PTE · Respond to a Situation

Surveys and Interview Research: 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

Postponing a Research Interview

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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 conducting interviews for your dissertation, but your Thursday participant has caught a heavy cold and cannot speak clearly. You need to contact your supervisor to explain why you must postpone data collection until Monday and ask for advice on adjusting your project timeline. 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

Piloting a Question Sheet

You have drafted a questionnaire for your marketing course, but some phrasing feels confusing. You run into a classmate in the library cafe and want to ask them to pilot the ten questions with you this afternoon before you hand the survey out to the public tomorrow. What would you say to your classmate?

3

Declining an Exit Poll

A market researcher approaches you outside a shopping centre, asking you to complete a twenty-minute consumer habits survey on a tablet. You are in a hurry to catch your train home and have already done a similar questionnaire online this morning. What would you say to the market researcher?

4

Requesting Consent Form Review

You are preparing face-to-face interviews for a workplace study. Your departmental ethics officer has not yet approved your participant consent form, and your first session is on Friday morning. You need to call the administrator to politely request an urgent review so you remain compliant. What would you say to the ethics administrator?

5

Addressing Biased Survey Feedback

Your company manager wants to send an employee satisfaction survey, but all the multiple-choice options are leading and positive. You need to speak to your manager to explain why unbalanced options will distort the findings and suggest adding neutral and negative choices before Friday's launch. What would you say to your manager?

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