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PTE Listening Mastery: A Comprehensive Guide to Ace Your Exam

If you plan to study or work abroad, then The Pearson Test of English (PTE) is your test. It is a standardised English language proficiency exam that assesses the listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills of non-native English speakers. It is a reliable measure accepted by academic institutions, professional organisations, and governments worldwide.

What will you learn

Introduction: Find Out About PTE Listening

PTE Listening Section

When you attempt the PTE Listening section or PTE Listening practice test, you are evaluated for your comprehension of spoken English in various real-life situations. You get to try different question types, such as multiple-choice, fill in the blanks, and highlight correct summary, to gauge your capacity to identify critical information, make inferences, and follow spoken discourse. When you  practice PTE Listening online or offline, ensure you cover all these tasks.

Importance of Practice and Preparation

PTE Listening practice is crucial for achieving a good score on the test. When you practice PTE Listening online or in a prep class, you benefit in the following ways:

  1. Familiarisation with Question Types: PTE Listening presents a variety of question formats. Practising these different question types will help you become comfortable with the format and requirements of each question.
  2. Enhancing Listening Skills: Consistent practice helps improve listening skills, such as understanding accents, recognising intonation, and deciphering different speech rates.
  3. Time Management: PTE Listening is a timed section. Adequate preparation will help you develop strategies for managing your time wisely during the test.
  4. Identifying Weaknesses: Practice allows you to identify areas needing improvement. Once weaknesses are identified, targeted practice and preparation can address these areas, leading to better performance on the test.
  5. Improving Scores: Ultimately, practice and preparation can lead you to higher scores on the PTE Listening section, which can have a significant impact on overall test results

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Overview of PTE Listening: Format, Scoring And Questions

Before you begin your PTE Listening Practice it is important that you comprehend its tasks. The PTE Listening section has a time limit of 30-43 minutes. The section has the following PTE Listening questions:

  • Multiple Choice: You have to listen to a short audio recording and select the correct answer to a question.
  • Fill in the Blanks: This task requires you to listen to a short audio recording and fill in the blanks with the missing words.
  • Summarise Spoken Text: You are to listen to a short audio recording and write a summary of what you heard in 50-70 words.
  • Highlight Correct Summary: This task requires you to read four different summaries of an audio recording and select the correct summary.
  • Multiple Choice, Single Answer: This task is similar to the Multiple Choice task, but you can only choose one answer.
  • Select Missing Word: This task requires you to listen to a short audio recording and select the missing word from a list of four options.
  • Highlight Incorrect Words: You have to read a summary of an audio recording and highlight the incorrect words.
  • Write from Dictation: You are to listen to a short audio recording and write down what you hear.

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Scoring in the PTE Listening Section

  • The PTE Listening section is scored on a scale of 10-90 points, with each question contributing to the overall score. 
  • The scoring is based on the candidate’s ability to accurately understand and respond to the audio content, as well as the effectiveness of their written responses when applicable. 
  • You get points for correct answers, and there are no negative marks for incorrect responses.

PTE Listening Practice Strategies: Tips To Help You Score

PTE Listening practice test  will help you get the required score in the PTE Listening section. Here are some general tips and strategies to help you make the most out of your PTE Listening practice:

  1. Regular Practice: Consistency is essential. Dedicate time each day or week to PTE Listening practice.
  2. Simulate Test Conditions: Replicate the test environment as closely as possible. Find a quiet place, set a timer, and eliminate distractions.
  3. Varied Listening Materials: Use various listening materials, including academic lectures, news reports, conversations, etc.
  4. Accent Familiarisation: Since PTE is an international test, it can include a variety of accents. Practice listening to speakers with different accents, such as British, American, Australian, and non-native English speakers.
  5. Transcribe and Summarise: After listening to audio clips, practice transcribing spoken content or summarising it in writing.

Get free access to  blogs about PTE and benefit from Edulyte’s PTE trainers expertise.

