Predict what kind of ending the speaker is building toward, then choose the one option that completes both the meaning and grammar. In Academic/UKVI, the final word or phrase is replaced by a beep. You hear the recording only once.
Current format
You hear a 20–70-second recording and select the missing final word or group of words from supplied options. Pearson lists the task in PTE Academic/UKVI and Core, with Listening as the assessed skill and no separate answer time.
Only one response is correct. In the Academic interface, the beep marks the missing ending. The next recording does not begin until you click Next, allowing a brief review.
How scoring works
Pearson judges the ability to predict what a speaker will say from contextual clues. The response is correct or incorrect. An incorrect response or no response earns no credit. The task affects Listening only.
Because there is no partial credit within an item, the complete discourse direction matters more than recognising one familiar phrase.
Listen for discourse direction
Track what the speaker is doing: concluding, contrasting, giving a consequence, making a recommendation, or completing an example. Signals such as therefore, yet, in summary, and changes in intonation narrow the likely ending.
Keep a short mental statement of the latest claim. The final answer often depends on how that claim relates to everything before it.
Use grammar as a limit
At the beep, note the unfinished structure. Does it require a noun phrase, base verb, participle, adjective, or complete clause? Remove options that cannot fit syntactically, even if their topic is relevant.
Then check if the option sounds natural with the words beside it and fits the meaning. The best answer must fit the grammar, the local phrase and the meaning of the full recording.
Original practice example
Imagined ending: “The pilot programme reduced delivery times. But fuel use did not fall. The company will therefore revise the routes before it [beep].”
Options: expands the programme. Lower fuel. Successful. Revision.
“Expands the programme” completes the clause grammatically and matches the logic that revision comes before expansion. This example is original.
Worked example: all choices fit the grammar
Ask a partner to read this original script once and say “beep” at the marked ending. Keep the script hidden while listening, then choose one ending. It is a short teaching exercise, not a Pearson recording.
The training team initially put all instructions in a long handbook. New staff found it difficult to locate a single procedure quickly. The revised handbook now groups instructions by task and adds a clear index. It contains the same procedures as before; the aim is not to reduce the information, but to make it [beep].
Options:
A. easier to find
B. more expensive
C. less reliable
D. entirely optional
Answer: A. All four choices can complete “make it…” grammatically, so grammar alone cannot decide. The problem is locating a procedure; grouping by task and adding an index address access to information. B introduces cost, C reverses the improvement, and D changes whether procedures must be followed, which the script never discusses.
The contrast “not to reduce the information, but…” rules out an ending about simply removing material. A useful mental prediction is improve access, not reduce content. You do not need to predict the exact words before seeing the choices, only preserve the intended direction.
Do not choose from the last fragment alone
“Make it…” permits many endings. The preceding explanation determines which one is justified. Conversely, a topic-related phrase such as “training information” would not complete that sentence naturally. Check whole-message logic and local grammar together.
The answer may be a group of words rather than a single word, despite the task name. Select the supplied option that completes the recording; do not type your own preferred paraphrase.
Build a useful prediction drill
Choose an original or legitimately reusable short recording with a transcript. Hide its final phrase, listen once and predict the meaning of the ending. Then reveal it and explain which earlier clue supported the continuation. To practise selection specifically, create several grammatically possible alternatives, not only obviously incorrect word forms.
Keep the first one-listen attempt separate from any later replay used for learning. Record whether an error came from losing the argument, missing a contrast or misunderstanding an option. That gives you a specific next practice target.
A three-pass choice method
- Eliminate grammatically impossible endings.
- Remove options that contradict the speaker’s direction or view.
- Insert the final candidates and replay the last sentence mentally.
Use the review pause before Next. But do not invent facts absent from the recording.
The review time before Next is part of the section clock, not unlimited extra time. Use the time-management guide to review decision delays in full-section practice.
Compare Listening Multiple Choice, Single Answer, which asks a written question rather than supplying the recording’s ending. Write from Dictation asks you to reproduce words actually heard, not predict omitted ones. Use official resources for Academic or Core to keep these interactions distinct.
Common mistakes
- Waiting only for the final few words and ignoring the broader argument.
- Selecting a topic-related option that breaks grammar.
- Missing a contrast before the beep.
- Choosing an option because its first word sounds like the audio.
- Clicking Next without reviewing the selected ending in the sentence.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Select Missing Word recording?
Pearson currently lists a 20–70-second prompt for both PTE Academic/UKVI and PTE Core.
Can I replay the audio?
No. Pearson says the recording plays automatically and can be heard only once.
Conclusion
Select Missing Word is prediction from context, not isolated word recognition. Follow the discourse, apply grammar limits, and select the single ending that completes the speaker’s meaning.
Useful Resources & References
- Pearson PTE Academic and UKVI Listening format — official beep interaction, prompt length, review note and scoring (accessed 28 October 2026).
- Pearson PTE Core Listening format — current Core prompt length and task listing (accessed 28 October 2026).
- Current Academic Score Guide
- 2026 Core Score Guide
