PTE score of 45-50, the Repeat Sentence (RS) task can feel overwhelming.
However, the scoring system is designed to reward Fluency and
Pronunciation more heavily than perfect word-for-word accuracy
.
This means you do not need to repeat 100% of the sentence to hit
your target. Instead, you need to focus on speaking smoothly and clearly, even
if you only catch part of the sentence.
Here is a breakdown of practical tips and sample questions
tailored for your target score.
🎯 Strategy for 45-50 Scorers: The
"Chunking" Approach
At a 45-50 level, your goal is to secure partial credit. The AI
scores Content
based on how many words you repeat in the correct order (2 out of 3 points is
awarded for getting at least 50% of the words right) .
Key Rules for Beginners:
1.Do Not Correct Yourself:
If you make a mistake, keep going. Stopping to say "sorry" or
restarting destroys your Oral Fluency score .
2.Avoid Fillers:
Do not use "uh," "um," or long pauses. Silence or
hesitations will drop your Fluency score significantly .
3.Prioritize Flow:
A smooth delivery of 70% of the sentence is worth more than a broken delivery
of 100% .
4.Skip Notes:
Do not try to write down the sentence. The audio is only 3-9 seconds long.
Taking notes will distract you from listening .
🗣️ Memory Technique: Chunking
Since the sentences are 9-15 words long, your short-term memory
might struggle . Instead of remembering individual words, break the sentence
into meaningful
chunks (groups of 3-4 words) .
Example: Original:
"The library / will be closed / for renovations / during the summer
break." Chunks:
1.The library
2.will be closed
3.for renovations
4.during the summer break
When the audio finishes, say these chunks immediately without
pausing between them.
📝 Sample Questions & Answers
Here are 5 practice questions. Read them aloud, or have a friend
read them to you, and practice repeating them using the chunking method .
1. Academic/Passive Voice (Harder)
Audio: The results of the experiment were published in 2018.
Target
Response: "The results / of the
experiment / were published / in 2018."
Tip: Focus on the "were published" (passive voice) and
the year.
2. Daily Life/Context (Easier)
Audio: The bicycle repair shop keeps spare helmets beside the
entrance.
Target
Response: "The bicycle repair shop /
keeps spare helmets / beside the entrance."
Tip: Visualize the helmets next to the door to help you remember.
3. Instruction (Common Pattern)
Audio: Don't hesitate to email me if you have any questions.
Target
Response: "Don't hesitate / to email
me / if you have any questions."
Tip: This is a common phrase; keep the rhythm natural.
4. Complex Subject
Audio: The subject is complex and difficult to explain.
Target
Response: "The subject is complex /
and difficult to explain."
Tip: If you miss "complex," still say "difficult
to explain" to secure partial points.
5. Numbers & Dates
Audio: The final report will be submitted on the fifteenth of
September.
Target
Response: "The final report / will be
submitted / on the fifteenth of September."
Tip: If you forget the exact date, say "on the... of
September" to keep the flow going.
Final Tip for Test Day
When
the audio stops, start speaking immediately. Do not wait for a tone
(there isn't one). If you only catch the first 5 words and the last 2 words,
say them in order, smoothly. A partial, fluent answer is your best path to
45-50 .
10 Sample Questions & Answers
1. Campus Life
Audio: The student center is open until midnight during exam week.
Chunked
Response: "The student center / is
open until midnight / during exam week."
Tip: Focus on "until midnight" — it's the key detail.
2. Library Rules
Audio: You must return all borrowed books before the end of the
semester.
Chunked
Response: "You must return / all
borrowed books / before the end of the semester."
Tip: If you miss "borrowed," still say "all
books" to keep flow.
3. Science Lecture
Audio: The human brain requires a constant supply of oxygen to
function properly.
Chunked
Response: "The human brain / requires
a constant supply / of oxygen / to function properly."
Tip: "Constant supply of oxygen" is one chunk — say it
as a unit.
4. Teacher Instruction
Audio: Please make sure your mobile phones are switched off during
the test.
Chunked
Response: "Please make sure / your
mobile phones / are switched off / during the test."
Tip: This is a common instruction pattern — easy to predict.
5. Environment Topic
Audio: Recycling paper helps reduce the number of trees cut down
each year.
Chunked
Response: "Recycling paper / helps
reduce / the number of trees / cut down each year."
