PTE Write from Dictation: the small task worth big marks
Write from Dictation looks like the smallest task in PTE. It comes at the very end, it takes seconds, and it can move your Listening and Writing scores more than almost anything else.
In Write from Dictation you hear one short sentence, once, and type it exactly. Each correct word earns a point, and the task counts towards both Listening and Writing. That is why it is worth serious practice: a few extra correct words in each sentence adds up across two skills.
Where the points go
You hear: The researchers analysed the results of several experiments.
You hear: Their accommodation was necessary for the new staff.
Grammar helps you hear
If you miss a word, grammar can often tell you what it was. After several the noun must be plural. After have been the verb ends in ed or is a past participle. Read your sentence back once before you move on and ask: does this make sense as English?
A 15 minute daily routine
- Type 20 dictation sentences a day. Write down every word you got wrong.
- Keep a spelling list of your own mistakes. Learn ten a week.
- While listening, type the first letters of each word if you cannot keep up, then fill in the rest from memory.
- Read your answer once for plurals, ed endings and small words like the, a and of.
- Check you have not added extra words. Extra words do not score.
Exam rules change. Always check with the exam provider and the organisation you are applying to.
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