PTE Listening: 5 Tips for Acing Highlight Incorrect Words Easily

The audio starts, your eyes race across the text, and within seconds you lose your place. That one moment can quietly cost you marks in PTE Listening. Highlight Incorrect Words looks like the easiest task in the exam, so many students relax too much. However, every incorrect selection takes one point away from your score.

So this task rewards calm accuracy rather than fast clicking, and you can build that accuracy in a few weeks. In this updated guide, Learn with Hafiz explains the current PTE listening format, the real scoring rules, and five tips that work.

One careless click can cancel out a correct answer, so learn the rules before you start practising.

Why Highlighting Incorrect Words Costs You Marks in PTE Listening

Most students treat this task as free marks because they only need to read along and click. But many of them click on every word that feels slightly odd. As a result, their wrong clicks wipe out the points they earned with their right ones.

The damage also spreads beyond one skill, because this task counts towards listening and reading together. Therefore, a weak attempt here hurts your score in two places at the same time.

Old advice online makes the problem worse, because some blogs still describe this task as optional. Others say you hear a conversation between two people. In reality, you hear one recording and compare it with a transcript on your screen.

Picture Ali, who needs 58 in listening but clicks every word that sounds strange. He gets 54 and has to pay for another test.

Have you ever felt sure you did well, only to see a lower score later? Unnecessary clicks can pull your score down, and controlled PTE listening practice helps you fix that.

You don’t need perfect English for this task. Pearson says it checks your ability to listen for differences between the recording and the transcript. So the key skill is noticing when a written word differs from what the speaker says.

The Current PTE Academic Listening Format

Pearson updated PTE Academic on 7 August 2025, so your study material must match the new version. Otherwise, old notes can give you the wrong timing and an outdated list of tasks.

Here is how the PTE Academic listening section works today, based on the official Pearson exam format page.

• Listening is Part 3 of the test and takes 31 to 39 minutes in total.
• It includes 8 question types based on audio or video recordings.
• You can take notes on the erasable noteboard booklet.
• Recordings play automatically, and you hear each audio or video recording only once.

Pearson lists the eight listening tasks in this order.

1. Summarize Spoken Text
2. Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers
3. Fill in the Blanks (Type In)
4. Highlight Correct Summary
5. Multiple Choice, Single Answer
6. Select Missing Word
7. Highlight Incorrect Words
8. Write from Dictation

What Happens in Highlight Incorrect Words

First, a transcript of a short recording appears on your screen with a few changed words in it. Your job is to click on every word that differs from what the speaker actually says.

The recording lasts between 15 and 50 seconds, and you get about 10 seconds to skim the text before it starts. Each word you click turns yellow, and a second click on that word removes the highlight.

For example, the screen shows “the economy grew rapidly last year,” but the speaker says “slowly.” So you click “rapidly” and leave the rest alone.

The Scoring System for Highlight Incorrect Words

The system scores each word you select as correct or incorrect. You gain one point for every correct selection, but every incorrect selection takes one point away. If any selection is wrong, Pearson applies partial credit scoring.

Pearson calls this the third of three question types where an incorrect selection costs you one point. So you need to treat every single click as a small decision with a real cost.

Here is a made-up example to show how the maths works.

• Suppose the transcript contains 5 changed words in total.
• You select 4 of those changed words, so you gain 4 points.
• You also select 2 words that were already correct in the transcript, so you lose 2 points.
• Your net result for that item is only 2 points.

A careful student who clicks only the 4 words she is sure about keeps all 4 points.

If you don’t select a changed word, you simply don’t earn a point for it. But an incorrect selection takes one point away, so skipping a doubtful word is the safer choice.

Pearson’s AI scoring system marks this task automatically. For a few tasks, such as Summarize Spoken Text, Pearson also adds a human expert review of content.

PTE Listening Score Chart for Australia

PTE reports your listening score on a 10 to 90 scale, and your target depends on your goal.

The Department of Home Affairs changed its PTE score requirements from 7 August 2025, and each skill now has its own minimum. Here is the PTE listening score chart for tests taken on or after that date. It covers visas that ask for these English levels. Other visas, such as Student visas, set their own requirements.

