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PTE Academic · Listening · L3

PTE Academic Listening: Fill in the Blanks

In Listening Fill in the Blanks you see a transcript of a recording with some words missing. As the audio plays once, you type the missing word into each gap. Correct spelling matters. PTE Academic includes 2 to 3 of these items in the Listening part.

Items per test
2–3
Recording
Played once
On screen
Transcript with several gaps
Response
Type one word per gap
Timing
Within the Listening part (31–39 minutes)

How it works

  1. 1The gapped transcript appears before the audio starts.
  2. 2The recording plays once while you follow the text.
  3. 3You type each missing word into its gap, during or just after the audio.
  4. 4Each gap is marked separately; spelling must be correct.

Sample task

Original sample · not from an official test

Transcript: "Coffee was first ___(1) as a crop in Ethiopia and Yemen. By the seventeenth century, coffee houses had spread across Europe, where they became ___(2) places for merchants to exchange news." You hear: "...first cultivated as a crop... became popular places..."

Show a strong response

Outline: (1) cultivated, (2) popular

Each gap takes exactly the word spoken. A synonym such as 'grown' or 'common' is marked wrong, even if the meaning is close.

Tips that work

  • Skim the transcript before the audio starts to see the topic and the word class each gap needs.
  • If you cannot type fast enough, write the first three letters of each missing word on your notes and complete it after the audio.
  • Check grammar after typing: plural -s, past -ed and third-person -s are easy to miss when listening.
  • Practise spelling common academic words (environment, necessary, government) until they are automatic.

Common mistakes

  • Typing a synonym instead of the exact word.
  • Losing your place in the transcript while typing one gap and missing the next.

Questions candidates ask

Do I have to spell the word exactly?

Yes. A misspelled word is marked as incorrect for that gap.

Are British and American spellings both accepted?

Standard native-English spelling variants are accepted. Use one variety consistently.

Where can I practise this task?

EnglishHub offers exam-style Listening Fill in the Blanks practice with one-play audio, within 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