pte academic - Listening and Reading - section overview

Part 3: Listening (45 – 57 Minutes)

You are tested on your listening skills mainly in Part 3 of the test, as well as having some integrated speaking & listening questions in Part 1.
Part 3 consists of questions that are based on audio or video clips which begin to play automatically. You hear each audio or video clip only once so listen carefully. You are allowed to take notes.
For each question you have the opportunity to adjust the volume. While the audio clip is playing, move the control bar to the right to increase the volume or to the left to decrease the volume.

Section Overview:

Item	Task	Skills assessed	Prompt length
Summarize spoken text	After listening to a recording, write a 50-70 word summary	listening and writing	60-90 seconds
Multiple choice, choose multiple answers	After listening to a recording, answer a multiple-choice question on the content or tone of the recording by selecting more than one response	listening	40-90 seconds
Fill in the blanks	A transcript of a recording appears on screen with several gaps. After listening to the recording, type the missing word in each gap	listening and writing	30-60 seconds
Highlight correct summary	After listening to a recording, select the paragraph that best summarizes the recording	listening and reading	30-90 seconds
Multiple choice, choose single answer	After listening to a recording, answer a multiple-choice question on the content or tone of the recording by selecting one response	listening	30-60 seconds
Select missing word	After listening to a recording, select the missing word that completes the recording from a list of options	listening	20-70 seconds
Highlight incorrect words	The transcript of a recording appears on screen. While listening to the recording, identify the words in the transcript that differ from what is said	listening and reading	15-50 seconds
Write from dictation	After listening to a recording of a sentence, type the sentence	listening and writing	3-5 seconds

Listening & Writing: Summarize spoken text

For this item type you hear an audio recording and need to write a 50-70 word summary on what you heard.
You have 10 minutes to write your summary.
The audio begins to play automatically. You are only able to listen to the audio recording once.
The Word Count at the bottom of the screen counts the number of words you write. Make sure to write a minimum of 50 words, but no more than 70 words.
There are also cut, copy and paste buttons which you may choose to use while constructing your summary.
Cut: Select text from your answer that you wish to remove and left-click “Cut”.
Copy: Select text from your answer that you wish to copy and left-click “Copy”.
Paste: Place the cursor where you wish to paste the cut/copied text and left-click “Paste”.

Listening: Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers

For this item type you need to listen to the recording and answer the multiple-choice question. There is more than one correct response.
The audio begins to play automatically. You are only able to listen to the audio recording once.
You need to select all the response options that you think are correct from the list of possible options.
To select an option click on it using the left button on your mouse. If you change your mind, left-click on the option again to deselect it.
The options you select are highlighted in yellow.

Listening & Writing: Fill in the blanks

For this item type you are presented with a transcript of the audio recording, however some words are missing. Restore the transcript by typing in the missing words.

The audio plays automatically. You are only able to listen to the audio recording once.

Left-click on each gap and type in the missing word. You can also use the Tab button on the keyboard to move between gaps.

Note: While the audio is playing, you can take notes on the erasable noteboard provided and then fill in the gaps.

Listening & Reading: Highlight correct summary

For this item type you need to select the summary that best matches the recording.
The audio begins to play automatically. You are only able to listen to the audio recording once.
There are several possible response options but only one is correct.
To select an option click on it using the left button on your mouse. If you change your mind, left-click on the option again to deselect it, or left-click on a different option.
The option you select is highlighted in yellow.
Note: It may be difficult to read and listen at the same time. It is recommended that you listen first, make notes on the erasable noteboard and then read the summaries.

Listening: Multiple-choice, choose single answer

For this item type you need to listen to the recording and answer the multiple-choice question.

The audio begins to play automatically. You are only able to listen to the audio recording once.

There are several possible response options but only one is correct.

To select an option click on it using the left button on your mouse. If you change your mind, left-click on the option again to deselect it, or left-click on a different option.

The option you select is highlighted in yellow.

Listening: Select missing word

For this item type the last word or group of words in the recording has been replaced by a beep. Select the most appropriate option to complete the recording.
The audio begins to play automatically. You are only able to listen to the audio recording once.
There are several possible response options but only one is correct.
To select an option click on it using the left button on your mouse. If you change your mind, left-click on the option again to deselect it, or left-click on a different option.
The option you select is highlighted in yellow.

Listening & Reading: Highlight incorrect words

For this item type you are presented with a transcript of the audio recording, however the transcript contains some errors. While listening and reading, you need to select the words in the text that differ from what the speaker says.

The audio begins to plays automatically. You are only able to listen to the audio recording once.

To select a word click on it using the left button on your mouse. If you change your mind, left-click on the word again to deselect it.

The words you select are highlighted in yellow.

Listening & Writing: Write from dictation

For this item type you hear a short sentence. Type the sentence into the response box at the bottom of the screen.
The audio begins to play automatically. You are only able to listen to the audio recording once.
Note: While the audio is playing, you can take notes on the erasable noteboard provided.
Remember to check your spelling.
                                                                                                                              source:pearsonpte.com