday scenario - for example, apologising to a colleague for a missed deadline, or negotiating a change of plans with a landlord - and asked how you would respond out loud. You typically get around 10 seconds to prepare and 40 seconds to speak. This task uses partial-credit scoring across three main criteria: Content (does your response actually address the situation, with original and relevant ideas rather than a memorised script), Fluency (natural, smooth delivery with minimal hesitation), and Pronunciation (how clearly your response can be understood).

Unlike older Speaking tasks that can lean on rehearsed templates, Respond to a Situation specifically rewards appropriate tone and genuine engagement with the scenario in front of you. The clearer and more natural your structure - acknowledge the situation, explain your position, make your point or request - the easier it is for the scoring system to identify your key content.

Summarize Group Discussion: what it actually tests

You will hear several speakers - usually three - discussing a topic, sometimes agreeing and sometimes disagreeing, and you need to summarise the discussion and the different viewpoints presented. It plays a lot like a spoken version of Summarize Written Text, so the same underlying approach applies: identify the main topic first, then capture each speaker's distinct position, rather than trying to transcribe everything you heard in order.

Why Pearson introduced these tasks

The shift reflects a broader change in what PTE is trying to measure: less rote memorisation of long, generic templates, and more genuine, spontaneous communication. Pearson has also increased human oversight alongside its AI scoring for several task types, specifically to catch responses that sound heavily rehearsed or generic rather than tailored to the actual prompt. That is exactly why PTE King has always recommended practising flexible structures over memorising fixed scripts.

What stays the same

• If your test was booked before 7 August 2025, nothing changes for you - these tasks only apply going forward.

• The other 20 question types across Speaking, Writing, Reading and Listening are unaffected in format or scoring.

• The overall 10-90 scoring scale and the Communicative Skills / Enabling Skills score breakdown remain the same.

How to prepare for both new tasks

Because these tasks are new, many candidates under-prepare for them simply by treating them as an extension of tasks they already know. Respond to a Situation is not Describe Image with a different prompt, and Summarize Group Discussion is not just a longer Summarize Spoken Text. Give each one dedicated practice time, and prioritise natural delivery over trying to sound impressive.

A closer look at how Respond to a Situation is actually scored

Because this task is new, many candidates assume it must be graded on a simple right-or-wrong basis, the way Answer Short Question is. In reality, it uses partial-credit scoring across three weighted criteria. Content is generally treated as the most heavily weighted factor: does your response genuinely address what the situation is asking for, using original and relevant language rather than a generic statement that could apply to almost any scenario? Fluency measures how smoothly your response flows, with minimal hesitation, self-correction or unnatural pausing. Pronunciation measures how clearly your response can be understood by both the automated scoring system and a human reviewer if your response is flagged for review. A candidate who nails pronunciation and fluency but gives a vague, generic answer will still score lower than one who is slightly less polished but clearly and specifically addresses the scenario.

Example scenario walkthrough

Imagine a prompt describing a situation where a colleague has repeatedly missed a shared deadline, and you need to raise the issue with them. A weak response might say something generic like "I would talk to them about the problem and try to solve it" - technically fluent, but almost content-free. A stronger response acknowledges the specific situation ("I understand we've missed the deadline a couple of times now"), addresses it directly and professionally ("I wanted to check in and see what's been getting in the way, since it's starting to affect the rest of the team"), and closes constructively ("Is there anything I can do to help get us back on track?"). Notice that the second response references the specific details in the prompt - "a couple of times", "affect the rest of the team" - rather than staying abstract.

Why the test duration extension matters more than it seems

The move from a strict two-hour format to roughly two hours and fifteen minutes might look like a minor logistical detail, but it has real implications for exam-day stamina. Candidates who trained for the previous two-hour format sometimes find their concentration dipping in the final 15-20 minutes of the newer, longer format, particularly during the Listening section when fatigue is highest. This is one of the strongest arguments for practising with a full-length mock test that reflects the current, longer duration rather than relying on muscle memory from an older exam structure.

How this compares to PTE Core

It's worth noting that Respond to a Situation was already a feature of PTE Core, the version of the test used for a different set of visa and immigration pathways, before it was added to PTE Academic. Candidates who have prior exposure to PTE Core materials may find the task format familiar, though the specific scoring emphasis and surrounding exam context differ between the two tests, so PTE Core practice alone isn't a substitute for PTE Academic-specific preparation.

Frequently asked questions

Do Respond to a Situation and Summarize Group Discussion affect my overall PTE score the same way as older tasks?

Yes. Both tasks contribute to your Speaking (and, for Summarize Group Discussion, potentially Listening) communicative skill scores in the same way as other tasks in their section.

Can I still use a general template for these tasks?

A light structural frame is fine, but a rigid, memorised script is risky under the current scoring approach, which specifically looks for content that is relevant to the actual prompt in front of you.

Where can I practise these new tasks specifically?

PTE King's Respond to a Situation and Summarize Group Discussion practice sections include real, frequently reported prompts, and both tasks are included in the correct exam order inside PTE King's free full-length mock test.

Practise both new tasks today with PTE King, then bring everything together with a full mock test that already reflects the 2025 exam structure.