PTE Select Missing Word
Audio 20–70 seconds with the ending replaced by a beep. Learn what the task asks, why it matters, and how to practise it without turning a planning heuristic into a score promise.
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Quick facts
These format and scoring facts are paraphrased from Pearson sources. Keep them separate from PTEFlow’s practice advice.
| Section | Listening |
|---|---|
| Prompt | Audio 20–70 seconds with the ending replaced by a beep. |
| Skills | Listening. |
| Timing | No per-item time limit. |
| Scoring | Correct or incorrect. |
Why this task matters
It trains discourse direction and prediction, but the small average weighting makes efficient decisions more valuable than over-analysis.
Average contribution is contextual data for study priority. It is not a fixed allocation of PTE points.
Pearson official
Score contribution
Overall
~1%
Listening
~1%
These percentages describe an average test and help explain relative study priority. They are not fixed PTE points, a score formula, or a guarantee for a particular test form.
Relative context
Where this task sits among related tasks
The comparison uses the same average-weighting dataset as the contribution card. It explains relative importance, not a deterministic score conversion.
Listening contribution
- Summarize Group Discussion~20%
- Repeat Sentence~17%
- Retell Lecture~13%
- Write from Dictation~13%
- Summarize Spoken Text~10%
- Fill in the Blanks (Type In)~8%
- Highlight Incorrect Words~8%
- Answer Short Question~4%
- Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers~3%
- Highlight Correct Summary~2%
- Multiple Choice, Single Answer~2%
- Select Missing Word~1% · YOU ARE HERE
Pearson official tips
- Use context to predict how the speaker will finish.
- There are typically a few options and only one correct answer.
What the learner has to do
It trains discourse direction and prediction, but the small average weighting makes efficient decisions more valuable than over-analysis.
PTEFlow strategy
- 1Track cause, contrast, conclusion, example, or recommendation.
- 2Predict the semantic category of the ending before studying options deeply.
- 3Choose the option that is both grammatically and logically expected.
Template or technique
Discourse direction → expected meaning → option match.
Use a framework only when it fits the prompt. PTEFlow does not recommend irrelevant or unoriginal memorized responses.
Worked example
If the speaker says ‘For these reasons, the committee decided to…’, expect an action or conclusion rather than a new topic.
Review before test day
Common mistakes
- Focusing only on the sentence immediately before the beep.
- Ignoring discourse markers.
- Choosing a grammatically possible but logically weak option.
- Changing a supported answer without new evidence.
Target-score strategy
Practice benchmark
Aim for ~80%+ clean practice accuracy.
Study emphasis
Push consistency and reduce repeated error patterns.
This is a PTEFlow planning heuristic. It changes study emphasis, not Pearson’s rules, and it does not convert correct answers into a guaranteed score.
Personal notes
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Official sources and verification
Last verified against Pearson: 2026-09-20