Hi everyone, Grant here from Kōjō Communication Academy 👋
If you've made it to Part E of the Versant Speaking & Listening Test — congratulations! You're now doing something that's close to real communication: understanding a short story and retelling it clearly in your own words.
This part tests how well you can understand, summarize, and speak naturally. It's not about memorizing the passage — it's about expressing the key points smoothly and logically.
Let's look at how to approach Part E so you can retell stories confidently and fluently.
🧠 1. What Part E Really Tests
You'll hear two short passages (around 20–25 seconds each). After each one, you have 30 seconds to retell what you heard — in your own words.
Part E measures your ability to:
- 🎧 Understand main ideas and sequence
- 🧩 Extract key details — who, where, what, and how it ends
- 💬 Paraphrase naturally instead of copying
- 🗣️ Speak smoothly and fill the 30 seconds with clear, logical speech
Kōjō tip: Imagine you're explaining a short story to a friend who missed it — simple, natural, and complete.
📖 2. Example Passages and Retellings
🟢 Sample Passage 1 — Everyday Life and Relationships
Passage:
Michael was walking his dog, Buster, in the park on a sunny afternoon.
He let Buster off the leash to play fetch, as he usually did.
Suddenly, a loud noise startled Buster, and he ran into the woods.
Michael searched for hours but couldn't find him.
When it got dark, he finally heard a bark and found Buster near the park entrance.
🟡 Sample Passage 2 — Challenges and Problem-Solving
Passage:
Susan wanted to cook a special dinner for her family.
She followed a new lasagna recipe online but got distracted by a phone call and forgot to set the timer.
When she smelled burning, she ran to the kitchen — the lasagna was completely burnt!
She was disappointed but ordered pizza, and everyone laughed.
🔵 Sample Passage 3 — Goals and Dreams
Passage:
Alex had always dreamed of becoming a wildlife photographer.
He saved money for months, bought a camera, and traveled to a national park.
He spent a week taking pictures of birds, deer, and even a bear.
He was proud of his work and planned to enter a photography contest.
🔍 3. Focus on the Four Key Elements
Every Part E story follows the same structure:
- 1️⃣ Characters — Who is the story about?
- 2️⃣ Setting — Where and when does it happen?
- 3️⃣ Actions — What happens first, next, and last?
- 4️⃣ Outcome — How does it end or what was learned?
Example (The Lost Dog):
- Characters: Michael and his dog, Buster
- Setting: A park on a sunny afternoon
- Actions: The dog runs away → Michael searches → He finds Buster
- Outcome: Michael learns to be more careful
Kōjō tip: As you listen, visualize the story like a movie — it's much easier to recall the sequence when you speak.
✍️ 4. Note-Taking — A Powerful Support Skill
Just like in Part D, take short English notes while listening — even though the test doesn't require it.
In real life — business meetings, lectures, or presentations — we take notes to avoid mistakes and remember details.
Example:
📝 Michael – dog – park – noise – ran away – found at entrance
A few keywords like these help you organize your thoughts and speak without freezing.
⏱️ 5. Timing Matters — Fill Your 30 Seconds
You have 30 seconds to speak — use them all. Finishing too early can hurt your fluency score.
Kōjō tip:
- ⏱️ Use a stopwatch or your smartphone when you practice.
- Time how long you speak and train yourself to stay close to 30 seconds with a steady, natural pace.
If you finish early, add a short reflection like:
- • "He learned to be more careful next time."
- • "It was a funny but valuable experience."
This keeps your answer complete and fluent.
💡 6. Tips for Excelling in Part E
- ⭐Use the "Characters → Setting → Actions → Outcome" framework.
- ⭐Paraphrase naturally — don't try to memorize.
- ⭐Use clear linking words (first, then, after that, finally).
- ⭐Speak confidently and fill the entire 30 seconds.
Kōjō tip: Fluency matters as much as accuracy. Even if you forget a detail, keep speaking smoothly — the AI values natural, confident delivery.
🧩 7. Self-Study Ideas
- 📱 Use Versant Pro Trainer and complete Part E sets regularly.
- 🎙️ Listen to your recordings on Part E's review page and compare with model answers.
- 🎧 Listen to short stories or podcasts and retell them out loud.
- 🗒️ Take quick notes while listening and organize them into a 30-second retelling.
- ⏱️ Time each practice retelling to develop a strong sense of pace and fluency.
🌟 8. Final Thoughts
Part E brings together your listening, memory, and speaking skills.
It's not about perfect memory — it's about clear organization and natural communication.
So remember:
- ✅ Listen actively
- ✅ Take short notes
- ✅ Organize your ideas
- ✅ Speak for the full 30 seconds
Keep practicing with Versant Pro Trainer, and you'll soon retell stories smoothly, logically, and with confidence.
Stay steady, stay clear — and let your English flow naturally 🌊🎙️
Ready to Start Practising?
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Start Free TrialGrant Prentice
Founder, Kōjō Communication Academy
Grant is a native English speaker from the UK with over 20 years of experience in business English training and Versant test preparation. He has helped thousands of professionals improve their communication skills and achieve their career goals.
