Why Write From Dictation matters: WFD is the highest-scoring individual task in the PTE Listening section. Each correct word scores +1, so a perfectly transcribed 10-word sentence scores 10 points. This page contains 70 practice sentences across 7 exercises — covering academic vocabulary, function words, and common sentence structures you’ll see on exam day.

Listening Section

Write from Dictation

Hear a sentence once and type it exactly as spoken. The highest-value task in the Listening section.

Official Task Instruction

“You will hear a sentence. Type the sentence in the box below exactly as you hear it. Write as much of the sentence as you can. You will hear the sentence only once.”

Tasks in Exam

3–4

Value

Highest in Listening

Marking

No Negative

Key Strategies

  • ➤Type immediately when the audio ends. Every second of delay costs words from memory.
  • ➤Mentally chunk the sentence as you listen: ‘The scientists / discovered a new species / in the Amazon.’
  • ➤Spelling is strictly marked — one wrong letter means zero for that word. Practice common academic words daily.
  • ➤If you miss words in the middle, keep typing what you remember. 5 of 8 correct words still earns significant marks.
  • ➤Review your typed sentence — check it makes grammatical sense and all words are present before moving on.

Scoring: 1 point per correctly spelled word. Every correct word counts — partial responses earn partial marks.