An audio text and transcript for ‘Summarise Spoken Text’ will be posted each week for the next six weeks! You will be able to find them right here.
The ‘Summarise Spoken Text‘ task requires you to listen to a 60-90 second text, summarise the main ideas and write a response in 50-70 words. You have ten minutes to complete the task.
The best way to tackle this task is to divide it into sections.
Part 1: listen and take notes of the main ideas.
Part 2: write a 50-70 word response.
Part 3: rewrite the response, ensuring you have all the main ideas covered, it makes sense and there are no grammatical or spelling errors.
Part 2 and 3 take about 4 minutes each.
E2Language PTE experts like Jay can help you improve your PTE listening score!E2Language has an excellent framework that is very successful in structuring your response. You can learn about this by watching our course video lessons and practice with your tutor in a tutorial.
Head to our E2PTE YouTube Channel for more PTE tips and methods videos!
Summarise Spoken Text Activity
Listen to the following text, take notes of the main ideas, and write a 50 to 70-word response. You have ten minutes to complete the task.
Transcript of audio:
So, my mother’s a pediatrician, and when I was young, she’d tell the craziest stories that combined science with her overactive imagination. One of the stories she told was that if you eat a lot of salt, all of the blood rushes up your legs, through your body, and shoots out the top of your head, killing you instantly. She called it “high blood pressure.”
This was my first experience with science fiction, and I loved it. So when I started to write my own science fiction and fantasy, I was surprised that it was considered un-African. So naturally, I asked, what is African? And this is what I know so far: Africa is important. Africa is the future. It is, though. And Africa is a serious place where only serious things happen.
So, when I present my work somewhere, someone will always ask, “What’s so important about it? How does it deal with real African issues like war, poverty, devastation or AIDS?” And it doesn’t. My work is about Nairobi pop bands that want to go to space or about seven-foot-tall robots that fall in love. It’s nothing incredibly important. It’s just fun, fierce and frivolous, as frivolous as bubble gum — “AfroBubbleGum.”
Notes:
• Mother pediatrician young crazy stories
• Blood shoots out the top of your head— “high blood pressure”
• Science fiction / fantasy = unAfrican
• “Africa is the future, Africa is serious.”
• “What is important about your work? War, poverty, AIDS?
• It’s not imptnt. It’s fun, fierce, frivolous.
• It’s AfroBubbleGum
Click Here to See our PTE 90 Sample Answer!
Summarise Spoken Text Answer:
The speaker was discussing her music and African heritage. She mentioned that her mother was a pediatrician and told her crazy stories when she was young. She talked about how she was told that Africa is the future and is serious. She described how when people ask if her work is about poverty, war or AIDS, she says it isn’t, suggesting that it is fun and frivolous like bubblegum—AfroBubbleGum.
(70 words)
Get the rundown of the PTE Listening section and check out PTE Listening Test: Tips for a PTE 90!
Good luck, and remember that perfect practice makes perfect. I hope I’ll see you at the next webinar!
Written by: David Williamson
Lubna says:
These tips are absolutely great. Thanks !!
Akhil Sharma says:
Jay,
The task says “Summarize Spoken Text”.
So, shouldn’t we summarize the lecture instead of writing in points as mentioned in the sample response?
I am very confused if we should summarize the lecture in minimum words or is it fine to write so many sentences.
Please clear out my dilemma.
olivia says:
Here’s a video class for more clarification!
The E2 method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc86wI4v4rc&t=1s
GOOD LUCK,
The E2 Team
Carol says:
She was discussing about her experience with science fiction.
Initially, she talked about her mum’s old science fiction story.
Then, she mentioned her own narrative, which received a negative feedback.
She described the importance of Africa to her.
She discussed how others questioned her narrative in answering real African issues.
She suggested that her story was fun and nothing of importance, just like an afro bubble gum.
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