PTE · Respond to a Situation

Campus Student Employment Roles: 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

Campus Cafe Shift Swap

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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 work as a student barista in the campus cafe. Your supervisor scheduled you for an evening shift this Thursday, but you have a mandatory lab session then. You find a colleague willing to cover for you. 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

Library Desk Training Query

You recently started working at the main university library help desk. You need to ask the head librarian for additional training on the archival cataloguing software because you struggled during your first solo shift yesterday. What would you say to the head librarian?

3

Declining Resident Advisor Hours

You are a resident advisor in university accommodation. Your manager asks if you can work extra weekend duty hours throughout next month. However, you have your final dissertation deadline approaching and must focus on research. What would you say to decline the offer?

4

IT Helpdesk Shift Lateness

You work part-time at the student IT helpdesk. You are stuck in heavy traffic due to unexpected roadworks and will arrive twenty minutes late for your morning shift today. You need to explain the delay to your duty manager. What would you say?

5

Peer Tutor Schedule Rearrangement

You work as an academic peer tutor in the student learning centre. Your regular student wants to move tomorrow's statistics tutoring session because of a doctor's appointment. You need to suggest alternative times later in the week. What would you say to your student?

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