PTE Listening Highlight Correct Summary: Question Format

PTE Listening test with answers also include The Highlight Correct Summary question. PTE Listening Highlight Correct Summary assesses your ability to understand the main ideas and key points in a spoken passage.

Format:

  1. You will listen to a short audio clip (usually a sentence or two).
  2. After listening to the audio, you will see a list of several possible summaries (usually three or four).
  3. Your task is to select the summary that best captures the main idea or key information in the audio.

This question type is designed to evaluate your comprehension skills and your ability to distinguish the essential content from the less critical details.

PTE Listening Highlight Incorrect Words Format

The Highlight Incorrect Words question evaluates your ability to distinguish between spoken words and their written transcript, identifying discrepancies and errors. Make sure  you attempt PTE  Listening highlight incorrect words practice with answers.

Format:

  1. You will listen to an audio recording of a sentence or a short passage.
  2. Simultaneously, you will see a written transcript of the spoken content displayed on the screen. Some of the words in the transcript will be highlighted or marked.
  3. Your task is to carefully compare the spoken words with the highlighted words in the transcript and identify any words that do not match. These words are incorrect and should be selected.

PTE Listening Multiple Choice Single Answer

The Multiple Choice Single Answer task assesses your ability to understand the main idea or specific details of a spoken passage. Ensure  PTE Listening multiple choice single answer practice is a necessary part of your  PTE Academic Listening practice test too.

Format:

  1. You will listen to an audio clip that may consist of a conversation, lecture, or monologue.
  2. After listening to the audio, you will see a question followed by several answer choices (usually three or four).
  3. Your task is to select the one answer that best responds to the question or accurately summarises the main point of the audio.

PTE Listening Dictation Practice: Its Importance and Exercises

PTE  Listening dictation practice is an invaluable exercise for improving listening and writing skills. This practice involves listening to spoken content and transcribing it accurately, word for word.

Importance of Dictation Practice for PTE Listening

  1. Enhanced Listening Skills: Dictation practice sharpens your listening skills by forcing you to pay close attention to spoken content.
  2. Improved Note-Taking: In the PTE Listening section, you can take notes while listening to the audio. Dictation practice can enhance your note-taking skills.
  3. Vocabulary Development: When transcribing audio, you’ll encounter new vocabulary and phrases. This exercise can contribute to your vocabulary expansion.
  4. Grammar and Spelling: Dictation practice can help you improve your grammar and spelling, as you must write down what you hear with correct punctuation and spelling.
  5. Increased Accuracy: Transcribing spoken content accurately is highly relevant to the “Highlight Incorrect Words” question type in PTE Listening. Practising dictation can enhance your precision in identifying discrepancies between spoken words and their written form.

Dictation Exercises for PTE Listening Practice

  1. Audio Clips with Transcription: Start with short audio clips (lectures, speeches, news reports, etc.) and their corresponding written transcriptions. Listen to the audio, pause, and write down what you hear. Then, compare your transcription with the provided one to identify any discrepancies.
  2. Spoken Word Recognition: Listen to audio clips of individual words or phrases and write them down. It can help you become more adept at recognising spoken words accurately.
  3. Dialogue Transcriptions: Use movie or TV show dialogues with subtitles. Play the dialogue and transcribe it as accurately as possible. It is excellent for improving your ability to follow conversations and discussions.
  4. Podcasts and Audiobooks: Listen to podcasts or audiobooks and transcribe sections or sentences from them. It will expose you to different accents and speaking styles.

PTE Listening Select Missing Word Practice: Format And Questions

The “Select Missing Word” assesses your ability to recognise contextual cues, understand spoken discourse, and predict what word would best complete a sentence. PTE Listening select missing word practice with answers can empower you to score well in the PTE Listening. You will find these in Edulyte’s PTE Listening Test with answers.