For Superior English, the current minimums are 69 in listening, 70 in reading, 85 in writing and 88 in speaking. The previous system asked for 79 in each skill.

For tests taken on or before 6 August 2025, each skill needed 50 for Competent, 65 for Proficient or 79 for Superior. Home Affairs may still accept those results, depending on your visa subclass and its validity rules. So always check before you lodge.

Five Tips for Acing Highlight Incorrect Words in PTE Academic Test

Let’s begin by knowing the basics. This task is not optional, and you should expect it in your PTE Academic test. Pearson lists it as the seventh task in the PTE listening section, just before Write from Dictation.

First Tip. Use the 10 Second Preview to Find the Topic

The 10 second preview before the recording starts matters a lot. You cannot read every word in that time, but you can skim the text for its main idea.

So focus on the words that carry meaning, such as nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Then try to name the topic in one or two words before the audio starts playing.

For example, you might spot “climate,” “rainfall,” and “farmers” during the preview and guess the topic is farming. So if “festival” appears later in the text, it will stand out as a possible change.

This habit can support your audio comprehension and help you react faster when a word sounds different.

Can I use headphones during the PTE Listening section?

You take PTE Academic at an authorised PTE test centre. The test centre provides the headset and microphone for the test.

Before the test begins, you complete an equipment check for your headset and microphone. Use that moment to set the volume until every word sounds clear and comfortable to you. Also, practise with light background noise, because other test takers nearby will speak during their own tasks.

Second Tip. Follow Every Word With Your Cursor

Pearson’s own advice is to move your cursor along the text as the speaker reads, then click any word that sounds different.

The cursor keeps your eyes locked on the right spot in the transcript. Without it, you can easily fall a few words behind the speaker and start guessing.

Pearson also advises you not to take notes during this task. Instead, keep your hand on the mouse and follow the text with your cursor. This habit can help you stay focused and keep your place.

Third Tip. Learn What Changed Words Usually Look Like

Changed words fit the sentence well enough to fool you, so distractor identification is a useful skill here.

Pearson doesn’t publish any rule about which words get changed. Still, many trainers notice a few common patterns in practice material.

• Opposite meaning. The screen says “increase,” but the speaker says “decrease.”
• Similar meaning. The screen says “method,” but the speaker says “technique.”
• Similar sound. The screen says “adapt,” but the speaker says “adopt.”
• Same word type. An adjective often replaces another adjective, and a verb replaces another verb.

Pronunciation recognition helps you catch these changes much faster. Because you may hear different English accents, practise with a range of them, including British, American, Canadian and Australian voices.

Still finding it hard to hear the difference between similar words? Learn with Hafiz can show you where your clicks go wrong, so book a free trial class today.

Fourth Tip. Never Guess on This Task

Guessing in this task can lower your score, because every incorrect selection costs one point.

So follow one clear rule throughout the task. Only click a word when you heard a different word from the speaker, and leave everything else alone.

Imagine a student named Sara who clicks every doubtful word in her practice tests. Because of those extra clicks, her results on this task stay low week after week. Then she changes that one habit, her wrong clicks drop, and her results start to climb.

While the recording plays, stay focused on the text and avoid clicking out of panic or doubt.

Fifth Tip. Practise With Real Timing and Review Your Mistakes

Practice only helps when it feels real, so use a timer and play each clip only once.

Pearson offers official Scored Practice Tests and other preparation tools on its website, and coaching classes also run practice mock tests.

After each session, keep a simple error log in a notebook.

• Write down the changed words you missed.
• Write down the correct words you clicked by mistake.
• Note the reason for each error, such as speed, accent or a similar sound.

With regular practice, patterns may appear, such as missing short words or struggling with fast speakers. Once you spot a pattern, you know exactly what to fix next.

How to Improve PTE Listening Score Across the Whole Section

For real score improvement, you need to train every listening task, not just this one. Here is a quick listening task breakdown that shows how to improve listening in PTE.

