PTE
ยท 2 min readPTE Write from Dictation: 8 tips to score full marks
Write from Dictation is one of the highest-value PTE tasks. How it's scored, and 8 practical tips to type every word of the sentence correctly.
In Write from Dictation, you hear a short sentence once and type it exactly. It looks simple, but it feeds into both your listening and writing scores, which makes it one of the best-value tasks to practise.
How it's scored
You get one point for each correctly spelled word from the sentence. Words you miss or misspell don't score, and extra words don't cost you. So a sentence of eight words is worth up to eight points.
8 tips
- Listen for meaning. A sentence you understand is far easier to remember than a string of words.
- Type the keywords first, as you listen: nouns and verbs carry the sentence.
- Then fill in the small words: articles, prepositions and auxiliaries (the, of, to, has, will).
- Check plurals and tense. 'Student' and 'students' are different words; so are 'explain' and 'explained'.
- Watch common spellings: environment, government, necessary, accommodation, receive.
- Don't leave it blank. Every word you get right scores, so write what you can.
- Keep capital letters and punctuation simple. They don't cost marks; spelling does.
- Practise daily. Ten sentences a day builds the listening memory this task needs.
Frequently asked questions
- Does word order matter in Write from Dictation?
- Points are given for correctly spelled words from the sentence, so the key is to get every word right. Writing the sentence in its natural order also makes it easier to remember and check.
- How many times can I hear the sentence?
- Only once in the real test, so practise listening carefully the first time.