The PTE Academic Listening section is designed to assess your ability to understand spoken English in various contexts. The section lasts approximately 30-43 minutes, during which you will encounter a range of tasks that test your listening, writing, and reading skills. In this guide, we break down each task type, providing a clear overview of what to expect and offering practical tips to help you succeed.

1. Summarize Spoken Text

Task Overview:

• Prompt Length: 60-90 seconds

• Skills Assessed: Listening and writing
• Number of Questions: 1
• Time to Answer: 10 minutes to listen and write your summary

How to Answer:

• After listening to the recording, you’ll need to summarize the content in 50-70 words.

Tips:

• Focus on key ideas and major points.

• Write a concise summary within the 50-70 word limit.

• Take notes during the recording to capture important details before writing your summary.

Scoring Criteria

Trait Scored	Description
Content	4: The source text is summarised comprehensively, demonstrating full comprehension of the source text.Paraphrasing is used effectively to communicate a clear and accurate summary, and extraneous details are removed. All main ideas are correctly identified and synthesized in a concise and coherent manner.Summary flows smoothly and makes skilled use of appropriate and varied connective devices 3: The source text is summarised adequately, demonstrating good comprehension of the source text.Paraphrasing is used, but not consistently well, and extraneous details may interfere with the clarity of the summary. Main ideas are correctly identified, with some minor omissions. Ideas are connected, but not synthesized efficiently.Summary can be followed logically and makes effective use of simple or repetitive connective devices.   2: The source text is summarised partially, demonstrating basic comprehension of the source text.There is no discernment between main points and peripheral detail. Ideas are identified, but the response relies heavily on repeating excerpts from the source text without synthesizing ideas and reformulating in own words.Repetitive or inappropriate connective devices are used to join ideas. Response can be followed with effort. 1: The response is relevant but not meaningfully summarised, demonstrating limited comprehension of the source text.The response is composed of disconnected ideas or excerpts from the source text without any context or attempt at synthesis. Main ideas are omitted or misrepresented.The response lacks coherence and is difficult to follow. 0: Response is too limited to assign a higher score and demonstrates no comprehension of the source text.
Form	2: Contains 50-70 words 1: Contains 40-49 words or 71-100 words 0: Contains less than 40 words or more than 100 words. Summary is written in capital letters, contains no punctuation or consists only of bullet points or concise sentences
Grammar	2: Correct grammatical structures 1: Contains grammatical errors with no hindrance to communication 0: Defective grammatical structure which could hinder communications
Vocabulary:	2: Appropriate choice of words 1: Some lexical errors but with no hindrance to communication 0: Defective word choice which could hinder communication
Spelling	2: Correct spelling 1: One spelling error 0: More than one spelling error

2. Multiple-Choice with Multiple Answers (MCMA)

Task Overview:

• Prompt Length: 80-120 seconds

• Skills Assessed: Listening

• Number of Questions: 2-3

• Time to Answer: Not specified

How to Answer:

• You’ll listen to the recording once and select more than one correct response from the available options.

Tips:

• Pay attention to all details in the recording, as you will need to select all the correct responses.

• Since you can only listen once, focus on the tone and content.

• Use the yellow highlight feature to keep track of your selected options.

3. Fill-in-the-Blank Task Overview:

• Prompt Length: 30-60 seconds
• Skills Assessed: Listening

• Number of Questions: 2-3

• Time to Answer: Not specified

How to Answer:

• You’ll be presented with a transcript of the recording that has gaps. Listen to the audio and type in the missing words.

Tips:

• Listen carefully to catch every detail, as the recording plays only once.

• Take notes if allowed, and try to understand the context to identify the missing words.

• Fill in the gaps quickly and accurately to avoid missing important information.

4. Highlight the Correct Summary Task Overview:

• Prompt Length: 30-90 seconds

• Skills Assessed: Listening and reading

• Number of Questions: 2-3

• Time to Answer: Not specified

How to Answer:

• After listening to the recording, choose the summary that best represents what was discussed.

