The PTE Highlight Correct Summary is a listening activity that involves focus. You have to listen and choose the best summary.
Essential background information:
- You will get 2 – 3 PTE Highlight Correct Summary tasks.
- Recordings are 30 – 90 seconds long.
- Answer options can be up to 60 words long.
- The mark contributes to both listening and reading scores.
You are being tested for:
- listening comprehension
- ability to analyze and combine information
- ability to identify the most accurate summary
Take a few notes, but keep your focus by listening
Just before the task begins:
- You will see an audio status box that will count down from 10 seconds, then the status will change to ‘playing’ and the recording will begin.
- Before the listening begins, scan your eyes down the answers – for just 3 seconds – very quickly. Just notice a few words. That will give you an idea of what the text is about.
- You can adjust your volume by moving the slider during the recording if you need to.
- Take a breath. Be calm and focused.
While you are listening:
- Focus. Listen.
- Take a few notes, but keep your focus on the listening.
- DO NOT read the answer options while you listen. If you read, you will not be able to focus on listening.
After listening:
- Read the paragraphs carefully.
- Select the best
- Start by eliminating the impossible or unlikely answers.
- Then survey the remaining answers.
- Choose the best answer based on your notes and understanding.
- Once you’ve made your decision, click ‘next.’
TIPS for PTE Highlight Correct Summary:
- The test moves very quickly and you need to be able to maintain your focus. This is a mental skill and you should be practicing it leading up to the test. You might find it useful to put the radio or television on nearby when you are practicing at home. This will help you to get used to noise and distractions and to train yourself to maintain focus.
- The answer options may contain some of the words from the listening. However, sometimes it is a trick! Beware. Listen, understand and use your best judgment.
- Remember that you need to manage your own time in the listening test. If you manage it, you will be able to finish all of the questions. So work through the answer options methodically. Read them carefully. Make your best choice – then choose ‘next.’
General Listening Practice
The best way to get good at this task is to do lots of listening practice. Yes, you are probably busy working and you have a family and you have limited time.
So you need to ask yourself, how much do you really want this? It is unlikely that you are doing the PTE purely for fun! You are doing it as a stepping stone towards another goal which might be international study, immigration, or maybe professional registration.
You know that the way to get good at something is to practice it. If you were planning to run a marathon, you wouldn’t just dream about it, you’d be at the gym working on muscle groups and you’d be hitting the pavement and running each day. You’d be pushing yourself. You’d be monitoring your performance.
The beauty of working hard to achieve your target PTE results is that it isn’t only the ticket to your next goal, it is also an excellent way to improve your language skills and your ability to communicate effectively in English. So all the hard work will pay off in the PTE result you need and in easier, more effective communication in English.
So you are probably nodding, thinking “yea, yea. I know that. But how? How can I practice?”
You can improve your PTE Highlight Correct Summary results specifically by doing test question practice and you can improve it generally by listening to:
- TED talks
- BBC News
With the TED talks listen for 30 – 90 seconds, then turn the recording off and write down the main idea. Use the transcript button below the video to read the talk after you have listened. Analyze your performance.
Was your summary a good one? Yes? Fantastic! Well done! What is not so good? Why? What happened? Analyze why you made a mistake. Was it a vocabulary problem? Was it speed? Pronunciation? Keep working on it.
