Hello everyone! In this post we will see how to improve your listening score with simple tips. Firstly, for entire listening section you will have 45 to 57 minutes, which depends upon the number of questions and audio length for each task. Secondly, for summarize spoken text alone, each question will be given 10 minutes time. Suppose if you get 2 questions, then 20 minutes out of 45 minutes total time will be given to summarize spoken text. Finally, the remaining 25 minutes will be given to the rest of the tasks.
We may not know how many questions are there for each task. But before the listening section starts, you will get an outline of how many questions are there for each task and the total time. It is important to make a note of the number of questions in the textpad.
Because in WFD, most of the time we will get 3 questions but very rarely we will get 4 questions. If we don’t utilize the time properly, we may miss one WFD and it will affect both listening and writing section drastically. Make sure to spend 5 to 6 minutes for WFD task alone. Also quickly see the instruction for each question to avoid confusion between the tasks.
Listening Tasks
Summarize Spoken Text
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer
Fill in the Blanks
Highlight Correct Summary
Multiple Choice, Single Answer
Select Missing Word
Highlight Incorrect Words
Write From Dictation
These are the tasks you will get in listening section and this is the order that you get. Just remember this order, because sometimes this will be confused if it is multiple choice multiple answer or single answer or highlight correct summary or even with select missing word. So better note down the order of tasks and number of questions in the given textpad.
Here the highlighted ones contribute more marks for listening, writing and reading sections. The rest of the tasks contributes only 1 to 2 marks. Therefore, instead of spending more time on these low score tasks, we can randomly select an answer and move on to the next question if we don’t know the answer for sure. Don’t spend much time on them. But still you will be able to score 79+. So don’t worry about these tasks.
Scoring structure
| Tasks | Listening | Writing | Reading |
| Summarize Spoken Text | 13.1 | 11.9 | |
| Multiple Choice – Multiple Answers | 2.6 | ||
| Fill in the Blanks | 6.6 | 7.4 | |
| Highlight Correct Summary | 1.3 | 1.5 | |
| Multiple Choice – SingleAnswer | 1.3 | ||
| Select Missing Word | 1.3 | ||
| Highlight Incorrect Words | 7.9 | 8.9 | |
| Write From Dictation | 19.7 | 26.8 | |
| Speaking Section | 36.2 | ||
| Total | 90 | 46.1 | 10.4 |
This is how the score is given for listening section to improve. As I said these tasks contribute only less marks. Moreover, there are negative marks for multiple choice multiple answers and highlight incorrect words. Therefore, just select only one choice if you don’t know the answers for multiple choice questions. And the minimum mark for each question is zero even if all choices are wrong. For example, if only 2 answers are correct for a question but if you select 3 choices including both correct answers, the marks will be given as 2 for right answers and -1 for wrong answer and the final mark is only 1.
Suppose if you select 2 wrong choices instead of correct answers, the score will not be -2. Consequently, zero marks will be given for that question. Similarly, for highlight incorrect words also negative marks are there and it works similar to multiple choice multiple answers. But this task contributes 8 marks for listening section and 9 marks for reading section. Select the answer only if you are 100% sure.
We will see some examples for the tasks which contributes more marks. I am not going to discuss the rest of the tasks as it carries only less marks. For SST we already have a separate video in which I have explained about how to respond to this task, in depth scoring, some tips and strategies and how to use the template for that task. Please watch that video for detailed explanation.
How to improve listening score | Fill In The Blanks
Click on the first blank and hear the audio. For each task, you have to follow a strategy. For example, in SST you have to type or write while hearing the audio. In highlight correct summary, just close your eyes and hear the audio and then select the answer.
In fill in the blanks, you have to read along with the speaker in your mind so that you won’t miss the word when it comes to the blank. And type as quick as possible. Just ignore if the spelling is wrong because you can verify it after the audio is completed. Most importantly, if it is name or place or any quoted phrase, the starting letter of the word should be capital. You can use tab to move on to the next blank.
For Multiple choice questions and Highlight Correct Summary as I already said, just close your eyes and hear it like a story. Finally choose the answer. For select missing word, you will be hearing a beep sound. You have to concentrate more at the end. So close your eyes while hearing the audio and understand the entire prompt.
For multiple choice questions, highlight correct summary and select missing word, read the answer choices as quick as possible so that you can relate while hearing the audio.
How to improve listening score | Highlight Incorrect Words
We will see highlight incorrect words now. This is also similar to fill in the blanks. You have to speak in your mind along with the speaker and highlight the incorrect words. Sometimes the audio will be too fast and the incorrect answers may appear close to one another. So practice well and understand different voices, male, female, different accent. You can practice from this website – pte.tools and even haiaoedu is also good. It has some tough questions.
How to improve listening score | Write From Dictation
This is the last task in the entire PTE test. We will get either 3 or 4 questions. You can either write or type directly in the screen if your typing speed is good. Just close your eyes and type the first half along with the audio and hear the second half. Once the audio is completed, type the remaining words. Don’t worry about the spelling and don’t try to correct it while audio plays. Simply type as quick as possible and correct it once the audio is completed.
Make sure the starting letter is capital, names and places as well and a full stop at the end. In write from dictation, if you don’t know if it is singular or plural, write both the words. Because, the software will ignore the wrong words and pick only the correct words.
We will see some examples
‘Fashion trends help people to make life interesting’.
Here we may miss to hear if it is trends or trend. If we write trends, then this should be help and if we write trend then it should be helps. So you can write as Fashion trend trends help helps people to make life interesting. As I said PTE software ignore the wrong words and pick the correct ones. I have done this in one of my WFD and still I was able to get good marks. Even many of my friends did this and got 90 in both listening and writing. But before that check the grammar. Based on grammar as well you can write the correct words.
We will see couple of examples for how to write correctly based on grammar.
‘Those students seeking further extension should talk to their faculty for more information’.
Here the first word is those, which points to many. Therefore, it should be students and not student.
‘The placement test of mathematics and statistics is offered in this semester’.
Here mathematics and statistics – two things, it is plural. As a result, the verb should be are offered but we have to check the phrase. The placement test is the subject here and it is singular. Therefore, we have to use ‘is’ instead of ‘are’. Please be careful on grammar and spelling to avoid mistakes.
Conclusion
That’s all for listening section. I hope with these tips you may understand how to improve your score in listening. I would like to thank for your comments, which motivate me to create more posts. Although it is getting little delay for creating the posts, I would like to make sure that I am giving valid information, which helps everyone. If you have any doubts, please feel free to comment in the comments section. I will definitely answer all your questions.
Besides, if you didn’t get your desired score, you have to take the test again within a week or so. Don’t give much gap and don’t lose hope, just keep practicing. It is because in PTE if we give some gap, we have to start practicing right from the beginning. Moreover, it will take more than a month again to practice well. Therefore, don’t lose hope if you don’t get your score. Just continue practicing and try again and again until you clear it. Once again thank you all and thanks for watching my videos.
