PTE 79 Plan Week 4: Write from Dictation and HIW

This week's sessions

Tick each session when you finish it. Your ticks are saved only in this browser.

Day 1 · 🎧 Listening · about 20 minWrite from Dictation: every endingRead this week's lesson and the Write from Dictation guide. Do the practice, and check every plural, -ed ending and small word.
Day 2 · 🎧 Listening · about 30 minDictation, highlights and summariesDo the listening set below. For each lost mark, note the reason: plural, ending, small word, spelling or wrong click.
Day 3 · 🎧 Listening · about 20 minHighlight Incorrect Words, no guessingDo the practice and click only when you're sure. Count your wrong clicks: the goal is zero.
Day 4 · ✍️ Writing · about 25 minSummarize Spoken TextPractise two recordings: key-word notes, then 55 to 65 words with the main point first. Proofread for three minutes.
Day 5 · 🗣️ Speaking · about 25 minRepeat Sentence, then type itDo the Repeat Sentence practice. After each answer, type the sentence too and check it word by word.

This week's lesson: every word, every ending, every click

Several listening tasks also count towards Writing or Reading, so they matter twice for a Superior target. This week covers the four where small errors cost the most: Write from Dictation, Highlight Incorrect Words, Listening: Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers and Summarize Spoken Text.

Write from Dictation: aim for perfect

Every word counts, so a sentence with one wrong ending still loses you something. At this level, aim for every word exactly right.

Listen for meaning first. A sentence you understand is far easier to remember than a list of sounds.
Type immediately, while the sentence is still in your memory. Start with the content words if you need to, then fill in the small words.
Check grammar before you move on. Your sentence should be correct English. If you typed Several department have..., the grammar tells you it was departments have.

The usual losses:

Plurals and -s: results, it requires.
-ed endings: was approved, they collaborated.
Small words: the, a, an, of, to. They're easy to miss when the speaker links them.
Spelling of academic words: accommodation, necessary, environment, government, separate.

Highlight Incorrect Words: click only when you're sure

Each correct click earns a point and each wrong click loses one. So:

Follow the text with your eyes (or the cursor), word by word, as you listen.
Click only when you clearly hear a different word. If you're unsure, leave it. A guess that's wrong cancels a right answer.
Watch for near-synonyms. At this level, the changed words are often close in meaning: few in the audio and handful in the text, or eastern and western.

Multiple answers: prove each one

Listening: Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers works the same way: a wrong option costs a mark. Choose an option only if you can point to the moment in the recording that supports it. Two certain answers are worth more than two certain answers plus a guess. Options that use the speaker's exact words but change the meaning (easy instead of hard) are traps.

Summarize Spoken Text: content and accuracy

Write key-word notes while you listen, then write 50 to 70 words:

The main point in the first sentence.
Two or three supporting points in the order you heard them.
The speaker's conclusion or recommendation, if there is one.

Full sentences, correct spelling and the three-minute proofread from last week all apply here too.

Using Repeat Sentence as dictation practice

Repeat Sentence and Write from Dictation train the same skill: holding a sentence in your memory. This week, after you say a Repeat Sentence answer, type it too, then check it word by word. It builds memory for both speaking and writing.

This week

Do the dictation guide, the listening set and focused practice on each task. In every set, write down each lost word and the reason: plural, ending, small word, spelling or wrong click.

Practice for this week

Dictation, highlights and summaries

Loading questions…

Weekly check: Mock test 1, Listening

Do Part 3: Listening in one go. Look closely at your Write from Dictation and Highlight Incorrect Words points.

Start the weekly check

When you finish, come back to your plan home: your dashboard updates with the new score.

Answers, explanations and transcripts

Finish the test first, then open each section to check your answers. Every answer has an explanation.

Dictation, highlights and summaries

Transcript: Highlight Incorrect Words

The platypus is one of only a few mammals that lay eggs. It hunts underwater with its eyes closed, finding prey by detecting electrical signals produced by the muscles of small animals. Platypuses live in rivers and streams along the eastern side of Australia, including Tasmania.

Transcript: Listening: Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers

Before running a large survey, researchers often carry out a pilot study with a small group. The pilot isn't meant to produce results; its purpose is to test the questions themselves. It often shows that some questions are confusing, or that the survey takes far longer than expected. Researchers can then revise the wording before collecting the real data. Skipping this step rarely saves time, because problems discovered later are much harder to fix.

Transcript: Summarize Spoken Text (10 minutes)

Many companies have moved to open-plan offices, hoping that removing walls would encourage collaboration. The results have been mixed. Several studies found that when people moved into open-plan spaces, face-to-face conversation actually decreased, while emails and messages increased. Workers reported more distractions from noise and less sense of privacy. That doesn't mean open-plan offices should be abandoned. Researchers suggest a mix of spaces: open areas for teamwork, quiet rooms for focused work and small meeting rooms for private conversations.

Model answer: Summarize Spoken Text (10 minutes)

Listen, then write a summary of 50–70 words.

The speaker explains that open-plan offices were meant to increase collaboration, but results have been mixed. Some studies found that face-to-face conversation fell while emails and messages rose, and workers reported more noise and less privacy. Rather than abandoning open-plan designs, researchers recommend combining open areas for teamwork with quiet rooms for focused work and small rooms for private meetings.

Transcript: Listening: Fill in the Blanks

The committee has postponed its decision until the consultation period ends. Submissions from residents will be considered alongside an independent assessment, and a final recommendation is expected early next year.

Answer key (9 answers)

#	Question	Answer	Why
1	Write the sentence you hear	Students must cite every source they use in their assignments.	Every correctly spelled word scores a point.
2	Write the sentence you hear	Several departments have collaborated on the new environmental research project.	Every correctly spelled word scores a point.
3	Write the sentence you hear	Late submissions will receive a penalty unless an extension was approved.	Every correctly spelled word scores a point.
4	Highlight the words that differ from the recording	handful (said: few), chemical (said: electrical), western (said: eastern)	The speaker says 'few' (not 'handful'), 'electrical' (not 'chemical') and 'eastern' (not 'western'). 'Handful' is close in meaning to 'few', which is why it's easy to miss. Each correct click earns a point; each wrong click loses one.
5	Which points does the speaker make about pilot studies?	They are carried out with a small group. · They can reveal questions that are confusing.	A and C are stated. The pilot 'isn't meant to produce results' (B), it can show that a survey takes longer than expected but doesn't make it longer (D), and problems discovered later are 'much harder to fix' (E). With only two correct answers, choosing a third would cost you a mark.
6	The committee has ___	postponed	Spelling counts: each word must be spelled correctly. Watch the double letters in 'recommendation' (one c, double m) and the -ent ending of 'independent'.
7	its decision until the ___	consultation	Spelling counts: each word must be spelled correctly. Watch the double letters in 'recommendation' (one c, double m) and the -ent ending of 'independent'.
8	…ends. Submissions from residents will be considered alongside an ___	independent	Spelling counts: each word must be spelled correctly. Watch the double letters in 'recommendation' (one c, double m) and the -ent ending of 'independent'.
9	assessment, and a final ___	recommendation	Spelling counts: each word must be spelled correctly. Watch the double letters in 'recommendation' (one c, double m) and the -ent ending of 'independent'.

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