PTE Repeat Sentence (RS): A Complete Guide to Get a High Score

Of all the tasks in the PTE Speaking section, Repeat Sentence (RS) is one of the most feared. You hear a short sentence, and you have to repeat it back perfectly. It sounds simple, but as many test-takers know, it’s a huge challenge.

It’s also one of the most important tasks in the entire exam. Why? Because, like Write From Dictation, it contributes points to two major skills at once. Your performance in Repeat Sentence directly impacts your Speaking and Listening scores.

If you’re aiming for a high score (like 65+ or 79+), you cannot afford to perform poorly on this task. This guide will give you a complete strategy to handle it. We’ll break down the scoring, teach you how to remember sentences more effectively, and give you a practical plan for what to do when your mind goes blank.

What is PTE Repeat Sentence?

Let’s start with the basics of the task.

• You will be presented with a short audio sentence, usually between 3 and 9 seconds long.
• You only hear the sentence once.
• As soon as the audio finishes, the microphone opens, and you have a few seconds to repeat the sentence back exactly as you heard it.
• You will face between 10 and 12 of these questions in the exam.

The goal is to reproduce the sentence with the same words, in the same order, and with a natural, fluent rhythm.

How Repeat Sentence is Scored: The Three Pillars

Understanding the scoring is the first step to success. Your response for each sentence is judged by the computer on three criteria:

• Content (3 points): This is based on how many words you repeat correctly and in the right order.
  • 100% of words correct = 3 points.
  • At least 50% of words correct = 2 points.
  • Less than 50% of words correct = 1 point.
• Oral Fluency (5 points): This measures how smoothly, naturally, and effortlessly you speak. A steady rhythm without pauses, hesitations, or self-corrections is key to a high score here.
• Pronunciation (5 points): This measures how clearly you speak. Your vowels and consonants should sound native-like.

The Crucial Insight: Notice that Fluency and Pronunciation are worth far more (10 points combined) than Content (3 points). This is the secret to a high score. A smooth, confident delivery of 70% of the sentence is much better than a hesitant, broken delivery of 100% of the sentence.

The Core Strategy: Focus on Meaning, Not Just Words

The biggest mistake students make is trying to memorize a string of meaningless sounds. Your short-term memory can’t handle that. The key to remembering the sentence is to understand its meaning.

When the audio plays, don’t just hear the words—visualize the scene.

• If you hear: “The library will be closed for renovation during the summer.”
• Don’t just memorize: “The-library-will-be-closed…”
• Instead, picture: A library with its doors locked and a construction sign on it.

When you understand the meaning and the image, the words will stick in your memory much more easily.

A Practical Technique: The Chunking Method
Instead of trying to remember 12 individual words, break the sentence into 3 or 4 meaningful chunks.

• Sentence: “The university’s main campus is located in the center of the city.”
• Chunk it: (The university’s main campus) + (is located) + (in the center of the city).

Listening for these small phrases is much easier than trying to catch every single word.

The “50% Rule”: Your Strategy for Long or Fast Sentences

What do you do when the sentence is too long or the speaker is too fast, and you know you can’t remember it all?

Don’t panic and say nothing. And don’t start, stop, and hesitate.

Instead, use the “50% Rule.” Your goal is to repeat at least half of the sentence, but do it fluently.

• Sentence: “Regular exercise and a balanced diet are essential for good health and well-being.”
• You only remember: “Regular exercise and a balanced diet are essential…”
• What to do: Say “Regular exercise and a balanced diet are essential” with perfect fluency and a confident tone, as if that were the whole sentence.

By doing this, you will still get 2 out of 3 points for Content, and you have a chance to get a full 5 points for Fluency and 5 for Pronunciation. That’s a great score for a difficult question! Hesitating and trying to remember the rest would destroy your Fluency score.

A Step-by-Step Process for Every RS Question

1. Listen to Understand: When the audio plays, close your eyes if you need to. Focus 100% on understanding the meaning of the sentence.
2. Take a Quick Mental Snapshot: Create a quick picture in your mind of what the sentence is about.
3. Repeat Immediately and Smoothly: As soon as the audio stops, start speaking. Don’t take a long pause to think. Repeat what you remember with a clear, confident, and steady rhythm.
4. Don’t Correct Yourself: If you make a mistake, just keep going. Stopping to say “sorry” or to fix a word will get you a zero for Fluency.
5. Finish Cleanly: Once you’ve said what you can remember, stop. Don’t add extra words or trail off.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

• Missing Plurals and ‘-ed’ Endings: This is a Content mistake. The only fix is active listening and practice. Train your ear to listen for that ‘s’ sound at the end of words.
• Forgetting Small Words (‘a’, ‘the’, ‘in’): This happens when you only focus on keywords. The “Chunking Method” helps fix this by keeping the small grammar words connected to the main words in a phrase.
• Starting Too Fast: Many students rush because they are afraid of forgetting. This makes their speech sound unnatural and can cause mistakes. Take one half-second to breathe, then start speaking at a normal, conversational pace.

Your Smart Practice Plan for Repeat Sentence

1. Build Your Foundation: Start with our dedicated PTE Repeat Sentence practice questions. Your goal isn’t to be perfect. Your goal is to practice the chunking method and the 50% rule.
2. Focus on Your Weaknesses: Record yourself. Are you always missing the ‘s’? Are you hesitating? Dedicate a whole session to fixing just that one problem.
3. Test Your Skills in Context: Repeat Sentence is part of the larger Speaking section. You need to be able to perform it alongside other tasks. Test your skills on our full PTE Speaking practice page.
4. Simulate Exam Pressure: A sectional test is the best way to see if you can maintain your fluency and memory when you’re under pressure. Try a PTE Speaking Sectional Mock Test.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. How many Repeat Sentence questions are there?

You will get between 10 and 12 Repeat Sentence questions in the exam.

Q2. Should I copy the speaker’s accent and intonation?

You should try to copy the intonation (the rise and fall of the voice), as this is part of natural speech. Do not try to copy the speaker’s accent. Speak clearly in your own natural accent.

Q3. What if I start coughing or the microphone has a problem?

If you have a momentary issue like a cough, do your best to continue the sentence fluently. Don’t stop. If you believe there was a technical issue with the microphone, raise your hand immediately to alert the test administrator.

The final step is to see how your Repeat Sentence performance impacts your overall Listening and Speaking scores. Take a free, full-length PTE mock test with a complete score report. See how you perform on this crucial task and get the feedback you need to finalize your strategy for exam day.