PTE speaking task guide

PTE Retell Lecture: format, scoring and practice

Retell Lecture combines one-listen note-taking with a short spoken presentation. The aim is to preserve the lecture's main message and important relationships, then deliver them clearly in 40 seconds.

Practise Retell Lecture See all PTE tasks
Task overview

Retell Lecture at a glance

PromptAudio or video up to 90 seconds
Preparation10 seconds
Response40 seconds
Skills scoredListening and Speaking
Test-day flow

How Retell Lecture works

  1. You listen to or watch an academic lecture lasting up to 90 seconds.
  2. After the recording, you have 10 seconds to organise your notes.
  3. You speak once for up to 40 seconds, retelling the lecture in your own words.
Scoring

What your response is scored on

Content

Credit reflects how accurately and thoroughly you convey the main points, relationships and supported conclusions.

Pronunciation

Speech should be immediately understandable to a regular English speaker.

Oral fluency

A natural rate, smooth phrasing and controlled rhythm score better than fragmented recall.

Use scores as direction, not certainty

Pearson does not publish the complete scoring algorithm or raw-to-scale conversion. PrepEx feedback and 10-90 scores are practice estimates, not official PTE results.

Original example

Sample-style lecture task

Retell Lecture Sample task
Plays once
Reveal the sample sentence

The lecture explains that coastal wetlands reduce storm damage by absorbing wave energy, but argues that their protective value depends on preserving connected habitats rather than restoring small isolated sites.

This is an original PrepEx example designed to demonstrate the response format. It is not an official Pearson test item.

Practice method

How to improve at Retell Lecture

  1. Take notes as a hierarchy: topic, main points, then only the strongest supporting details.
  2. Use the 10 seconds to choose an opening and order your notes rather than writing new content.
  3. Speak continuously and prioritise accurate meaning over reproducing the lecturer's exact wording.
Practice this task type

Learn the strategy here, then practise filtered Retell Lecture items in the Practice Hub.

Practise Retell Lecture Back to all PTE task types
Focused session

A 15-minute Retell Lecture practice loop

01

Preview the rules

Re-read the timing, scoring traits and common mistakes on this guide before opening practice.

02

Run focused attempts

Open the filtered Practice Hub view and complete several Retell Lecture attempts without switching task types.

03

Review and repeat

Use your activity history and target plan to decide whether to repeat this task or move to the next weak family.

Continue the loop

Stay on this task for a short focused set, then review whether it should remain your priority.

Run focused attempts Review attempts Update target plan
Avoidable errors

Common mistakes

  • Recording isolated details without identifying the lecture topic
  • Reading notes as disconnected fragments
  • Repeating the same point when recall runs out
  • Spending the opening seconds searching for a perfect first sentence
Accuracy and source

Checked against Pearson's current format

Task format, timing and published scoring traits were checked against Pearson's current PTE Academic test-format guidance on June 23, 2026. Pearson remains the final authority and may update the test.

Primary source: Pearson PTE Academic test format.

All PTE task typesBrowse the complete 22-task library by section. How PTE scoring worksUnderstand partial credit, score traits and the 10-90 scale. Practise Retell LectureGo directly to matching items in the PTE Practice Hub.
PTE Academic is a trademark of Pearson Education Ltd. PrepEx is independent of Pearson. PrepEx scores are practice estimates, not official Pearson scores.