Listening can be tricky if you fail to pay attention to the prompts and don’t prepare well. This blog will be a good guide for you if you are trying to practice PTE Listening and ways to improve it.
In the listening section of the PTE Academic Exam, there will be questions for candidates about audio and video clips. Each candidate will be able to hear each audio or video clip only once. The Pearson Test of English, or PTE, is one of the most sought-after English language tests among candidates who plan to study abroad.
We are going to focus in this article on the PTE Listening section of the PTE exam and ways to improve it. It is one of the four sections of PTE Reading, PTE Listening, PTE Speaking, and PTE Writing.
Before going ahead, let me tell you about the tasks given in PTE Listening. This will further give you an idea about the areas where you need to be specific in your preparation.
Starting with,
What does “listening” mean on the PTE and what to learn before you improve it?
According to the PTE, the Listening section should take 45-57 minutes to complete. Time should not be a limiting factor since this could overwhelm you and ultimately slow you down.
Prepare yourself by familiarizing yourself with the test’s sections in order to avoid unpleasant surprises. This is important to know before you learn the ways to improve your Listening skills in PTE. Here are the questions you will encounter in the listening section, if you want to know more about the exam format, read the post – PTE Exam Format
Summarize spoken text
In this question, you will have to summarize a spoken text within 10 minutes. There will be just 12 seconds to prepare between the recording and the writing time. This recording will last 60-90 seconds.
This task assumes you summarize a lecture for a student who was absent.
Multiple choice questions/multiple answers
There will be a audio prompt here that will last between 40 and 90 seconds, and then you’ll need to select multiple answers from the options given.
In this section, there will be more than one answer for each prompt. So better pay attention to each detail.
Fill in the blanks
It is crucial that you pay close attention to both the text and the audio prompt in this section. There will be a transcript of the prompt below the audio box. You should fill out the blanks after you hear them.
Highlight correct summary
In this task, you will be given an audio prompt of 30-90 seconds. There will be a list of multiple-choice answers below the audio box. Select the answer that best summarizes the audio prompt.
Focus on the overall idea/ central or main idea rather than the details.
Multiple choice questions/single answers
The multiple-choice/single answer section will be formatted the same as the multiple answer section, except you will only need to select one answer.
Select missing word
You will have 20 to 70 seconds to listen to the audio depending on its duration. The last sentence of the audio is incomplete and substituted with a beep sound. You need to choose from the options give, which word or phrase best completes the last sentence of the audio. They may range from one word to an entire sentence.
Highlight incorrect words
There is a similar format to ‘fill in the blanks’ task. But an incorrect will be there to find out. The audio will begin after 10 seconds of familiarizing yourself with the transcript.
Pay attention to the audio and identify the words that do not match the transcript as they play.
Write from dictation
You will hear a sentence lasting only five seconds for the last question. You will have seven seconds between each audio prompt. Make sure that you type the sentence exactly as heard. Therefore, to increase the speed it is important to learn ways to improve Listening skills in PTE.
You get one point for every word you type. So take your time and write it.
I hope you must have got an idea of the type of questions you will see in the exam. After familiarising yourself with the type of questions, let me tell you how to improve your listening skills so that you can ace them well.
PTE Listening: Ways to improve it
1. Acquaint yourself with different accents
The PTE focuses on relocation. It tests your proficiency with different accents, and that’s one of its best features. There are many places where English is spoken. Therefore, you should be prepared for wherever you are going with the PTE.
By watching tv shows from different countries and listening to different accents on YouTube, you will get used to hearing different accents.
2. Develop active listening skills to improve it in PTE
It is a valuable skill in your day-to-day life as well. This implies that you are participating in what is said and spoken around you.
The act of actively listening prepares you to pay attention to details, both in theme and in language, whether they come from passing signs, song lyrics, or a friend’s day-to-day story.
3. Stream Your Favorite Shows With Subtitles to improve listening skills in PTE
Watching shows in English generally helps you improve your listening skills, but following along with subtitles takes it to the next level. Using the audio to guide you, you can identify the words and improve your reading speed more easily.
Additionally, shows can be tailored to your preferences. Gradually you’ll learn to follow along with both audio and text, which will prepare you for identifying incorrect words.
4. Listen to podcasts
Does it really work? How will podcasts affect my listening score? There are many other questions like these. However, podcasts are an excellent way to improve your listening skills and lay the foundation for future listening practice.
In the Listening section, many of the questions ask you to identify the theme or route of the audio. There will be questions to identify several themes on the multiple-choice test. However, only one theme is asked on the multiple-choice single question.
You will also require to summarize the spoken text. Using podcasts can assist you in absorbing large amounts of information and reducing it to a single point. Get your summarizing skills really sharp by weeding out unnecessary information.
5. Exercises to Ground Your Thinking to improve listening skills in PTE
Listening, in general, requires a lot of presence, not just when doing so in English. Being able to listen requires you to be focused, and this can be difficult when you are thinking about what your goal is, where to study, or what your neighbor is doing.
By familiarizing yourself with grounding exercises, you stay focused during the test and give yourself a better chance of accessing the knowledge you already possess instead of being overwhelmed by unnecessary factors.
6. Develop a routine for practicing daily.
To overcome your fear of listening section in the PTE, make it a habit to watch the TED talks or listen to the English news every day. When you’re learning the English language for the first time, you are likely to feel defeated and disheartened at first, but this is a natural reaction since you are trying to adapt to the new language.
Believe me, as soon as you follow the routine, you’ll see a difference within a week. During your initial practice time, assume you are speaking those words. In addition, you can use these techniques to overcome your fear of the Listening section by taking a PTE practice test.
7. Watch News and Documentaries in English
Watching English-language news and documentaries also has the same effect since our brains are in an alert state. This will also help you enhance your vocabulary, which will prove helpful in overall PTE tests.
8. Meditation
Yes, you heard it right! Meditation. There is a popular saying that the body benefits from movements, but the mind benefits from stillness. So, meditation or any concentration technique is an excellent way to prepare for a PTE.
How to score 90 in the PTE Listening by following ways to improve it?
By limiting distractions, it helps you to relax and increase your concentration. Keeping your attention while listening to the audio will help you to get the correct answer while in the exam hall. Therefore, practice meditation on a daily basis to develop your concentration skills.
To ensure you know what each section of the PTE Listening Test asks you to do, make sure you familiarise yourself with each section. Learn how it is marked, and do your best to submit your answers on time.
You can prepare for the PTE Listening Test by registering with Edutrainex, the online PTE Training platform. Enroll in a live listening class through Edutrainex. It will give you the opportunity to take a PTE listening practice test.