Loading…

PTE Academic · Listening · L8

PTE Academic Listening: Write from Dictation

Write from Dictation is the last task in PTE Academic. You hear a short sentence once and type it exactly as you heard it. Each correctly spelled word earns credit, so partial answers still score. There are 3 to 4 items per test, contributing to Listening and Writing.

Items per test
3–4
Recording
One short sentence, played once
Response
Type the full sentence
Scoring
Credit for each correct word
Scores
Listening and Writing

How it works

  1. 1A text box appears and the sentence plays once.
  2. 2You type what you heard, as fully and accurately as you can.
  3. 3Each correct word earns credit; spelling errors lose it.
  4. 4You move to the next item when ready.

Sample task

Original sample · not from an official test

You hear: "Students must submit their research proposals before the end of the month."

Show a strong response

Outline: Students must submit their research proposals before the end of the month.

Every word earns credit. If you wrote 'Students must submit research proposals before the end of month', you would miss 'their' and 'the' but still score for the other words.

Tips that work

  • Start typing straight after the audio, while the sentence is still fresh; do not wait to 'think it through'.
  • If memory is tight, note the first letter of each word on your notes during the audio, then expand.
  • Check for small words and endings: articles, plural -s and past -ed are the most often dropped.
  • Practise spelling of common academic vocabulary, since misspelled words earn no credit.

Common mistakes

  • Writing a paraphrase instead of the exact words.
  • Leaving the box empty when you remember only part of the sentence.

Questions candidates ask

Do I get marks for a partly correct sentence?

Yes. Credit is given for each correct word, so type everything you remember.

Do punctuation and capitals matter?

The focus is on the words and their spelling. Write a normal sentence with a capital and a full stop to be safe.

How can I practise Write from Dictation?

EnglishHub has exam-style Write from Dictation practice with one-play audio across its 200 PTE Academic practice sets.

Other PTE Academic Listening tasks

PTE Academic overviewPTE Academic Listening: all partsPTE Academic full mock testsPTE Academic articles on the blog