Summarize Group Discussion and Respond to a Situation: The Two New PTE Tasks

These two tasks joined PTE Academic on 7 August 2025, taking the test to 22 scored task types. They are the hardest part of the test to prepare for with conventional PTE coaching, because conventional PTE coaching teaches the opposite habits.

Summarize Group Discussion

You hear several people discussing a topic. You then summarise what the group covered.

This is not Re-tell Lecture with more voices. A lecture has one argument and a clear line through it. A discussion has several people who may agree, partly agree, or disagree outright — and the marks are in reporting that accurately, not in reproducing the content of the loudest speaker.

Take notes by speaker, not by topic

Before the audio starts, divide your notepad into columns — one per speaker if you can tell how many there are, otherwise three. As each person speaks, note their position in two or three words under their column.

Students who take notes in a single list end up with a pile of points and no idea who held which. Reconstructing that under time pressure is where the task is lost.

Report the shape of the discussion

A good summary has three moves:

1. What the group was discussing.
2. The main positions taken, attributed.
3. Where they agreed or disagreed.

"The group discussed whether remote work should continue. The first speaker argued it saves commuting time. The second disagreed, saying new staff learn less. They agreed that it depends on the role."

Short, plain, accurate. That is what the task wants.

Listening is the real skill here

If you cannot follow a multi-speaker conversation in English, no speaking technique will save this task. Train it directly: panel discussions, podcasts with two or three hosts, radio debates. Pause after two minutes and say aloud who argued what. It is uncomfortable at first and improves quickly.

Respond to a Situation

You are given an everyday scenario and asked to respond as you would in real life. A colleague has asked you to cover a shift. A neighbour's building work is keeping you awake. A friend wants advice about a course.

The register problem

This is where students trained on exam English struggle, and the reason is slightly sad: they have spent months learning to sound like a formal essay, and this task wants a person.

"I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere apologies regarding the aforementioned matter" is not a better answer than "I'm really sorry about that — I should have told you earlier." It is a worse one. It does not fit the situation.

Speak the way you would to a colleague you like. Direct, polite, specific.

A shape that fits most situations

• Acknowledge the situation in one sentence.
• Respond — accept, decline, apologise, advise, whatever the scenario calls for.
• Give one reason or one detail, so the response is concrete.
• Close with a next step or an offer.

Four short sentences. Note that this is a shape, not a script: the words change completely with the scenario, and they have to.

What the task is really testing

Whether you can use English to do something, rather than to perform. Pearson's customers include universities and employers who want to know you can hold a workplace conversation. That is what this measures.

Preparing for both

1. Make sure your practice platform has them. A mock test that still has 20 task types is preparing you for the pre-August-2025 exam.
2. Practise note-taking as its own skill. It serves Summarize Group Discussion, Re-tell Lecture and Summarize Spoken Text at once.
3. Say ordinary things out loud in English. Decline an invitation. Apologise for being late. Ask a favour. These are the exact moves Respond to a Situation asks for.
4. Drop the formal filler. If a phrase would sound odd said to a friend, it does not belong in this task.

Two worked examples

A group discussion about campus parking

Three speakers. The first wants more parking built. The second says parking encourages driving and the money should go to buses. The third agrees with the second on principle but points out that staff travel from outside the city.

A weak summary: "The speakers discussed parking and gave different opinions about what should be done." True, and worth almost nothing.

A strong summary: "The group discussed whether the campus needs more parking. One speaker argued for expanding it. A second disagreed, saying funding should go to buses instead. The third broadly agreed with that but noted staff commuting from outside the city would still need to drive."

Same length. The difference is attribution and specifics.

A situation you cannot script

"Your flatmate has been leaving the kitchen in a mess. Speak to them about it."

A weak response: "I would like to bring to your attention a matter of some concern regarding the current state of our shared facilities." Nobody speaks like this, and the stiffness is itself a mismatch with the task.

A strong response: "Hey, can we talk about the kitchen for a minute? It's been getting left in a bit of a state and I end up cleaning it before I can cook. Could we try washing up straight after? I'm happy to do a rota if that's easier."

Acknowledge, state the issue, give a concrete detail, offer a next step. Ordinary English, doing a job.

Language Academy Bangladesh runs PTE batches built around the current 22-task format, capped at 12 students, in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. Book a free consultation if you sat the test before August 2025 and want to know what has changed.