Strategies to Ace the PTE Listening Select Missing Word Task

The PTE is a competence test in English, which checks the four language skills of the study abroad aspirants. Among its three modules, students find the PTE listening to be more challenging than the rest. That is why it is crucial that they take guidance from experts in the area. Therefore, this article will explore one task from the section named Select a missing word. It will further discuss the strategies shared by experts from PTE online coaching centres along with the mistakes to avoid.

Overview of the Select Missing Words Task

It is one of the many tasks in the listening part of the PTE test. The audio that the test takers will hear in this will be missing one or a few words. In place of that, there will be a beep sound. In addition, the question will contain options for completing the audio transcript. Out of all the choices given in the task, only one will fit in place of missing words. Further, in this PTE listening task, you will get one point for the correct word and zero for an incorrect term. Now, take a look at some of the top strategies for solving select missing words task.

Strategies for the PTE Select Missing Words

When you aim to get higher scores in language tests such as the PTE, it is crucial to use the correct strategies to do so. The same is true for the select missing word question in the listening section. Further, it is also essential to practice applying these methods with the help of PTE mock test and sample papers. These methods will help you master the task, thereby improving your test score. The following are some such strategies:

Listen Attentively

Pay close attention to the audio recording while it is playing. Try to understand the main theme and the purpose of the text from the audio. It will further assist you to get an idea of the missing words.

Guess The Word

Before going through the options, try to guess the terms that can fit the blank. You can further make use of the details that you have from the PTE listening audio file.

Analyse Options

Read the options and try to analyse them in view of the meaning of the text. If you feel that it does not align with the context, then you can eliminate it to narrow down the choices.

Grammar and Syntax

Keeping the passage grammatically correct is crucial. Therefore, look for terms that have correct grammar and will not disrupt the flow of the audio when added in place of missing words.

Speaker’s Intention

As per the tutors at the PTE online coaching, while hearing the recording, focus on the meaning that the speaker wants to convey. The message and the tone will help narrow down the options you have.

Collocations

By focusing on the collocations that are there in the audio file, you can try to find the suitable missing terms. Meanwhile, you can also use the terms before and after the blank to look for the correct response.

Contextual Clues

In the PTE listening part, the term contextual clues refers to words or phrases that can give you an idea of the meaning or function of the missing words. For instance, is it a adverb, noun, etc.

Synonyms

The answer choices that you get can make use of homophones or synonyms. Therefore, you need to have good word power so that you can identify them. Moreover, compare all the choices before selecting your answer.

Next, let’s get to know about some of the common errors that students make while solving this task.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Select Missing Words

As per the experts from various PTE online coaching centres, some of the mistakes can cost you your score. Therefore, it is vital to know what are the different errors that you need to avoid in this task.

• Be aware of the time that you take to respond to the questions.
• Do not focus just on the words. In addition, look at the overall context.
• Do not select the options that does not match the meaning of the sentence.
• Pay attention to the similar-looking phrases that act as distractors.

Conclusion

To conclude, with the right strategy and regular practice, it is possible for you to master the select missing word question. In addition, try to work on your weaker areas with the help of a free PTE mock test and feedback from mentors at Gradding.com. It is a coaching where you will get expert guidance and support for test preparation. In addition, the study material and resources that they provide will help you ace the PTE exam.