Listening - PTE Academic / UKVI, PTE Core
Highlight Incorrect Words
Highlight Incorrect Words practice builds the listening and reading tracking needed to spot transcript differences in real time.
Task facts at a glance
| Appears in | PTE Academic / UKVI and PTE Core — Listening part |
|---|---|
| Items per test | 2–3 |
| Audio length | 15–50 seconds, plays once |
| Scoring | 1 point per correctly clicked word |
| Negative marking | Yes — −1 per wrong click, total floored at 0. Click only clear differences. |
| Skills credited | Listening and Reading |
Worked example
The on-screen transcript about heritage begins: “Weather is the drawing that people in the present attach to earlier places, customs, and objects…” — but the audio differs in a few words. Click the words that differ. (Real bank question — shown in the player below.)
Click 5 words: “Weather” (audio says Legacy), “drawing” (meaning), “celebration” (pressure), “painting” (demolition), “musical” (government).
Why this scores well: Every click is a word that genuinely differs from the audio — wrong clicks would cost a point each under this task’s negative marking.
Scoring traits to watch
ListeningReading
Key takeaways
Track the transcript at the speaker’s pace.
Click only when the audio clearly differs from the written word.
Practise recovering quickly after a missed word.
How to practise Highlight Incorrect Words
The hardest part is staying aligned with the audio. Practise short passages first, then increase length once tracking is stable.
- Follow the transcript with your cursor or visual focus.
- Click clear substitutions only.
- Keep moving even after a missed item.
Practice framework
- Follow the transcript with your cursor or visual focus.
- Click clear substitutions only.
- Keep moving even after a missed item.
- Review missed words by sound pattern.
Common mistakes
- Reading ahead and missing the current audio word.
- Clicking words that sound similar but are actually correct.
- Losing place after one missed change.
Frequently asked questions
Does Highlight Incorrect Words have negative marking?
Yes. You gain one point for each correctly clicked word but lose one point for every wrong click, with the score floored at zero, so click only the words you are sure differ.
How does Highlight Incorrect Words work?
A transcript on screen differs from the audio in a few words, and you click the on-screen words that differ from what you hear; the audio is 15–50 seconds and plays once only.
Which skills does Highlight Incorrect Words count towards?
It contributes to both your Listening and Reading scores.
This task inside EdKnot
