PTE Academic topics in India,

 

New Speaking Tasks (From August 2025)

Starting August 7, 2025, PTE Academic globally—including in India—will include two new speaking task types:

• Respond to a Situation: You’ll get a real-life scenario (e.g. declining an invitation politely, responding to a coworker request). You have ~10 seconds to prepare, then speak for about 30–40 seconds. Focus: tone, fluency, and natural response style.Reddit+15SME Street+15Sumlingo+15LinkedIn

• Summarise a Group Discussion: Listen to a mini-discussion between 2–4 speakers (like a panel). Then, clearly convey main points in 20–30 seconds. Focus: key idea extraction, clarity, cohesion.vedantu.com+5SME Street+5LinkedIn+5

These tasks aim to replicate real-world academic and professional communication.SME Street+1Careers360+1

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📝 Updated Speaking & Writing Topics / Trends (2025)

✍️ Essay Writing/Phrase Prompts

Recent and recurring essay prompts include topics like:Sumlingo

1. Is online learning as effective as traditional classroom learning?

2. Should education be free for everyone?

3. Has technology improved communication or made it less personal?

4. Is a university degree essential for success?

5. Does globalization bring more pros than cons to a nation?

6. Is climate change the most serious threat to humanity?

7. Should public transport get more government spending vs new roads?

8. Should young people be required to do unpaid community service?

9. Should mobile phones be banned in classrooms?

10. Are printed books better for learning than e-books?

These prompts reflect ongoing global themes quite likely to appear in the PTE test.Reddit+11Sumlingo+11ptetips.co.uk+11

📣 Speaking Section: Usage Trends & Insights

• Read Aloud passages now often use academic vocabulary across fields like biology, economics, environment, tech. Expect 2–3 multi-sentence texts requiring expressive delivery—not just mechanical reading.ExamSnap+1Reddit+1

• Describe Image, Repeat Sentence & Retell Lecture remain high-importance speaking tasks. Prioritize fluency and intonation rather than memorized templates.Reddit+9Reddit+9LinkedIn+9

• Repeat Sentence now plays a subtle audio beep after the prompt to indicate when to begin speaking.LinkedIn

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🔍 Indian Context & Specific Notes

• The updates apply across all Indian PTE Academic centres, which number over 60 locations including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Vadodara, etc.ptetips.co.uk+15Careers360 Study Abroad+15SME Street+15

• Official preparation materials—such as practice tests and webinars—have been released by Pearson India to support these new task types.Careers360 Study Abroad+7SME Street+7LinkedIn+7

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✅ Summary: What to Practice TODAY

Task Type	What to Expect & Practice Tips
Respond to a Situation	Prepare polite, natural responses (30–40 sec), scenario-based, real‑world tone.
Summarise a Group Discussion	Listen to multi-person clips; summarise key ideas in 20–30 sec with clarity and structure.
Read Aloud	Academic multi-sentence passages; focus on prosody, pronunciation, pacing.
Repeat Sentence	Practice accuracy, slightly slower pace, ensure clarity and correct word reproduction.
Describe Image / Retell Lecture	Focus on fluency, structure, essential content—not recalled scripts.
Essay Writing	Write essays on current global topics (education, environment, tech); practice structuring within 20 min.
Note-taking for listening tasks	Develop fast, concise strategies to capture main points when summarising spoken text.

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📌 Key Cautions & Advice

• Public templates don’t work reliably anymore—especially for DI, RL, and essays. AI and human raters now flag copied structures. Instead, develop your own personalized templates and responses.vedantu.com+5Careers360 Study Abroad+5SME Street+5Reddit+9LinkedIn+9Reddit+9Sumlingo+7SME Street+7Careers360+7ExamSnapRedditReddit+1Reddit+1

• Indian aspirants report that mock platforms like APEUni can be harsher than the real exam. Use them for practice but calibrate expectations.Reddit+2Reddit+2Reddit+2

• Practice more than just accuracy — fluency, intonation, and natural speech rhythms now matter more than ever.ExamSnap+1LinkedIn+1

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🎯 How to Stay Prepared

1. Use updated official materials from Pearson to get used to the new task types.

2. Listen to or practise summarizing group discussions using study group or webinar clips.

3. Role-play real situational prompts and record spoken responses under timed conditions.

4. Read and speak aloud academic-style passages, focusing on intonation and accuracy.

5. Write essays frequently on the latest topics—while managing time and structure.

6. Take full-length mocks that include new format; review AI/human feedback for improvement.

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In summary, for Indian test‑takers, the latest PTE topics in 2025 are shaped by two new speaking question types and a clearer evaluative focus on real-life fluency and academic expression. Stay current by practicing the scenario-based tasks (Respond to Situation, Summarise Group Discussion), and refining your strategies for Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence, Describe Image, Retell Lecture, and Essay writing. This holistic, updated practice approach will greatly improve readiness for the enhanced PTE test format.

ample Prompts: New Speaking Tasks

Respond to a Situation

You’ll receive a scenario in text (up to ~60 words) and a brief audio. You get 10 seconds to prepare, then have 40 seconds to speak naturally, addressing all points. Examples:

• Scenario A: “A group member has asked you to prepare slides for your class presentation. You're willing to do them, but you need all the content by Friday. What would you say?”

