PTE · Respond to a Situation

Work Placements and Internships: PTE Respond to a Situation practice questions

5 original Respond to a Situation questions. Question 1 is free to record, play back and compare with a sample answer right here; log in free to practise the rest in the BandLadder app.
  • 5 questions
  • Question 1 free, no login
  • PTE Academic and PTE Core
1

Rearranging a Placement Review

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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 doing a summer research internship at a biology institute. You have a progress review meeting with your supervisor on Thursday afternoon, but you need to attend a mandatory health and safety induction then. What would you say to your supervisor?

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Questions 2–5

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.

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2

Extending an Internship Proposal Deadline

You are applying for a funded engineering internship. Your university tutor needs to sign your project proposal by Friday noon, but you are still waiting for laboratory test data to complete it. You want an extension until Monday. What would you say to your tutor?

3

Declining an Unpaid Offer

A local marketing firm has offered you an eight-week summer placement, but the position is entirely unpaid and requires full-time hours in the office. You have already accepted a paid placement elsewhere. What would you say to the hiring manager on the telephone?

4

Requesting Remote Work Days

You are three weeks into an office-based policy internship. Severe railway maintenance will disrupt your two-hour commute next Tuesday and Wednesday. You want to ask your team manager if you can work remotely on those two days. What would you say to your manager?

5

Advising a Peer on Placement Options

Your classmate is unsure whether to choose a clinical hospital placement or a community health centre placement for next semester. The hospital offers diverse specialised wards, but the health centre provides direct patient mentoring. What would you say to advise your classmate?

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