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PTE Repeat Sentence practice, graded after every sentence

You hear a sentence once, then have 15 seconds to say it back exactly. It counts towards both your speaking and listening scores.

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By Thanh Tran, PTE and IELTS coach
Updated

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Part 1 of 3: Speaking and writing

Listen. The recording plays once.

You will hear a sentence. Please repeat the sentence exactly as you hear it. You will hear the sentence only once.

Status: Playing

Volume

Recorded Answer

Current Status : Beginning shortly

Question 9 of 32Stop and submit
A Repeat Sentence question in a PTE Academic mock test on Leap Exam, shown on a laptop

Key facts

The sentence

3 to 9 seconds of audio

Audio

Plays once, with no replay

Time to prepare

None, the microphone opens as the audio ends

Time to speak

15 seconds

In each test

10 to 12 questions

Skills scored

Speaking and listening

Questions to practise

Over 1,500, from real tests and Pearson's practice tests

What it is worth

7%of your overall score

Speaking
16% of the skill score
Listening
17% of the skill score

How it's scored

Pearson gives 3 content points when every word comes back in order, 2 for at least half and 1 for less than half.

Our engine scores content the same way and marks each word you missed or changed. It rates pronunciation and oral fluency from 0 to 5.

Speaking, Repeat Sentence

Question 4 of 10

Graded

10 / 13

Content
2 / 3

How many words from the sentence you said, in the right order

Pronunciation
4 / 5

How easily most listeners understand your speech

Oral fluency
4 / 5

A smooth, natural pace without hesitations or restarts

At least half the sentence came back in order, but not all of it, so content scored 2 of 3.

Practise Repeat Sentence

How to answer

Pearson scores the words you say back in the right order, so listen for phrases.

  1. Listen for the two or three phrases the speaker groups the words into.

  2. Start speaking as soon as the microphone opens, while you still remember the sentence.

  3. Copy the speaker's stress and pauses, but not their accent.

  4. If you miss a word, skip it and say the rest in order, without stopping.

  5. Don't add words that weren't in the sentence, and don't start again after a mistake.

Common mistakes

  • Waiting to start

    If you wait more than three seconds, the microphone closes.

  • Starting again after a mistake

  • Adding words

    Pearson counts each word you add as an error, the same as a word you drop or change.

  • Speaking too fast

  • Speaking too quietly or too loudly

Practise next

Common questions

How is Repeat Sentence scored in PTE?

Content is marked from 0 to 3, on how many words you say back in the right order. Pronunciation and oral fluency are each rated from 0 to 5, so one answer is worth up to 13 points.

How many Repeat Sentence questions are in the PTE exam?

Pearson's Score Guide lists 10 to 12 in each test. That's more than any other question type.

Does Repeat Sentence affect the listening score?

Yes. It counts towards both listening and speaking. On average it makes up about 17 per cent of the listening score and 16 per cent of the speaking score.

Can you replay the audio in Repeat Sentence?

No. The sentence plays once and you can record only once. Leap Exam plays each sentence once too.

What if I forget part of the sentence?

Say the words you remember, in order, and keep going. Pearson gives partial credit, so at least half the sentence in the right order still earns 2 of the 3 content points.

Should I take notes in Repeat Sentence?

Pearson advises against it, because the time is short. If notes help you, write only key words or the first letter of each word.

Get the score you need

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