Loading…

PTE Academic · Listening · L4

PTE Academic Listening: Highlight Correct Summary

Highlight Correct Summary plays a short recording once and shows several paragraph-length summaries. You select the one that best captures what the speaker said. Only one is correct. PTE Academic includes 2 to 3 of these items in the Listening part, and there is no negative marking.

Items per test
2–3
Recording
Played once
Options
Several written summaries
Response
Choose one
Scoring
Correct or incorrect; no negative marking

How it works

  1. 1The recording plays once. You can take notes.
  2. 2You read the summary options on screen.
  3. 3You select the one that matches the recording best.
  4. 4You move on; there is no replay.

Sample question

Original sample · not from an official test

You hear a talk explaining that urban trees lower street temperatures in summer, but that their benefit depends on choosing species that tolerate pollution and on long-term watering budgets. Which summary is best?

  1. AUrban trees cool streets, but the benefit relies on suitable species and ongoing care.
  2. BUrban trees are the most effective way to reduce air pollution.
  3. CCities should stop planting trees because watering is too expensive.
  4. DStreet temperatures in summer depend mainly on traffic levels.
Show answer

Answer: Urban trees cool streets, but the benefit relies on suitable species and ongoing care.

The correct option keeps both the main point and the condition. Option 2 overstates a detail, option 3 contradicts the talk, and option 4 introduces an unmentioned cause.

Tips that work

  • Note the speaker's main claim and any 'but' or 'only if' condition; the right summary usually includes both.
  • Reject options that add information the speaker never gave, however sensible it sounds.
  • Reject options that turn one example into the main point.
  • Compare the last two candidates line by line rather than rereading all options.

Common mistakes

  • Choosing the option that repeats the most words from the audio instead of the one with the right meaning.
  • Ignoring a small but important contradiction in an otherwise good option.

Questions candidates ask

Is there negative marking?

No. You choose one summary, and a wrong choice simply scores zero.

How long is the recording?

It is a short talk or lecture extract. Focus on the argument rather than details such as numbers.

Which skill scores does it feed?

It is a Listening task. For the exact breakdown of any integrated contribution, check Pearson's current score guide.

Other PTE Academic Listening tasks

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