PTE listening Select missing word
About the task type
This task type tests listening skills. From a set of options, you have to predict what word(s) a speaker will say, based on contextual clues in a recording. You will do 2- 3 Select missing word tasks.
Select missing word Strategies
Be ready The instructions tell you the topic of the recording. As the Audio Status box counts down from 7 seconds, think what vocabulary you might hear. Skim the options quickly to gain an idea of the aspect of the topic the speaker might talk about. Be ready to focus on what you hear, and nothing else.
listen attentively, as you listen. make a mental map of what you are hearing. Do not take notes – it is more important to listen for the development of the speaker”s ideas. listen for any signal words the speaker might use to tell you the direction of the talk, e,g. presenting opposite arguments. describing something in detail, supporting a claim,
As you listen. make a mental map of what you are hearing. Do not take notes – it is more important to listen for the development of the speaker”s ideas. listen for any signal words the speaker might use to tell you the direction of the talk, e,g. presenting opposite arguments. describing something in detail, supporting a claim, ete. Don’t worry about any words you don’t understand. Focus on the overall ideas.
Predict the ending Be aware of the blue bar in the Audio Status box. This shows you when the recording is coming to an end so you will be ready to suggest the word or phrase that has been replaced by a beep. As soon as the recording stops. think what would come next and scan the options for the most similar word or phrase. Select it.
You have to select one option that the speaker would say next
Testing focus Scoring
Subskills tested listening: identifying the topic. theme or main idea: identifying words and phrases appropriate to the context; understanding academic vocabulary; inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words; comprehending explicit and implicit information: comprehending concrete and abstract information; following an oral sequencing of information; predicting how a speaker may continue; forming a conclusion from what a speaker says; comprehending variations in tone. speed and accent.
Preparation Work with a friend. Find 2 magazine articles and take turns to read out a short paragraph to each other, stopping before the final word or phrase. Try to guess what word or phrase will complete the paragraph. Develop your skills of predicting the ideas you will hear. listen to 20 seconds of a lecture. then stop the audio and say what ideas you think the speaker will talk about next. Play on and check your prediction. Repeat this with longer recordings. Find podcasts of lectures with a transcript.
Highlight the signal words that indicate the main points and the examples. or evidence, or opposing arguments. then listen for them in the audio. Look at the way these signal words will tell you the direction of the lecture and what the speaker is likely to say next. Find podcasts of lectures with a transcript. Play the lecture. stopping the audio about every 30 seconds. Predict what words the speaker will say next, then check the transcript. Compare the written form of the words with how they sound in the lecture.
Practice predicting what vocabulary you will hear in lectures on different topics. Play the first sentence or two of a short lecture. then make a list of the words and phrases you expect to hear. Play the lecture to check how many words from your list you hear. Expand your vocabulary of academic words in context. Keep a record of new words you learn.
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