Read and listen to the situation below. You have 10 seconds to prepare (20 in PTE Core), then 40 seconds to say what you would say. Answer as fully as you can.
You are speaking to the finance officer at your college. You cannot afford to pay your full tuition fees upfront by Friday because your student loan is delayed. You want to request an instalment plan to pay in three parts. What would you say to the finance officer?
Your recording stays in this browser: it is not uploaded or stored.
Read and listen to the situation below. You have 10 seconds to prepare (20 in PTE Core), then 40 seconds to say what you would say. Answer as fully as you can.
Read them here; log in to answer and check them.
You are speaking to your academic tutor after a seminar. You are applying for a postgraduate merit scholarship that closes on Monday. You need her to provide an academic reference letter before the deadline. What would you say to your tutor?
Your classmate invited you to join an expensive weekend coding masterclass. You cannot attend because you need to save money for your upcoming term fees. You want to decline the invitation politely and suggest sharing study notes instead. What would you say to your classmate?
You are speaking to a customer service agent at the student housing office. Your accommodation invoice shows a full charge, but your scholarship bursary was supposed to cover half the cost. You want them to correct the invoice. What would you say to the housing agent?
Your friend is worried about high textbook and lab equipment costs for the new semester. You want to advise him to apply for the university's hardship grant before the application portal closes on Wednesday. What would you say to your friend?
Want to answer the other 4?
Log in to practise Respond to a Situation in the BandLadder app: the full question bank, with an AI score from BandLadder AI for content, pronunciation and oral fluency on a free account.
Ready for the whole test?
Take a full PTE mock with every question type, the real timings and a score on Pearson's 10–90 scale the moment you finish.
Try a free PTE mock →Keep practising
Practise every PTE question type
Free account · no card
© 2026 BandLadder. Written and checked by the BandLadder team. You may quote or cite this page with credit to BandLadder and a link to it; republishing it in full needs our written permission. Content use policy