SSTListeningWeight 4% Writing:11% Listening:5%

Summarize Spoken Text

You hear a short lecture recording and write a 20-30 word summary for a classmate who wasn't there, within 8 minutes.

Format

1-2 items
The audio plays only once
8 minutes to answer
Summary length 20-30 words

Scoring criteria

Content: 0-2, whether you cover the lecture's key points
Form: 0-2, whether the word count is 20-30
Grammar: 0-2
Vocabulary: 0-2
Spelling: 0-2

Scoring dimensions are condensed and paraphrased from Pearson's official PTE Core scoring guide for readability; refer to the official documentation for the exact wording.

Answering technique

1Take keyword notes as you listen (numbers, proper nouns, cause-effect words); don't try to write whole sentences
2As soon as it ends, while your memory is fresh, write down the keywords from your notes, then shape them into one coherent sentence
3The structure is like SWT: one complex sentence tying the main idea to one key detail, kept to 20-30 words
4Check spelling afterwards — this task adds Spelling on top of SWT / WE, so spelling accuracy matters more

Common pitfalls

Only catching the opening and missing the rest
Not controlling the word count