What do you need to do?
- You listen once to a discussion between three people lasting up to three minutes.
- After the audio, you have 10 seconds to organise your notes.
- You speak once for up to two minutes, summarising the discussion in your own words.
Keep in mindPreparation: 10 seconds. Response: 2 minutes. Scored skills: Listening and Speaking.
What should your answer do?
Summarise the issue and the contributions of all three speakers.
How to answer
- Track speakers separately
Give each speaker a note column. Record their main position and one useful reason, without trying to transcribe the conversation.
- Mark the relationships
Note agreement, disagreement, clarification and proposed solutions. Update a position if a speaker changes or qualifies it.
- Plan a synthesis
Use the 10 seconds to identify the shared issue and decide how to group related contributions. Include each speaker accurately.
- Report the discussion
Introduce the issue, explain the views and how they connect, then mention any outcome actually reached. Keep your own opinion separate from the summary.
Practise each part of Summarize Group Discussion
Use these focused exercises to work on one part at a time, then bring them together in a complete attempt.
Speaker coverage
Use three columns so the final speaker does not replace earlier contributions in memory.
Agreement and disagreement
Practise reporting partial agreement and qualifications as well as direct opposing views.
Synthesis
Group related ideas around the issue instead of replaying every turn in chronological order.
Sample-style group discussion
Reveal the sample sentence
Three students discuss extending library hours: one prioritises late access during exams, another raises staffing costs, and the third proposes a shorter trial supported by usage data.
This is an original PrepEx example designed to demonstrate the response format. It is not an official Pearson test item.
Common mistakes to watch for
- Summarising only the final speaker
- Listing comments without explaining how they relate
- Copying phrases instead of paraphrasing the discussion
- Using the two minutes to repeat points rather than add coverage
How to improve your next answer
After one listen, give a timed summary. Use the transcript afterward to colour-code coverage by speaker and underline relationship words. Repeat the weakest section, then try another discussion.
- Check that every speaker is represented and that ideas are attributed correctly.
- Distinguish a proposed solution from a final agreement; do not claim consensus that the speakers did not reach.
Change one thing, then try a new question. A better repeat on a familiar prompt is useful rehearsal; a fresh prompt shows whether you can apply the skill.
Try Summarize Group Discussion
Review previous attempts to see whether the same issue keeps returning.
What your response is scored on
Content
Credit reflects the main topic, each speaker's contribution, relationships between views and accurate paraphrasing.
Pronunciation
Speech should be immediately understandable to a regular English speaker.
Oral fluency
The summary should maintain natural pacing, connected phrasing and controlled rhythm.
Read the feedback alongside the number and use it to choose your next exercise. A PrepEx score is a practice estimate, not an official PTE score. Only Pearson can issue an official result.
Check the rules before test day
Read the official Pearson task instructions before your test. Follow Pearson's current instructions if the format changes.
Task instructions and timing checked October 15, 2026. The exercises and study suggestions on this page are independent preparation guidance.