PTE Listening: How to Get Perfect Scores on Select Missing Word Tasks

The Select Missing Word tasks check your ability to

• link ideas
• follow different accents
• grasp the meaning behind a speaker’s words
• predict which word or phrase should come next.

In the Select Missing Word question of the Listening section of PTE Academic, you will hear a recording about a topic. The last word or a group of words will be replaced by a beep. Your job is to select the word which was bleeped out, from a group of options. Yes, it is that simple!

Read on to find out how you can get perfect marks on this Select Missing Word questions with minimal effort.

1. You must use the 7 seconds you get before the audio starts playing, to take a quick look at the topic and the options. The topic will be mentioned in the instruction. 
2. You can solve this question without putting pen to paper. However, we strongly recommend taking notes for this one, as the distracting beep sound can make you lose focus.
3. The ability to tune out distracting sounds can come in handy while attempting this task. One way to master this skill is by taking a great deal of mock tests. Taking the mock tests on PTENOTE is your best bet if you want to score good marks in your first attempt.
4. Listen actively for “discourse markers”. These are used when the speaker introduces new information or links ideas. Some examples of discourse markers are-

“Anyway”

“In fact”

“So”

“Well”

“You know”

“I mean”

“However”

       5. Don’t worry if you miss a few words in the recording. If you focus on the overall idea of the audio, you will still be able to answer the question.

       6. Stay alert and keep your ears open, especially as the recording gets closer to the end/final statement. Use your erasable booklet to note down the last few words just before the beep sound.

      7. You should be able to figure out which word was bleeped out, based on the words preceding it. 

      8. If you have a good knowledge of academic vocabulary, you will be at an advantage in this task.

      9. As soon as you select an option, click next to move on to the next question.  

NOTE: Since there is no negative marking in these PTE Academic questions, you may take a guess if you don’t know the answer.