PTE Listening: Summarize spoken text

PTE Tips for Summarize Spoken Text

Listening is one of the major skills that allow us to function properly. You must have good listening skills. And, PTE listening tests help you with this. In PTE summarize spoken text, you have to hear an audio recording and make a summary of about 50-70 words on what you heard.

Basically, you need to reduce a spoken text of about 60-90 seconds to 50-70 words. There is a set time to accomplish this task. The analogy provided for this task is that you are attending a lecture that your friend could not. So, you have to summarize the entire lecture for them within the given word limit. You need to listen, take notes, and provide them with the significant details from the lecture.

While listening to the audio, you can write down the keywords. These keywords can be verbs, nouns, and phrases comprising two or three words. The most important point is that you jot down brief notes of the primary ideas. You can even write exactly what you hear word for word and then paraphrase them.

How to Excel Summarize Spoken Text Test

Note-Taking

While taking notes, write quickly and clearly as you have to reread them. So, jot down the notes on your notepad using a reasonable amount of space. When you listen, keep on writing the main ideas. Start writing the main ideas as soon as the speaker starts. Do not wait until the track begins to make any sense.

Timing

Utilize the entire time that you are given as you would not get any credits for unused time. Use this time for refining your response so that you get the overall score. You have to use the first 60-90 seconds for listening and taking notes on your notepad. Then, for some seconds, recollect the primary ideas.

Now, draft a response while taking four minutes. Lastly, review and rewrite your response for three minutes. While reviewing, you can check if your response has the primary ideas from the spoken text, if it is making any sense, if the word choice, spelling, and grammar are correct. When you check correct grammar usage, you must also check subject-verb agreement, plural or singular verbs, and verb tenses.

Draft your response

Once done with taking notes, refine them for some seconds while recalling from the spoken text. Now, group all the ideas together and start writing up the framework from the notes. You can paraphrase the main ideas into your own words wherever possible. Ensure that you incorporate the topic in the very first sentence. Every sentence needs to have a primary noun and verb.

Keep a check on the word count tab present at the bottom of your screen. This option shows the number of words that you write. Ensure that you write your response between 50 words and 70 words. You can also use other options available there, such as cut, copy, and paste while constructing the summary.

Write a good copy

After writing a draft, do not just submit. You have to spend some minutes to review your text, improving the word choice, and checking for errors to make sure that your response is accurate and include all the primary ideas.

Also, check punctuation and spelling. While doing so, keep an eye on the running time. Try to finish the written task before the allotted time.

So, the main keys are:

  • Listen carefully to the recording
  • Jot down the main ideas and notes
  • Write down all that you can recall from the recording
  • Write a draft with the correct framework
  • Review your draft to make corrections
  • Submit your response