PTE Summarize Group Discussion practice
Pearson average: Listening ≈20% · Speaking ≈19%PTE new question types: SGD and Respond to a Situation · PTE Academic exam format
What the task is
New in PTE Academic from 7 August 2025, in the Speaking part.
You hear three people discuss a topic for about 2.5–3 minutes, once. Then you get 10 seconds to prepare and up to 2 minutes to speak.
Content rewards an accurate account of the whole discussion: what each speaker thinks and why, and where they agree or end up. It is also marked on pronunciation and oral fluency.
Timings from Pearson's “Summarize group discussion” article; check Pearson's current test-taker handbook before your test.
Scoring example
Scored: · #SGD1-001
Question from our bank
Priya: I think every lecture should be recorded and attendance should be optional. Many of us work part-time, and watching a recording at double speed in the evening is far more efficient than sitting in a hall at nine in the morning. Tomas: I see the appeal, but when my department started recording everything, attendance dropped to about a third and the lecturers stopped asking questions because nobody was there to answer. The lecture became a monologue, which is worse for everyone. Amara: For me the issue is equity rather than attendance. Students with disabilities or caring responsibilities rely on recordings, so removing them would hurt the people who already have the least flexibility. Priya: Exactly, and if a lecture is only valuable because people are physically trapped in the room, that says something about the teaching. Tomas: That's fair, and I wouldn't want to take recordings away from anyone who needs them. My worry is really about the design of the sessions, so maybe the answer is to record the content but run smaller compulsory workshops where discussion actually happens. Amara: I could support that, as long as the workshops are scheduled flexibly and the recordings stay available to everyone rather than only to students who apply for special access.
Sample answer we recorded / wrote for this example
Created by RealPTE for this example; not a student submission. Speaking audio is synthetic.
The three students discussed whether lectures should be recorded and attendance made optional. Priya supported full recording because students who work part-time can study more efficiently from recordings. Tomas was concerned that recording had emptied his department's lectures and turned them into monologues, so he preferred keeping live sessions interactive. Amara focused on equity, arguing that students with disabilities or caring duties depend on recordings. Tomas eventually agreed recordings should stay and suggested recording content while adding compulsory workshops, which Amara accepted if they were flexibly scheduled.
Listen to the sample answer
Words recognised from the recording
The three students discussed whether lectures should be recorded and attendance made optional. Priya supported full recording because students who work part-time can study more efficiently from recordings. Thomas was concerned that recording had emptied his department's lectures and turned them into monologues, so he preferred keeping live sessions interactive. Amara focused on equity, arguing that students with disabilities or caring duties depend on recordings. Thomas eventually agreed recording should stay and suggested recording content while adding compulsory workshops which Amara accepted if they were flexibly scheduled.
Actual scoring output
- Content
- 5 / 5 points
- Pronunciation estimate
- Not available
- Fluency estimate
- 5.0 / 5 points
- Covered point: topic: recording lectures and optional attendance
- Covered point: Priya: part-time workers study efficiently from recordings
- Covered point: Tomas: recording caused attendance drop and monologues
- Covered point: Amara: equity for disabled and caring students
- Covered point: outcome: record content plus flexible compulsory workshops
Recognised words per minute: 141
This saved example uses local speech recognition and the real RealPTE scoring code. Live practice uses a different recognition service, so its transcript and estimates may differ. No pronunciation score was returned for this example.
These are practice estimates, not official Pearson scores. A synthetic voice does not measure a learner's speaking ability.
Compare the answer with the situation or discussion. Check the stated details and whether the request or summary is complete, then record your own answer.
Revised answer to practise (not scored)
The three students discussed whether university lectures should be recorded and attendance made optional. Priya supported full recording because students who work part-time can study more efficiently from recordings. Tomas was concerned that recording had emptied his department's lectures and turned them into monologues, so he preferred keeping live sessions interactive. Amara focused on equity, arguing that students with disabilities or caring duties depend on recordings. Tomas eventually agreed recordings should stay and suggested recording content while adding compulsory small workshops, which Amara accepted if they were flexibly scheduled.
Priya supports flexible recorded study; Tomas worries about lost interaction; Amara highlights access and equity. The saved model connects all three positions to flexible workshops. Content already received full saved points; this alternative is not evidence of a score increase. Pronunciation is unavailable.
Notes and a summary structure
- While you listen: three short columns, one per speaker. Keywords only: their view, their reason, any change of mind.
- Topic (one sentence): what the group was discussing.
- Each speaker in turn: their position and the main reason, using their names.
- Where it ended: the agreement, the compromise, or what is still open.
Where marks are usually lost
- Summarising only the first speaker, or only the side you agree with.
- Adding your own opinion: the task is to report theirs.
- Stopping after 40 seconds: you have up to 2 minutes, and a full account needs most of it.
- Losing track of who said what: name each speaker.
Worked example: Recording University Lectures
The discussion
Priya: I think every lecture should be recorded and attendance should be optional. Many of us work part-time, and watching a recording at double speed in the evening is far more efficient than sitting in a hall at nine in the morning.
Tomas: I see the appeal, but when my department started recording everything, attendance dropped to about a third and the lecturers stopped asking questions because nobody was there to answer. The lecture became a monologue, which is worse for everyone.
Amara: For me the issue is equity rather than attendance. Students with disabilities or caring responsibilities rely on recordings, so removing them would hurt the people who already have the least flexibility.
Priya: Exactly, and if a lecture is only valuable because people are physically trapped in the room, that says something about the teaching.
Tomas: That's fair, and I wouldn't want to take recordings away from anyone who needs them. My worry is really about the design of the sessions, so maybe the answer is to record the content but run smaller compulsory workshops where discussion actually happens.
Amara: I could support that, as long as the workshops are scheduled flexibly and the recordings stay available to everyone rather than only to students who apply for special access.
Model summary
All Summarize Group Discussion questions (60)
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