Tips:

• Listen first and take notes before reading the provided summaries.

• After taking notes, read through the summaries and select the one that best aligns with the main points of the audio.

• Don’t rush; make sure the summary you choose fully reflects the recording’s key ideas.

5. Multiple-Choice, Single Answer (MCSA)

Task Overview:

• Prompt Length: 30-90 seconds
• Skills Assessed: Listening

• Number of Questions: 2-3

• Time to Answer: Not specified

How to Answer:

• Listen to the recording and select the single correct answer from a list of options.

Tips:

• Listen attentively since the recording is only played once.

• Read all the options carefully before selecting your answer.

• Eliminate incorrect options if you’re unsure.

6. Select Missing Word Task Overview:

• Prompt Length: 20-70 seconds

• Skills Assessed: Listening

• Number of Questions: 1-2

• Time to Answer: Not specified

How to Answer:

• A missing word is replaced by a beep sound in the recording. Choose the most appropriate word from a list of options to complete the sentence.

Tips:

• Focus on the context of the sentence before and after the missing word.

• Listen for clues within the audio that can guide you toward the correct word.

• Choose your answer carefully, as there will be multiple options.

7. Highlight Incorrect Words Task Overview:

• Prompt Length: 15-50 seconds

• Skills Assessed: Listening and reading

• Number of Questions: 2-3

• Time to Answer: Not specified

How to Answer:

• You’ll be shown a transcript of the recording with some errors. Listen to the audio and identify the words in the transcript that are incorrect.

Tips:

• Follow along with the transcript as you listen, paying attention to any discrepancies.

• Highlight any word in the transcript that doesn’t match what was said in the recording.

• Double-check your selections to ensure accuracy.

8. Write From Dictation

Task Overview:

• Prompt Length: 3-5 seconds

• Skills Assessed: Listening and writing

• Number of Questions: 3-4

• Time to Answer: Not specified

How to Answer:

• Listen to a short sentence and type it exactly as you hear it.

Tips:

• Listen closely, as the sentence is concise.

• Take notes if allowed, but be ready to type the sentence quickly.

• Check your spelling carefully to avoid mistakes.

Scoring Criteria

Question type

No. of questions

Scoring

Communicative skills scored

Traits scored

Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers	2-3	Partial credit (for each correct response. Points deducted for incorrect options chosen)	Listening: 1 Each correct response – 1 Each incorrect response 0 Minimum score	Not applicable
Fill in the Blanks (Type In)	2-3	Partial credit (for each word spelled correctly)	Listening: 1 Each correct word spelled correctly 0 Minimum score	Not applicable
Highlight Correct Summary	2-3	Correct/incorrect	Listening and Reading: 1 Correct response 0 Incorrect response	Not applicable
Multiple Choice, Single Answer	2-3	Correct/incorrect	Listening: 1 Correct response 0 Incorrect response	Not applicable
Select Missing Word	1-2	Correct/ incorrect	Listening: 1 Correct response 0 Incorrect response	Not applicable
Highlight Incorrect Words	2-3	Partial credit (For each word. Points deducted for incorrect options chosen)	Listening and Reading: 1 Each correct word – 1 Each incorrect word 0 Minimum score	Not applicable
Write from Dictation	2-3	Partial credit (for each word spelled correctly)	Listening and Writing: 1 Each correct word spelled correctly 0 Each incorrect or misspelled word	Not applicable

Final Tips for Success:

• Stay calm: Listening tasks can be tricky, but staying relaxed helps you focus.

• Practice regularly: The more you practice listening to different accents and speeds, the easier these tasks will become.

• Use the notepad: Take quick notes during the recordings to help with summaries, fill-in-the-blanks, or transcription tasks.

• Review your answers: If time permits, double-check your responses to make sure you haven’t missed any important details.