Format:

  1. You will listen to a short audio clip where the speaker pauses or omits a word, creating a gap in the sentence.
  2. After listening to the audio, you will see a list of options, typically three or four words, that could potentially complete the sentence.
  3. Your task is to select the word that makes the most sense and fits appropriately in the context.

pte listening select missing word practice with answers

PTE Listening Score Chart

While you may not get a specific PTE Listening test  score chart, below is how your scores in PTE will be assessed.

PTE Score

Level of Proficiency

85-90

  • Can understand everything heard and spoken in English
  • Can summarise statements, construct arguments
  • Can express fluently and precisely even in complex situation


76-84

  • Can understand long texts and the concept presented
  • Can express fluently without lack of language expressions
  • Can create detailed texts under challenging situations


59-75

  • Can understand and communicate on abstract topics
  • Can communicate easily with native English speakers
  • Can create clear text on regular issues


43-58

  • Can deal with regular communication regarding school, work, leisure
  • Can create simple text on familiar topics
  • Can explain experiences, plans, goals.


30-42

  • Can understand information and expressions regarding personal topics 
  • Can communicate in simple expressions 
  • Can describe common concepts in simple terms


10-29

  • Can use basic phrases and expressions
  • Can introduce oneself and ask for basic information from others
  • Can understand if the native English speaker speaks slowly


PTE Listening Real Exam Questions

PTE Listening practice material is a great way to cement your chances of scoring well in PTE Listening. Go through the PTE Listening practice tasks given. Please get our standard PTE practice package, Value-packed, transparent, and focused on results.

pte listening real exam questions

Here is how it looks like;

pte listening real exam questions

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Frequently Asked Questions

The PTE Listening section is one of the four main components of the Pearson Test of English (PTE). It evaluates listening comprehension, note-taking, and the ability to identify key information in audio passages.

The PTE Listening section includes a variety of question types, each designed to assess different aspects of your listening and comprehension skills.

  1. Multiple Choice Single Answer
  2. Multiple Choice Multiple Answers
  3. Fill in the Blanks
  4. Highlight Correct Summary
  5. Highlight Incorrect Words
  6. Select Missing Word
  7. Write from Dictation

The PTE Listening section can be challenging for many test-takers. Some common challenges in this section include:

  1. Diverse Accents: The PTE Listening section includes audio clips with different accents. Understanding these accents can be challenging for those less familiar with regional variations.
  2. Listening Speed: Some audio clips in the PTE Listening section may feature fast-paced speech. You need to adapt to different speaking speeds and maintain focus to capture essential information.
  3. Vocabulary and Vocabulary Variation: Audio clips may contain unfamiliar vocabulary or expressions. Recognising the meanings of these words in context can be challenging.
  4. Question Types: Different questions in the PTE Listening section require specific skills. Understanding the instructions and the expectations for each question type can be challenging, particularly for first-time test-takers.
  5. Time Management: The PTE Listening section is timed, and managing time effectively is crucial. Test-takers need to pace themselves to ensure they can complete all the questions within the allocated time.
  6. Practice: Insufficient practice can be a significant challenge. Without regular and effective practice with authentic PTE Listening materials, test-takers may struggle to become accustomed to the test format and question types.

You can find a variety of PTE Listening practice materials online to help you prepare for the test. Here are some reputable sources and resources to explore:

  1. Official PTE Academic Website: The Pearson PTE Academic website offers a range of official practice materials, including sample questions, practice tests, and scored practice tests. These are among the most authentic and valuable resources for PTE preparation.
  2. PTE Preparation Books: Many publishers offer PTE preparation books with listening practice materials. Some well-known publishers for PTE preparation books include Pearson, Barron’s, and Kaplan.
  3. Online Courses and Tutorials: Numerous online platforms and websites offer PTE preparation courses. One such portal to empower your PTE prep is Edulyte. Our courses  include listening practice materials, and some provide interactive exercises to improve your listening skills.

Of course, you can. With the appropriate assistance, course material, dedication and hard work, you can attain a 79+ score on your first PTE attempt.

The PTE is divided into 3 segments:

  • Speaking and Writing
  • Reading
  • Listening

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