ListeningPTE AcademicPTE Core

PTE Fill in the Blanks (Listening)

In PTE Listening: Fill in the Blanks you see a transcript with words missing and must type each missing word as you hear the recording. It is scored one point per correctly spelled word, with no negative marking, and it contributes to both the Listening and the Writing score.

Timing: The audio plays once while you type into the gaps in the transcript.
Contributes to: Listening and Writing scores

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How PTE Fill in the Blanks (Listening) is scored

One point per correct, correctly spelled word (no negative marking)

How to score higher in Fill in the Blanks (Listening)

1
Read the transcript in the few seconds before the audio starts and predict the part of speech each gap needs.
2
Type as you hear — do not wait for the recording to finish and try to reconstruct from memory.
3
Spelling is scored, so a correctly heard but misspelled word earns nothing.
4
There is no negative marking, so fill every gap with your best guess.

Repeated Fill in the Blanks (Listening) recordings

Listening Fill in the Blanks recordings recur with their transcripts and gaps unchanged, so a practised recording means you already know roughly where each blank falls and — critically — how every answer is spelled, since a correctly heard word spelled wrongly scores nothing.

Use the prediction tier with real audio and type the answers in full each time; the task feeds both Listening and Writing, and rehearsed spelling under time pressure is where its repeated questions quietly pay double.

How PTE Monster’s prediction tiers rank the bank

Common mistakes in Fill in the Blanks (Listening)

Waiting until the end of the audio to start typing.
Leaving a gap blank when guessing is free.
Typing a plural or verb ending that does not match what was said.

Fill in the Blanks (Listening) — frequently asked questions

Is spelling marked in PTE Listening Fill in the Blanks?

Yes. Each blank scores a point only if the word is both correct and correctly spelled. There is no negative marking, so you should always attempt every gap.

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More listening guides

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