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Speaking

Summarize Group Discussion

Listen to three speakers discuss a topic, then summarize the key points.

Score
10s to prepare120s to respondAudio plays once
Scored on
ContentOral fluencyPronunciation
Contributes to
SpeakingListening

Sample item

Three students discuss whether lecture recordings reduce attendance. Summarize the discussion.

Speaker 1 argues recordings let students revisit difficult material and help non-native speakers. Speaker 2 says attendance in her department fell noticeably after recordings were introduced. Speaker 3 counters that attendance fell because timetabling changed, not because of recordings.

Deliver speaker by speaker, then state the disagreement: speakers 2 and 3 differ on cause, not on the fact that attendance dropped.

How to approach Summarize Group Discussion

  1. Rule three columns first

    Before the recording starts, divide your paper into three labelled columns, one per speaker. This is the only structure that survives contact with a discussion, because it lets you record who said something in the same movement as what they said.

  2. Log positions, not sentences

    The discussion plays once. Write each speaker's stance in a few words in their column and add a mark when one of them agrees with or challenges another. Those agreement marks are the material for the last part of your answer.

  3. Sequence your points in prep

    In the 10 seconds before recording, number your columns in the order you will speak. Choose the speaker with the clearest position first, since your opening is where hesitation is most audible and the strongest note gives you a fluent start.

  4. Summarise then compare

    Give each speaker's position in turn, naming them, then close by stating where they converged and where they disagreed. The response window is 120 seconds, so speak deliberately and use the comparison to fill any time your notes leave unspent.

The method

Split your note space into three columns before the audio starts, one per speaker, and capture each speaker's position in a few words. Deliver the summary speaker by speaker, then state where they agreed or differed.

The mistake that costs most

Losing track of who said what. Without a per-speaker note structure the two-minute response collapses into a vague topic summary.

Other Speaking tasks

Frequently asked questions

Yes — it arrived in the 7 August 2025 update. It is the longest spoken response in the exam at two minutes and has very little published preparation material.

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