• Fill in the blanks PTE listening. Write each missing word on your noteboard as you hear it, then type it carefully. In this task, you must also spell each correct word correctly to earn the point.
• Write from Dictation. This final task affects both listening and writing. Type every word you remember, and keep the words in the right order.
• Summarize Spoken Text. Note the main idea and key supporting points as you listen. You get 10 minutes to listen and write 50 to 70 words.
• Multiple choice listening. Pick options that match the speaker’s meaning, not options that only repeat the same words.

Spelling precision matters in several of these tasks. For example, Pearson accepts American, British, Australian and Canadian spelling, but you must use one convention consistently within a response.

In the other listening tasks, strong note-taking skills make a big difference. Use short symbols, such as “gov” for government and an upward arrow for increase.

Vocabulary Words for PTE Listening Fill in the Blanks

Vocabulary enhancement helps because you recognise familiar words faster in the audio and spell them without panic.

Here are common academic words that students often misspell in listening tasks.

• environment, government, development
• necessary, accommodation, separate
• significant, analysis, phenomenon
• research, evidence, approximately
• maintenance, independent, occurrence

If you learn five words like these daily, you could cover around 150 words in a month. Say them aloud, spell them from memory and review them often so they stick.

How to Get 90 in PTE Listening

A 90 in PTE listening is possible, but it needs very strong performance across the tasks that feed your listening score.

Some speaking tasks, such as Repeat Sentence, also add to your listening score. Therefore, score maximization means building academic listening skills across the whole test, not only in Part 3.

Here is a simple daily routine for PTE academic listening practice that can also support your listening fluency.

• 30 minutes of Write from Dictation sentences with a spelling check
• 30 minutes of Highlight Incorrect Words using the cursor method
• 30 minutes of fill in the blanks practice from real audio
• 10 minutes of new academic vocabulary with spoken repetition
• One full mock test every weekend under real exam conditions

Time management matters too. Section timing feels tight, so never spend too long on a single item.

Common Mistakes That Pull Your Listening Score Down

Even strong students make these common mistakes.

• Clicking every word that feels slightly strange or unfamiliar
• Losing your place because you stopped following the cursor
• Taking notes during Highlight Incorrect Words instead of clicking
• Studying from old material that ignores the August 2025 update
• Ignoring spelling in fill-in-the-blanks and dictation tasks
• Practising without a timer or replaying audio clips

Fixing these habits can lift your listening accuracy and build real exam readiness.

Bottom Line

PTE Listening does not need to scare you. Highlight Incorrect Words rewards you for spotting real differences between the recording and the transcript. So skim the preview, follow the cursor and click only what you clearly hear.

Your test date gets closer every day, and every week without a plan means more lost marks. Don’t let a few careless clicks cost you the English score you need for your visa or migration pathway.

At Learn with Hafiz, Master Trainer Hafiz helps you build real exam strategies for every listening task. You get live online classes, realistic mock tests and personal feedback on exactly where you lose marks.

• Book your free trial class today and see where you really stand.
• Request a free scorecard analysis and find out where your marks go.
• Contact us now and lock in your study plan before your test date arrives.

Start this week, so you walk into your exam calm, focused and ready to score.

FAQs

Q1. Is highlighting incorrect words important in the PTE Listening test?

Yes, it matters a lot, because this task affects both your listening and reading scores. Since it uses negative marking, careful answers protect two scores at once.

Q2. Are there any specific strategies to quickly identify incorrect words in the PTE Listening test?

Yes, skim the text in the 10-second preview to find the topic first. Then follow each word with your cursor and click only the differences you hear.

Q3. What should I do if I need clarification on a word while highlighting incorrect words in the PTE Listening test?

Leave that word alone and keep listening. If you skip a changed word, you just don’t earn a point for it, but an incorrect selection takes one point away.

Q4. Can I change my selection of a highlighted word during the PTE Listening test?

Yes, you can click on a highlighted word again to remove the yellow highlight. However, only change your answer when you remember what the speaker said.

Q5. How are the highlighted incorrect words evaluated in the PTE Listening test?

A computer scores this task automatically. You gain one point for each correct word you select and lose one point for each incorrect selection.