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Part 3 · Listening · SST

Summarize Spoken Text: Listening PTE question type

You hear a short academic passage — often a lecture introduction — and write a 50 to 70 word summary.

You have a short preparation window before the audio, and you may take notes. This is the only written response in the Listening section, and it is the only item there that scores Writing.

Scoring

How Summarize Spoken Text is scored

Form is 2 points at 50 to 70 words, 1 point at 40 to 49 or 71 to 100, and 0 outside that — form 0 zeroes the whole item. Content runs 0 to 4, with grammar, vocabulary and spelling scored alongside.

Skills scored
Listening — contributes to your Listening scoreWriting — contributes to your Writing score
Questions per test
1 in Listening
Traits Pearson rates
Content · Form · Grammar · Vocabulary · Spelling

This is an integrated item: it counts towards 2 different skill scores at once, which is why its weighting in a full test is higher than a single-skill item.

Watch out

Common Summarize Spoken Text mistakes

  1. 1Dropping to 39 words while trying to be precise, losing all form points.
  2. 2Writing the summary as a list, which the form band treats as zero.
  3. 3Transcribing rather than summarising, which never fits the word limit.

Strategy

Form is worth 2 points at 50–70 words, 1 at 40–49 or 71–100, and 0 outside that. Form 0 scores the whole item at zero.
Practice Summarize Spoken TextSit a full mock

Questions

Summarize Spoken Text questions, answered

How many Summarize Spoken Text questions are on the PTE Academic?

A PTE Academic has 1 Summarize Spoken Text items in the Listening section. Each one is an integrated item, so it counts towards both your Listening and Writing scores.

How is Summarize Spoken Text scored?

Form is 2 points at 50 to 70 words, 1 point at 40 to 49 or 71 to 100, and 0 outside that — form 0 zeroes the whole item. Content runs 0 to 4, with grammar, vocabulary and spelling scored alongside.

What goes wrong most often on Summarize Spoken Text?

Dropping to 39 words while trying to be precise, losing all form points.

Keep going

Related listening question types

All Listening question types · tips for all 22 types · full test format · how PTE scores work.

Scoring figures on this page follow the current PTE Academic official guide. This is an independent practice site and is not affiliated with Pearson.