ListeningPTE AcademicPTE Core

PTE Highlight Incorrect Words

In PTE Highlight Incorrect Words you read a transcript on screen while the audio plays, and click the words that differ from what the speaker actually says. This task has negative marking — each correct click earns a point and each incorrect click loses one — so accuracy matters far more than coverage.

Timing
The audio plays once while you follow the transcript on screen.
Contributes to
Listening and Reading scores
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How PTE Highlight Incorrect Words is scored

  • +1 per correctly identified word, −1 per wrong click (minimum zero)

How to score higher in Highlight Incorrect Words

  1. 1

    Follow the text with your cursor as the audio plays. If you look away you will lose your place and never recover it.

  2. 2

    Click only the words you actually heard differ. Because wrong clicks subtract, guessing is worse than skipping.

  3. 3

    The replacements are usually similar-sounding, not random — listen for near-homophones.

  4. 4

    Do not go back to re-check earlier lines; the audio will not wait, and you will lose more than you gain.

Common mistakes in Highlight Incorrect Words

  • Clicking words that merely look unusual, and losing points for each one.
  • Losing the place in the transcript and abandoning the second half of the item.

Highlight Incorrect Words — frequently asked questions

Does PTE Highlight Incorrect Words have negative marking?

Yes. Every word you correctly identify earns a point and every incorrect click loses one, with the item floored at zero. You should only click words you genuinely heard differ from the transcript.

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More listening guides

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