Tip: If you forget "recycling," still say "paper
helps reduce..." to earn partial points.
6. Assignment Deadline
Audio: The assignment must be submitted online before Friday at
five o'clock.
Chunked
Response: "The assignment / must be
submitted online / before Friday / at five o'clock."
Tip: Dates and times are commonly tested — practice these.
7. Health & Lifestyle
Audio: Regular exercise is essential for maintaining good physical
and mental health.
Chunked
Response: "Regular exercise / is
essential / for maintaining good / physical and mental health."
Tip: "Physical and mental health" is one natural chunk.
8. University Announcement
Audio: All international students should report to the main office
by next Monday.
Chunked
Response: "All international students
/ should report / to the main office / by next Monday."
Tip: "International students" is a common phrase in
PTE.
9. Technology Topic
Audio: The new software update will improve both speed and
security.
Chunked
Response: "The new software update /
will improve / both speed and security."
Tip: Short sentence — aim for 100% accuracy here.
10. Academic Writing
Audio: Your essay should include a clear introduction and a strong
conclusion.
Chunked
Response: "Your essay / should
include / a clear introduction / and a strong conclusion."
Tip: "Introduction" and "conclusion" are
keywords — don't skip them.
⚡ Quick
Reminder for 45-50 Target
Do ✅Don't ❌
Start speaking immediately
Wait for a beep
Keep going if you make a mistake
Stop and restart
Use chunking
Try to memorize word-by-word
Speak smoothly
Use "um," "uh,"
or long pauses
Say partial sentences fluently
Stay silent if unsure
🎯 Practice Plan (7 Days)
DayTask
Day 1-2
Practice 5 sentences daily, focus on
chunking
Day 3-4
Record yourself and check for pauses
Day 5-6
Practice with random audio (YouTube
PTE RS practice)
More than ten years ago,
while taking the temperature of the universe, astronomers found something odd.
They discovered that a patch of sky, spanning the width of 20 moons, was
unusually cold.
The astronomers were measuring the thermal radiation that bathes
the entire universe, a glowing relic of the big bang. To gaze at this cosmic
microwave background, or CMB, is to glimpse the primordial 1
universe, a time when it was less than 400,000 years old.
The CMB blankets the sky, and looks pretty much the same
everywhere, existing at a feebly cold temperature of 2.725 kelvins - just a
couple degrees warmer than absolute zero. But armed with the newly launched
WMAP satellite, the astronomers had set out to probe temperature variations as
tiny as one part in 100,000. Born from the quantum froth that was the universe
a half-moment after the big bang, those random fluctuations help scientists
understand what the cosmos is made of and how it all came to be.
And standing out amidst those fluctuations was a cold spot. Over
the years, astronomers have come up with all sorts of ideas to explain it,
ranging from instrumental error to parallel universes. But now, they're homing
in on a prime suspect: an enormous cavern of emptiness called a cosmic super
void, so big that it might be the largest structure in the universe.
According to theory, such a vast void, in which nary a star or
galaxy exists, can leave a frigid imprint on the CMB. The answer to the mystery,
then, might simply be a whole lot of nothing. Yet puzzles remain, and the case
is far from closed.
Primordial1 - ancient, existing a very long time.
Do the following statements
agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 1–5, chose
TRUE
if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE
if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN
if there is no information on this
Top of Form
1.Astronomers often find something odd on the sky.
2.The CMB is the thermal radiation across the entire universe.
3.The CMB varies from extremely low to very high temperatures.
4.Investigation of fluctuations of temperature in the space help scientists
to understand what the cosmos is made of.
5.The cosmic supervoid is the largest structure in the universe.
READING PASSAGE 1
You
should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1–14, which are based on
Reading Passage 1 below.
The students’ problem
(A) The college and university accommodation crisis in Ireland has
become ‘so chronic’ that students are being forced to sleep rough, share a bed
with strangers – or give up on studying altogether.
(B) The deputy president of the Union of Students in Ireland, Kevin
Donoghue, said the problem has become particularly acute in Dublin. He told the
Irish Mirror: “Students are so desperate, they’re not just paying through the
nose to share rooms – they’re paying to share a bed with complete strangers. It
reached crisis point last year and it’s only getting worse. “We’ve heard of
students sleeping rough; on sofas, floors and in their cars and I have to
stress there’s no student in the country that hasn’t been touched by this
crisis. “Commutes – which would once have been considered ridiculous – are now
normal, whether that’s by bus, train or car and those who drive often end up
sleeping in their car if they’ve an early start the next morning.”
