PTE Academic · Listening
PTE Academic Listening: 8 Task Types
PTE Academic Listening is Part 3 and lasts about 31 to 39 minutes. It has eight task types, starting with Summarize Spoken Text and ending with Write from Dictation. Every recording plays once. Two tasks, the multiple-answer question and Highlight Incorrect Words, use negative marking.
- Part
- Part 3 of 3
- Time
- About 31–39 minutes
- Task types
- 8
- Audio
- Each recording plays once
- Negative marking
- Multiple Choice Multiple Answers; Highlight Incorrect Words
How PTE Academic Listening works
The task order is: Summarize Spoken Text (1 item, with its own 10-minute writing time), Multiple Choice Multiple Answers (2–3), Fill in the Blanks (2–3), Highlight Correct Summary (2–3), Multiple Choice Single Answer (2–3), Select Missing Word (1–2), Highlight Incorrect Words (2–3) and Write from Dictation (3–4).
Several listening tasks are integrated. Summarize Spoken Text and Write from Dictation also count towards Writing. Listening scores also receive contributions from Part 1 tasks such as Repeat Sentence and Re-tell Lecture, so listening practice supports more than this part alone.
PTE Academic Listening tasks
Tips that work
- Take short keyword notes; there is never a second play.
- Be selective in the two negatively marked tasks: click or tick only when you are sure.
- Save energy for Write from Dictation at the end; it is short but scored word by word.
- Practise with a mix of accents, since recordings may use different varieties of English.
Questions candidates ask
Can I replay any listening recording?
No. Every recording in PTE Academic plays once.
Which Listening tasks have negative marking?
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers and Highlight Incorrect Words. Each wrong choice subtracts a point, with a minimum of zero per item.
How long is the Listening part?
About 31 to 39 minutes, including the 10-minute writing time for Summarize Spoken Text.
PTE Academic overviewPTE Academic Listening: all partsPTE Academic full mock testsPTE Academic articles on the blog