PTE Reading and Listening tasks

Reading tasks

• Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks: choose a word for each gap from its drop-down (Select . . .).
• Fill in the Blanks (drag and drop): drag words from the box into the gaps.
• Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers: tick every correct option. ⚠️ Negative marking applies.
• Multiple Choice, Single Answer: choose one option.
• Re-order Paragraphs: move paragraphs from Source to Target and put them in order. Drag them, or use the arrow buttons (move to target, back to source, up, down).

Listening tasks

Audio plays once after a 5-second lead-in. You can't move to the next question until the audio has finished.

• Summarize Spoken Text: write a 50–70 word summary.
• Multiple Choice (Multiple / Single): as in Reading. Negative marking applies to Multiple Answers.
• Fill in the Blanks: type the missing words as you hear them.
• Highlight Correct Summary: choose the summary that best matches the recording.
• Select Missing Word: choose what completes the recording.
• Highlight Incorrect Words: click the words in the transcript that are different from what the speaker says. ⚠️ Wrong clicks cost marks.
• Write from Dictation: type the sentence exactly as you hear it.

Negative marking

In Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers and Highlight Incorrect Words, each wrong option you select takes away one mark. Your score for the task can't go below zero. Only choose options you're confident about.

Your report

• Correct, Incorrect, Skipped and a Detailed Review of each question, with the Correct Answer beside Your Answer
• (explanation) for why an answer is correct
• Write from Dictation: Correct Words, Missed Words and Misspelt / Wrong Words
• Enabling Skills (Listening): which sub-skills the task tested

Tips

• Write from Dictation is one of the highest-scoring tasks. Practise it daily.
• In Fill in the Blanks, check grammar: is the gap a noun, a verb or an adjective?