• Scenario B: “Your friend invited you to attend a seminar with them next week, but you have classes then. How will you politely decline and suggest an alternate time?”

These tasks assess fluency, tone appropriateness, and communication clarity. Svarna Training+2LearnPTE+2OnePTE+2PTechampion

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Summarize Group Discussion

You listen to a 3-person academic-style discussion (~3 minutes), take notes, then have 10 seconds to organize and 2 minutes to speak. You must summarize key points with speaker attribution. Sample configurations:

• Discussion topic: Debate on whether universities should replace in-person labs with virtual simulations.

  • Speaker 1 emphasizes cost savings and scalability.

  • Speaker 2 argues practical skills and engagement suffer.

  • Speaker 3 proposes a blended approach: initial virtual orientation followed by selective in-person labs.

You’d then summarize: “In this discussion, Speaker 1 argued… Speaker 2 countered… Speaker 3 suggested…” with linking phrases and coherence. Svarna Training+2LearnPTE+2OnePTE+2

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✍️ Other Speaking & Writing Task Updates

• Read Aloud: Expect academic multi‑sentence texts with scientific, business, or environmental vocabulary. Practice for natural pacing, word stress, and clarity PTechampion.

• Repeat Sentence: Now includes a cue-beep before you speak—focus on capturing meaning, not memorization Svarna Training+2LearnPTE+2AlfaPTE+2.

• Describe Image / Retell Lecture: Higher frequency in the test; concentrate on fluency and logical sequencing rather than memorized templates OnePTE+3Svarna Training+3AlfaPTE+3.

• Essay Writing: Practice on topical issues (e‑learning, globalization, technology, environment) drawn from recent lists—develop clear structure, relevant arguments, and varied vocabulary Gateway International+6Sumlingo+6Reddit+6.

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🗓️ Six‑Week Prep Timeline (for exams August 2025 onward)

Week	Focus Area	Key Actions
Week 1	Test Structure & Timing	Review format changes announcements. Take a baseline full mock test. Reddit+4LearnPTE+4OnePTE+4PTechampion+3Svarna Training+3OnePTE+3
Week 2	Respond to Situation	Practice 4‑6 scenarios daily. Record answers, review tone and fluency.
Week 3	Summarize Group Discussion	Listen to group talk clips, practice note-taking skimming strategies, deliver timed summaries.
Week 4	Core Speaking Tasks	Train Read Aloud (academic passages), Repeat Sentence (accuracy + clarity), Describe Image, Retell Lecture.
Week 5	Writing Practice	Write one essay (20 min) on PTE‑style prompts (e.g. online learning effectiveness, globalization pros/cons). Review grammar, coherence, vocabulary. SumlingoPTechampion
Week 6	Full-Length Mocks & Review	Take 2 full official mocks under timed conditions. Use Pearson official scored tests via Smart Prep or paid sets. Review weak areas using feedback. ScribdOnePTE

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👥 Practitioner Tips from Test‑Takers

Reddit users share practical insights:

“Do mock tests on ApeUni for familiarity; scores may be stricter than actual exam.” Reddit+1Reddit+1Reddit+4Reddit+4Reddit+4
“Use Gurully or Alfa PTE—especially helpful with pronunciation/fluency—plus review weak areas nightly.” Reddit+7Reddit+7Reddit+7

Other key advice:

• Avoid rote templates—answers flagged by AI or human scoring if obviously copied. Reddit+5AlfaPTE+5Reddit+5

• Train volume over intensity: multiple shorter sessions (e.g., 1-hour daily) across tools like Gurully, ApeUni, E2 Language helps build comfort. Reddit+4Reddit+4Reddit+4

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✅ Final Checklist Before Exam

• Master both new speaking task types.

• Practice fluency in core speaking tasks: Read Aloud, Repeat Sentence, Describe Image, Retell Lecture.

• Write essays on current topics with clear structure and varied vocabulary.

• Do full timed mocks using official scored tests via Pearson Smart Prep or reliable platforms replicating the new format (e.g. OnePTE) Reddit+12OnePTE+12LearnPTE+12Svarna Training+2PTechampion+2AlfaPTE+2.

• Watch your tone, relevance, and coherence—especially with human-checked tasks.

• Stay calm and consistent: small daily improvements beat last-minute cramming.