PTE Summarise Spoken Text
You hear a short lecture and write a summary of 50 to 70 words in about 10 minutes. It feeds Listening and Writing. Unlike the written summary item, this one may run to several sentences — but the word range is still scored directly.
Notes become the summary
- Note the topic in a few words.
- Note three or four keywords in the order they come.
- Note the conclusion — speakers signal it.
- Write from the notes: one sentence for the topic, one or two for the points, one for the conclusion.
Fifty to seventy words is three or four sentences. Notes that carry four ideas are therefore exactly enough, and notes that try to carry ten guarantee you run over.
The scored constraints
- Word count — under 50 or over 70 costs form marks.
- Spelling and grammar are machine-scored, so the last minute is for checking.
- Content — the main points of the recording, in the recording's own key terms.
Ten minutes is generous for seventy words. Use the surplus to check the count and the spelling rather than to write more.
Summarise Spoken Text — FAQs
2 questions
Whatever fits 50–70 words, usually three or four. Unlike Summarise Written Text, one sentence is not required.
Write a coherent summary of what you have. Content is one component among several.
More listening question types
Sources
Written from the test board's own published material and checked on 1 October 2026.