PTE Summarize Spoken Text Templates and Strategies

Summarize Spoken Text, or SST, is one of the most important tasks in the PTE exam. Why? Because it tests two skills at once. Your performance here adds points to both your Listening and Writing scores.

Doing well in SST is a shortcut to boosting two sections with one task.

But many students struggle. They miss key points in the audio, don’t know how to structure their summary, or run out of time. This guide will fix that. We will give you a simple, effective template and a step-by-step method to follow, turning this tricky task into one of your strongest.

First, What is Summarize Spoken Text?

Let’s quickly cover the basics of this task.

• You will listen to a short audio lecture, usually 60 to 90 seconds long.
• After the audio finishes, you have 10 minutes to write a summary.
• Your summary must be between 50 and 70 words.

The goal is to accurately report the main points of the lecture in your own words, within the word limit.

How Your SST is Scored

To calculate the score of Summarize Spoken Text, Pearson’s scoring engine looks at five things:

1. Content (2 points): Did you identify and include all the main points from the lecture?
2. Form (2 points): Is your summary between 50 and 70 words? If it’s outside this range, you get a zero for the entire task.
3. Grammar (2 points): Is your summary grammatically correct?
4. Vocabulary (2 points): Did you use appropriate and accurate words?
5. Spelling (2 points): Are there any spelling mistakes?

Notice how important the basics are. Even a perfect summary will get zero points if the word count is wrong.

The Most Important Skill: Smart Note-Taking

Your summary is only as good as your notes. You can’t remember a 90-second lecture perfectly. The key is to write down keywords and short phrases, not full sentences.

Here is a simple method to follow:

1. Divide Your Noteboard: Before the audio starts, draw a line down the middle of your erasable noteboard.
2. Focus on Nouns and Verbs: As you listen, write down important nouns (names, places, ideas) and verbs (actions). Ignore small words like ‘a’, ‘the’, ‘is’.
3. Use Abbreviations: Write “info” for information, “dev” for development, “gov” for government. Create your own shorthand to save time.
4. Capture the Main Idea: Your main goal is to understand the speaker’s core message. What is the one thing they are trying to explain?

The Proven Summarize Spoken Text Template for a 79+ Score

This template is designed to be simple, grammatically correct, and easy to adapt to any lecture. It helps you structure your summary perfectly every time.

The speaker was discussing [Main Topic]. He/she mentioned that [Key Point 1]. Furthermore, the lecture suggested that [Key Point 2]. Finally, it was concluded that [Key Point 3], which is an important aspect of [Main Topic again].

Let’s look at why this works:

• It naturally creates complex sentences, which is good for your grammar score.
• It uses connecting words like “Furthermore” and “Finally” to create a logical flow.
• It ensures you cover multiple points from the lecture.

A Step-by-Step Example: Putting It All Together

Let’s imagine you hear a short lecture about climate change and agriculture. Your notes might look like this:

• Climate change -> big problem
• Impacts agriculture
• Higher temps -> less crops
• Farmers need new methods
• Gov helping -> new tech

Now, let’s fit these notes into our template.

1. Main Topic: Climate change and its effect on agriculture.
2. Key Point 1: Higher temperatures lead to fewer crops.
3. Key Point 2: Farmers need to adopt new methods.
4. Key Point 3: The government is helping with new technology.

Putting it into the template:

“The speaker was discussing climate change and its effect on agriculture. He/she mentioned that higher temperatures are leading to a reduction in crop yields. Furthermore, the lecture suggested that farmers need to adopt new methods to cope with these changes. Finally, it was concluded that the government is helping by providing new technology, which is an important aspect of tackling climate change in agriculture.”

This summary is 65 words long, grammatically correct, and covers all the main points. It’s a perfect score.

Feeling confident? It’s time to put this into action. Head over to our SST Practice Section to try this template on real exam questions.

Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid

1. Exceeding the Word Count: Going over 70 words or under 50 words results in a zero. Always check your word count at the bottom of the screen before you submit.
2. Writing in Bullet Points: Your summary must be a single, complete paragraph. Do not use bullet points or numbered lists.
3. Adding Your Own Opinion: Only report what the speaker said. Do not add your own thoughts, ideas, or conclusions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Should I write in my own words or use words from the lecture?
A mix of both is best. Use the main keywords (nouns) from the lecture to show you understood the content. Use your own words to form the sentences and connect the ideas.

2. How many key points should I aim for?
Try to capture 3 to 4 main ideas or key points from the lecture. This is usually enough to write a comprehensive summary within the word limit.

3. What happens if I don’t understand the lecture?
Don’t panic. Even if the topic is difficult, focus on writing down the words you do understand. Try to find the repeated nouns. Write down what you can and form the best summary possible. A partial score is better than no score.

Your Final Step Before the Exam

You now have a complete strategy for the Summarize Spoken Text task. You know how it’s scored, how to take notes, and you have a reliable template you can use every time.

The final step is practice. Theory is good, but only practice builds the speed and confidence you need for exam day.

Start by using our free practice questions. Then, see how you perform under real exam conditions.

Sign up at onepte.com and take a free PTE mock test with a scored report card. You will see exactly how your SST performance impacts your Listening and Writing scores, so you can perfect your strategy.