In Retell Lecture, you listen to a lecture of up to about 90 seconds (sometimes with an image or video), get 10 seconds to prepare, then have up to 40 seconds to retell it in your own words. It scores both Speaking and Listening: by Pearson's question weightings it is 13% of Speaking and 13% of Listening. The secret is not remembering everything. It is taking the right kind of notes and turning them into about 25 seconds of smooth speech.
How Retell Lecture is scored
| Criterion | What earns marks |
|---|---|
| Content | Covering the topic and the key points from the lecture |
| Oral fluency | Steady pace with no long pauses, no repeated words and no restarting |
| Pronunciation | Clear speech, so every word can be understood |
Grammar is not marked in this task. Small slips in the details cost very little; pausing, repeating or restarting costs much more.
How long should you speak?
| Timing | What it means |
|---|---|
| 18 seconds | The minimum. Stopping before this loses marks. |
| About 25 seconds | Enough for a full answer. This is your real target. |
| 40 seconds | The limit, not the target. The microphone closes here. |
Students who try to fill all 40 seconds usually run out of notes and start pausing. Aim for a complete 25-second answer.
How to take notes: key phrases, not keywords
- Write the topic in the first few seconds.
- Write each point as a key phrase of 4 to 5 words, not a single word.
- About six key phrases is plenty for a 25-second answer.
- Use short forms and arrows if they help you, but keep enough words to rebuild the idea.
A single keyword gives you a word but not a sentence, so you pause to invent the rest. A key phrase is already most of a sentence.
| Single keyword | Key phrase of 4 to 5 words |
|---|---|
| concrete | concrete and roads store heat |
| hotter | streets ten degrees hotter |
| shade | trees shade roofs and walls |
| leaves | leaves release water, cool air |
How to build your answer
There is no fixed template for Retell Lecture. Instead, there is a simple system:
- Open with the topic in one sentence.
- Build every other sentence from a sentence starter plus two of your notes, joined with "and".
- Move to the next starter and the next two notes, until your notes run out.
Two notes per sentence keeps you fluent, because what to say next is already on your notepad. Change your sentence starter each time so you do not sound repetitive.
Put this system into your own words and fill it with the real content of the lecture, so you do not sound like you are reciting a template.
Sample answer
Lecture topic: how trees help to cool hot cities.
Notes: *trees cool hot cities; concrete and roads store heat; streets ten degrees hotter; trees shade roofs and walls; leaves release water, cool air; cities planting more trees; poorer areas have fewer trees.*
"This lecture focused on how trees can cool down hot cities. According to the speaker, concrete and roads store heat, and city streets can be ten degrees hotter than the countryside. She described how trees shade roofs and walls, and how their leaves release water that cools the air. Finally, the lecturer said many cities are planting more trees, and that poorer areas often have the fewest."
That is about 70 words, or roughly 25 seconds. Look at how each sentence after the opening carries exactly two notes. Our students get the full list of sentence starters and more worked lectures in class.
Mistakes that cost marks
- Writing single keywords that you cannot turn into sentences under pressure.
- Starting late because you are reading your notes.
- Stretching to 40 seconds and filling the end with pauses.
- Going back to fix grammar. It is not marked here, but restarting hurts fluency.
- Retelling only the first half of the lecture.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a Retell Lecture answer be?
About 25 seconds is enough for a full answer. Speak for at least 18 seconds. The microphone closes after 40 seconds, but that is the limit, not the target.
Do I need to understand every word of the lecture?
No. Catch the topic and about six key phrases from across the lecture. That is enough for good content marks.
Is Retell Lecture similar to the new Summarize Group Discussion?
Yes. Summarize Group Discussion uses the same system with three speakers instead of one. See our Summarize Group Discussion guide.
Need feedback on your Retell Lecture recordings? See our one-on-one courses or send us a recording on WhatsApp.