(C) Worry is increasing over the problems facing Ireland's 200,000
students as the number increases over the next 15 years. With 165,000 full-time
students in Ireland – and that figure expected to increase to around 200,000
within the next 15 years –fears remain that there aren’t enough properties to
accommodate current numbers.
(D) Mr. Donoghue added: “The lack of places to live is actually
forcing school-leavers out of college altogether. Either they don’t go in the
first place or end up having to drop out because they can’t get a room and
commuting is just too expensive, stressful and difficult.”
(E) Claims have emerged from the country that some
students have been forced to sleep in cars, or out on the streets, because of
the enormous increases to rent in the capital. Those who have been lucky enough
to find a place to live have had to do so ‘blind’ by paying for accommodation,
months in advance, they haven’t even seen just so they will have a roof over
their head over the coming year.
(F) According to the Irish Independent, it’s the ‘Google effect’
which is to blame. As Google and other blue-chip companies open offices in and
around Dublin’s docklands area, which are ‘on the doorstep of the city’,
international professionals have been flocking to the area which will boast
2,600 more apartments, on 50 acres of undeveloped land, over the next three to
10 years.
(G) Rent in the area soared by 15 per cent last year and a
two-bedroom apartment overlooking the Grand Canal costs €2,100 (£1,500) per
month to rent. Another two-bedroom apartment at Hanover Dock costs €2,350
(almost £1,700) with a three-bedroom penthouse – measuring some 136 square
metres – sits at €4,500 (£3,200) per month in rent.
(H) Ireland’s Higher Education Authority admitted
this was the first time they had seen circumstances ‘so extreme’ and the Fianna
Fáil party leader, Michael Martin, urged on the Government to intervene. He
said: “It is very worrying that all of the progress in opening up access to
higher education in the last decade – particularly for the working poor – is
being derailed because of an entirely foreseeable accommodation crisis.
Top of Form
Questions 1-8
Reading Passage 1 has
eight paragraphs, A–H.
Choose the most suitable
paragraph headings from the list of headings and write the correct letter, A–H,
in boxes 1–8 on your answer sheet.
1. Cons of the commuting
2. Thing that students have to go through
3. Commutes have become common in Ireland nowadays
4. Danger of the overflow
5. Cause of the problems
6. Pricing data
7. Regression
8. Eyeless choice
Questions 9–14
Do the following
statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 9–14 on your
answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
9. The accommodation
problem in Ireland is especially bad in Dublin.
10. Commutes are considered
ridiculous.
11. The number of students in
Ireland is not likely to increase in the future.
12. Due to the opening of
the new offices around Dublin, the number of local restaurants will go up
significantly over the next 3 to 10 years.
13. The rent price went up by 15% last year.
14. Michael Martin stated
that crisis could have been omitted if the government reacted properly.
Set 2
READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes
on Questions 13-28,
which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.
We know the city
where HIV first emerged
It is easy to see why AIDS seemed
so mysterious and frightening when US medics first encountered it 35 years ago.
The condition robbed young, healthy people of their strong immune system, leaving
them weak and vulnerable. And it seemed to come out of nowhere.
Today we know much more how and
why HIV – the virus that leads to AIDS – has become a global pandemic.
Unsurprisingly, sex workers unwittingly played a part. But no less important
were the roles of trade, the collapse of colonialism, and 20th Century sociopolitical
reform.
HIV did not really appear out of
nowhere, of course. It probably began as a virus affecting monkeys and apes in
west central Africa.
From there it jumped species into
humans on several occasions, perhaps because people ate infected bushmeat. Some
people carry a version of HIV closely related to that seen in sooty mangabey
monkeys, for instance. But HIV that came from monkeys has not become a global
problem.
We are more closely related to
apes, like gorillas and chimpanzees, than we are to monkeys. But even when HIV
has passed into human populations from these apes, it has not necessarily
turned into a widespread health issue.
HIV originating from apes
typically belongs to a type of virus called HIV-1. One is called HIV-1 group O,
and human cases are largely confined to west Africa.
