PTE Select Missing Word
A recording ends with its final word or phrase replaced by a beep, and you choose what belongs there. Everything turns on the last sentence — and on having followed the direction of the whole recording.
Follow the direction of travel
The missing phrase almost always completes the recording's conclusion. If the speaker has been building a case, the ending states it. If they have been qualifying it, the ending is the qualification.
- Listen for the conclusion signal — "so", "in short", "which means that".
- Hold the final sentence in mind; that is what the options complete.
- Grammar narrows the field: the options must fit the clause as spoken.
Common traps
- An option repeating a phrase from the middle of the recording rather than completing the end.
- An option that reverses the speaker's position in the final clause.
- An option that is true of the topic generally but does not complete this sentence.
No negative marking, so always answer. If the last sentence escaped you entirely, choose the option that matches the overall direction of the recording.
Select Missing Word — FAQs
2 questions
Short. The item is decided by the ending, so attention matters most in the final few seconds.
No.
More listening question types
Summarise Spoken Text
50–70 words, 10 minutes
Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers
Negative marking applies
Fill in the Blanks
Type the missing words as you listen
Highlight Correct Summary
Pick the paragraph that matches
Multiple Choice, Single Answer
One answer, no penalty
Highlight Incorrect Words
Negative marking applies
Write from Dictation
The best-value item in the test
Sources
Written from the test board's own published material and checked on 1 October 2026.