📖 日本語版
Japanese Translation
みなさんこんにちは、Kōjō Communication Academy の Grant です👋
Versant Speaking & Listening Test の Part E まで来たということは、もう「本当の英語コミュニケーション」にかなり近いところまで来ています。
短いストーリーを聞いて、その内容を理解し、自分の言葉で自然に話し直す力が求められます。
Part E では、理解力・要約力・スピーキングの自然さ が試されます。
暗記ではなく、ストーリーの重要ポイントを整理して、スムーズに伝える力 が大切です。
それでは、Part E を自信をもって話せるようになるためのポイントを見ていきましょう。
🧠 1. What Part E Really Tests
約 20～25 秒の短いパッセージを 2 つ聞き、それぞれについて 30 秒間で自分の言葉で話します。
Part E では次の力が測定されます：
- 🎧 メインアイデアと流れを理解できるか
- 🧩 「誰が・どこで・何を・どう終わったか」という詳細をつかめるか
- 💬 そっくり言い換えではなく、自分の言葉で自然に言えるか
- 🗣️ 30 秒間、途切れずに論理的に話せるか
Kōjō tip：「友だちが聞き逃したストーリーを簡単に説明する」と思って話すと、自然でバランスの良いリテリングになります。
📖 2. Example Passages and Retellings
🟢 Sample Passage 1 — Everyday Life and Relationships
Passage:
Michael was walking his dog, Buster, in the park on a sunny afternoon.
He let Buster off the leash to play fetch, as he usually did.
Suddenly, a loud noise startled Buster, and he ran into the woods.
Michael searched for hours but couldn't find him.
When it got dark, he finally heard a bark and found Buster near the park entrance.
🟡 Sample Passage 2 — Challenges and Problem-Solving
Passage:
Susan wanted to cook a special dinner for her family.
She followed a new lasagna recipe online but got distracted by a phone call and forgot to set the timer.
When she smelled burning, she ran to the kitchen — the lasagna was completely burnt!
She was disappointed but ordered pizza, and everyone laughed.
🔵 Sample Passage 3 — Goals and Dreams
Passage:
Alex had always dreamed of becoming a wildlife photographer.
He saved money for months, bought a camera, and traveled to a national park.
He spent a week taking pictures of birds, deer, and even a bear.
He was proud of his work and planned to enter a photography contest.
🔍 3. Focus on the Four Key Elements
Part E のすべてのストーリーは、次の 4 つの要素で構成されています。
- 1️⃣ Characters（登場人物） — 誰の話か
- 2️⃣ Setting（状況） — どこで、いつ起こったか
- 3️⃣ Actions（行動） — 何が起きたか（最初→次→最後）
- 4️⃣ Outcome（結末） — どう終わったか、または学んだこと
Example (The Lost Dog)：
- Characters：Michael and his dog, Buster
- Setting：A park on a sunny afternoon
- Actions：The dog runs away → Michael searches → He finds Buster
- Outcome：Michael learns to be more careful
Kōjō tip：ストーリーを聞くときに、映画のように頭の中で映像化 しましょう。流れを思い出しやすくなります。
✍️ 4. Note-Taking — A Powerful Support Skill
Part D と同じように、聞きながら短い英語メモを取る のがおすすめです（テスト上は不要ですが、実際の練習では有効です）。
ビジネスや大学の授業でも、内容を正確に理解するためにメモを取りますよね。
Example：
📝 Michael – dog – park – noise – ran away – found at entrance
こんな簡単なキーワードだけで、内容を整理して話しやすくなります。
⏱️ 5. Timing Matters — Fill Your 30 Seconds
このパートでは 30 秒間話す時間があります。
早く終わりすぎると fluency （流暢さ） スコアが下がることがあります。
Kōjō tip：
- ⏱️ 練習時はストップウォッチやスマートフォンのタイマーを使いましょう。
- 話す時間を計って、自然なスピードで 30 秒近く話す感覚 を身につけます。
早く終わりそうなときは、こんな一言を加えるのもおすすめ：
- • "He learned to be more careful next time."
- • "It was a funny but valuable experience."
こうすることで、回答が自然でまとまりのあるものになります。
💡 6. Tips for Excelling in Part E
- ⭐"Characters → Setting → Actions → Outcome" の順で整理する。
- ⭐暗記せずに自然に言い換える。
- ⭐リンクワードを使って話の流れを作る（First, Then, After that, Finally）。
- ⭐自信を持って 30 秒間 話し切る。
Kōjō tip：正確さだけでなく fluency （話の流れ） も大切。細かい部分を忘れても、止まらずにスムーズに話せれば高評価につながります。
🧩 7. Self-Study Ideas
- 📱 Versant Pro Trainer を使って Part E を定期的に練習。
- 🎙️ アプリの Review ページで自分の録音を聞き、モデル回答と比較。
- 🎧 短いストーリーやポッドキャストを聞いて、自分の言葉でリテリング。
- 🗒️ 聞きながらキーワードをメモして 30 秒の回答を作る練習。
- ⏱️ 毎回 タイマーで計測し、ペースと流暢さ を鍛える。
🌟 8. Final Thoughts
Part E は、リスニング・記憶・スピーキング力を総合的に試すパートです。
完璧に覚えることではなく、整理して自然に伝えること がポイント。
覚えておきましょう：
- ✅ Listen actively（しっかり聞く）
- ✅ Take short notes（短くメモを取る）
- ✅ Organize ideas（内容を整理）
- ✅ Speak for the full 30 seconds（30 秒間 話し切る）
Versant Pro Trainer で練習を続ければ、ストーリーを自然で論理的にリテリングできるようになります。
焦らず、明確に。自分の英語を信じて話しましょう🌊🎙️
Grant Prentice
Kōjō Communication Academy 創設者
イギリス出身のネイティブスピーカー。ビジネス英語研修と Versant 対策で20年以上の経験を持ち、何千人もの専門家がコミュニケーションスキルを向上させ、キャリア目標を達成するのを支援してきました。
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