In fact, only one form of HIV has
spread far and wide after jumping to humans. This version, which probably
originated from chimpanzees, is called HIV-1 group M (for "major").
More than 90% of HIV infections belong in group M. Which raises an obvious
question: what's so special about HIV-1 group M?
A study published in 2014
suggests a surprising answer: there might be nothing particularly special about
group M.
It is not especially infectious,
as you might expect. Instead, it seems that this form of HIV simply took
advantage of events. "Ecological rather than evolutionary factors drove
its rapid spread," says Nuno Faria at the University of Oxford in the UK.
Faria and his colleagues built a
family tree of HIV, by looking at a diverse array of HIV genomes collected from
about 800 infected people from central Africa.
Genomes pick up new mutations at
a fairly steady rate, so by comparing two genome sequences and counting the
differences they could work out when the two last shared a common ancestor.
This technique is widely used, for example to establish that our common
ancestor with chimpanzees lived at least 7 million years ago.
"RNA viruses such as HIV
evolve approximately 1 million times faster than human DNA," says Faria.
This means the HIV "molecular clock" ticks very fast indeed.
It ticks so fast, Faria and his
colleagues found that the HIV genomes all shared a common ancestor that existed
no more than 100 years ago. The HIV-1 group M pandemic probably first began in
the 1920s.
Then the team went further.
Because they knew where each of the HIV samples had been collected, they could
place the origin of the pandemic in a specific city: Kinshasa, now the capital
of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
At this point, the researchers changed
tack. They turned to historical records to work out why HIV infections in an
African city in the 1920s could ultimately spark a pandemic.
A likely sequence of events
quickly became obvious. In the 1920s, DR Congo was a Belgian colony and
Kinshasa – then known as Leopoldville – had just been made the capital. The
city became a very attractive destination for young working men seeking their
fortunes, and for sex workers only too willing to help them spend their
earnings. The virus spread quickly through the population.
It did not remain confined to the
city. The researchers discovered that the capital of the Belgian Congo was, in
the 1920s, one of the best connected cities in Africa. Taking full advantage of
an extensive rail network used by hundreds of thousands of people each year,
the virus spread to cities 900 miles (1500km) away in just 20 years.
Everything was in place for an
explosion in infection rates in the 1960s.The beginning of that decade brought
another change.
Belgian Congo gained its
independence, and became an attractive source of employment to French speakers
elsewhere in the world, including Haiti. When these young Haitians returned
home a few years later they took a particular form of HIV-1 group M, called
"subtype B", to the western side of the Atlantic.
It arrived in the US in the
1970s, just as sexual liberation and homophobic attitudes were leading to
concentrations of gay men in cosmopolitan cities like New York and San
Francisco. Once more, HIV took advantage of the sociopolitical situation to
spread quickly through the US and Europe.
"There is no reason to
believe that other subtypes would not have spread as quickly as subtype B,
given similar ecological circumstances," says Faria.
The story of the spread of HIV is
not over yet.
For instance, in 2015 there was
an outbreak in the US state of Indiana, associated with drug injecting.
The US Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention has been analyzing the HIV genome sequences and data
about location and time of infection, says Yonatan Grad at the Harvard School
of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts. "These data help to understand
the extent of the outbreak, and will further help to understand when public
health interventions have worked."
This approach can work for other
pathogens. In 2014, Grad and his colleague Marc Lipsitch published an
investigation into the spread of drug-resistant gonorrhoea across the US.
"Because we had
representative sequences from individuals in different cities at different
times and with different sexual orientations, we could show the spread was from
the west of the country to the east," says Lipsitch.
What's more, they could confirm
that the drug-resistant form of gonorrhoea appeared to have circulated
predominantly in men who have sex with men. That could prompt increased
screening in these at-risk populations, in an effort to reduce further spread.
In other words, there is real
power to studying pathogens like HIV and gonorrhoea through the prism of human
society.
Questions 13-20
Do the following statements agree with the information given in
Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 13-20 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE
if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE
if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN
if there is no information on this
13. AIDS
were first encountered 35 years ago.
14. The most
important role in developing AIDS as a pandemia was played by sex workers.
15. It is
believed that HIV appeared out of nowhere.
16. Humans
are not closely related to monkey.
