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PTE Academic · Speaking · S4

PTE Academic Speaking: Re-tell Lecture

Re-tell Lecture plays a short academic lecture, up to about 90 seconds, once. After it ends you have 10 seconds to prepare and 40 seconds to retell the main points in your own words. It appears 2 to 3 times in PTE Academic and feeds Listening and Speaking.

Items per test
2–3
Lecture length
Up to about 90 seconds (audio or video)
Preparation
10 seconds after the lecture ends
Speaking time
40 seconds
Scores
Listening and Speaking

How it works

  1. 1The lecture plays once. A related image may appear on screen.
  2. 2You can take notes while you listen.
  3. 3After the lecture, a 10-second preparation countdown runs.
  4. 4You speak for up to 40 seconds; about 3 seconds of silence ends the recording.

Sample task

Original sample · not from an official test

Lecture extract: "Coral reefs cover less than one percent of the ocean floor, yet they support around a quarter of marine species. The main threat today is warmer water, which causes corals to expel the algae they depend on, a process called bleaching. Some reefs recover when temperatures fall, but repeated heatwaves leave too little time." Retell the lecture.

Show a strong response

Outline: "The lecturer explained that coral reefs occupy a tiny part of the sea floor but support about a quarter of marine species. The biggest threat is rising water temperature, which causes bleaching, where corals lose the algae they need. Reefs can recover, but frequent heatwaves prevent this."

The retelling keeps the three ideas in order: importance, threat and consequence. It uses the lecture's key terms (bleaching, algae) but its own sentence structure.

Tips that work

  • Write keywords only: nouns and numbers. Full sentences in your notes mean missing the next point.
  • Listen for the lecture's structure words ('the main reason', 'however', 'as a result') and note them with an arrow or symbol.
  • Use the 10 seconds to number your three strongest points; start with the topic sentence.
  • Keep speaking evenly for most of the 40 seconds. A calm, complete summary beats a fast list of fragments.

Common mistakes

  • Spending the preparation time re-reading notes instead of choosing an order.
  • Describing the image rather than the lecture content.
  • Speaking so fast that key terms are unclear.

Questions candidates ask

Will there be a picture with the lecture?

Sometimes. A related still image may be shown, but your retelling should be based on what the speaker says.

Can I take notes?

Yes. Short keyword notes are the most practical way to keep the lecture's order in mind.

How much should I say?

Aim to cover the topic and two or three main points in clear sentences within the 40 seconds.

Other PTE Academic Speaking tasks

PTE Academic overviewPTE Academic Speaking: all partsPTE Academic full mock testsPTE Academic articles on the blog