Repeat Sentence Questions in PTE Speaking

Learn about Repeat sentence questions in PTE speaking with an overview, recommended strategy and practice questions.

Table of contents

Overview
Example question
Scoring criteria
Recommended strategy
Practice questions

Overview

Repeat sentence questions test your ability to understand and remember a sentence that you hear, and then repeat it exactly as you hear it using correct pronunciation.

Here are some key points about Repeat sentence questions:

They assess both speaking and listening skills.
The recordings are approximately 3–9 seconds in length.
Each recording is played once only.
You’ll have 15 seconds to record your response.
Partial credit scoring applies.
You’ll answer 10–12 Repeat sentence questions in the speaking test.

Example question

Here’s an example Repeat sentence question related to the topic of exams.

You can try this question in the practice section.

You will hear a sentence. Please repeat the sentence exactly as you hear it. You will hear the sentence only once.

Scoring criteria

There are three scoring criteria for Repeat sentence questions.

Criterion	What does this mean?
Content	Have you included all of the words from the sentence in your response (and not added any others)?
Oral fluency	Do you speak smoothly, easily and at a natural speed?
Pronunciation	Do you produce speech sounds correctly/appropriately?

NOTE: Regional and national varieties of English pronunciation are understood and accepted.

Recommended strategy

Here’s my recommended strategy for answering Repeat sentence questions.

While you’re listening

Try to remember the sentence. You can take notes if you wish, but there won’t be time to take complete notes – you’ll only be able to write down key words and phrases.
Focus on the meaning of the sentence. This will make it easier to remember. It will also help you stress the right words and use natural intonation.

While you’re speaking

Speak naturally – you don’t need to copy the speaker’s accent.
Speak at a normal speed. There’s no need to rush – you’ll have enough time to finish.
Don’t speak too quietly. If you do, it may be hard for the computer to score your response accurately.
If there are words in the recording that you don’t know, just make an attempt and move on.
If you make a mistake, just keep going – don’t try to correct yourself.