17. HIV-1
group O originated in 1920s.
18. HIV-1
group M has something special.
19. Human DNA
evolves approximately 1 million times slower than HIV.
20. Scientists
believe that HIV already existed in 1920s.
Questions 21-28
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO
MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 21-28 on your answer sheet.
21. Scientists can place the
origin of…………n a specific city.
22. Kinshasa was a very………….for
young working men and many others willing to spend their money.
23. In just 20 years virus
managed to……….to cities 900 miles away.
24. Belgian Congo became an
attractive source of employment to French speakers when it gained…………
25. HIV has spread quickly
through the US and Europe because of the …………
26. It is said that outbreak
in Indiana was associated with………….
27. The same approach as for
HIV can work for………….
28. The form of gonorrhoea
that is drug-resistant appeared to have……….in men who have sex with men.
Bottom of Form
Bottom of Form
Set 3
READING PASSAGE 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 29-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.
Penguins' anti-ice trick revealed
Scientists studying penguins’ feathers have revealed how the birds
stay ice free when hopping in and out of below zero waters in the Antarctic. A
combination of nano-sized pores and an extra water repelling preening oil the
birds secrete is thought to give Antarctic penguins’ feathers superhydrophobic
properties. Researchers in the US made the discovery using Scanning Electron
Microscopy (SEM) to study penguin feathers in extreme detail. Antarctic
penguins live in one of Earth’s most extreme environments, facing temperatures
that drop to -40C, winds with speeds of 40 metres per second and water that
stays around -2.2C. But even in these sub-zero conditions, the birds manage to
prevent ice from coating their feathers.
“They are an amazing
species, living in extreme conditions, and great swimmers. Basically they are
living engineering marvels,” says research team member Dr Pirouz Kavehpour,
professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California,
Los Angeles (UCLA). Birds’ feathers are known to have hydrophobic, or
non-wetting, properties. But scientists from UCLA, University of Massachusetts
Amherst and SeaWorld, wanted to know what makes Antarctic penguins’ feathers
extra ice repelling.
“What we learn here is how
penguins combine oil and nano-structures on the feathers to produce this effect
to perfection,” explains Kavehpour. By analysing feathers from different
penguin species, the researchers discovered Antarctic species the gentoo
penguin (Pygoscelis papua) was more superhydrophobic compared with a species found in warmer
climes – the Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) – whose breeding sites include Argentinian
desert.
Gentoo penguins’ feathers contained tiny pores which trapped air,
making the surface hydrophobic. And they were smothered with a special preening
oil, produced by a gland near the base of the tail, with which the birds cover
themselves. Together, these properties mean that in the wild, droplets of water
on Antarctic penguins’ superhydrophobic feathers bead up on the surface like
spheres – formations that, according to the team, could provide geometry that
delays ice formation, since heat cannot easily flow out of the water if the
droplet only has minimal contact with the surface of the feather.
“The shape of the droplet
on the surface dictates the delay in freezing,” explains Kavehpour. The water
droplets roll off the penguin's feathers before they have time to freeze, the
researchers propose. Penguins living in the Antarctic are highly evolved to
cope with harsh conditions: their short outer feathers overlap to make a thick
protective layer over fluffier feathers which keep them warm. Under their skin,
a thick layer of fat keeps them insulated. The flightless birds spend a lot of
time in the sea and are extremely agile and graceful swimmers, appearing much
more awkward on land.
Kavehpour was inspired to study Antarctic penguins’ feathers after
watching the birds in a nature documentary: “I saw these birds moving in and
out of water, splashing everywhere. Yet there is no single drop of frozen ice
sticking to them,” he tells BBC Earth. His team now hopes its work could aid
design of better man-made surfaces which minimise frost formation.
“I would love to see biomimicking of these surfaces for important
applications, for example, de-icing of aircrafts,” says Kavehpour. Currently,
airlines spend a lot of time and money using chemical de-icers on aeroplanes,
as ice can alter the vehicles’ aerodynamic properties and can even cause them
to crash.
Top of Form
Questions 29-33
Choose the correct
letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter
in boxes 29-33 on your answer sheet.
29. Penguins stay ice free
due to:
A.A
combination of nano-sized pores
B.An
extra water repelling preening oil
C.A combination of
nano-sized pores and an extra water repelling preening oil
