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Free PTE Core Write From Dictation Practice

Lume Test

Published on: September 4, 2026

Write From Dictation plays a single sentence lasting 3 to 5 seconds, once, and you type it. It is the last task in PTE Core and it scores Listening and Writing with partial credit.

Partial credit is the whole strategy. Each correctly spelled word in the right place earns credit, so a sentence you remember two thirds of is worth typing. Candidates who type nothing because they cannot recall the whole sentence throw away marks they had already earned.

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Key Takeaways

Audio 3 to 5 seconds, played once; you type the sentence.
Partial credit per correct word — type everything you have, even a fragment.
Word order matters, so type the words in the order you heard them.
Spelling is scored, so the highest-value preparation is drilling academic spellings.
Use shorthand for the first pass, then expand it — do not try to type full words at speaking pace.

How the task works and how it scores

Element	Detail
Audio	3-5 seconds, one sentence, played once
Skills scored	Listening and Writing
Scoring	Partial credit per correct word
Part	Part 3, Listening — the final task
Also in PTE Academic	Yes, with the same format

What you type	Outcome
The full sentence, correctly spelled	Full marks
Eight of eleven words in order	Most of the marks
A fragment of four words	Some marks
Nothing	Zero

The shorthand method

Step	Action
1	While the audio plays, type the first letter or two of each content word, separated by spaces
2	Immediately after, expand the shorthand into full words while the sentence is still in memory
3	Add the function words — the, a, of, in — which are the easiest to reconstruct
4	Check spelling of any word you are unsure of, then move on

Trying to type complete words during three seconds of speech means you capture the first three and lose the rest. Shorthand captures the shape of the whole sentence.

Practice sentences: academic administration

#	Sentence
1	The registration deadline for the autumn semester has been extended.
2	Students must submit their assignments through the online portal.
3	The lecture has been moved to the seminar room on the second floor.
4	Attendance at the laboratory sessions is compulsory for all candidates.
5	Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
6	The committee will announce its decision at the end of the month.
7	Please consult the departmental handbook before contacting your supervisor.
8	Enrolment figures have risen steadily over the past three years.
9	The examination timetable will be published on the faculty website.
10	Late submissions are subject to a penalty unless an extension is granted.

Practice sentences: workplace and administration

#	Sentence
11	All expense claims must be submitted within thirty days of travel.
12	The maintenance team will inspect the equipment on Thursday morning.
13	Visitors are required to sign in at the reception desk.
14	The quarterly report has been circulated to all department heads.
15	Training sessions are available to employees at no additional cost.
16	The contract will be renewed automatically unless either party objects.
17	Deliveries cannot be accepted after five in the afternoon.
18	Please confirm your attendance by replying to this message.
19	The new procedure takes effect from the first of next month.
20	Access to the building is restricted to authorised personnel only.

Practice sentences: research and data

#	Sentence
21	The results were consistent across all four experimental conditions.
22	Researchers collected samples from twelve sites over eighteen months.
23	The correlation between the two variables was surprisingly weak.
24	Several assumptions underlying the original model have been questioned.
25	The methodology section describes the sampling procedure in detail.
26	Preliminary findings suggest a substantial improvement in accuracy.
27	The sample size was too small to draw reliable conclusions.
28	Data collected before the equipment failure remains usable.
29	The study was replicated independently by two separate teams.
30	Participants were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups.

Practice sentences: environment and infrastructure

#	Sentence
31	The council approved funding for the coastal defence scheme.
32	Emissions from road transport have fallen for the third consecutive year.
33	The reservoir supplies drinking water to more than a million residents.
34	Planning permission was refused on environmental grounds.
35	Rainfall in the region has become increasingly unpredictable.
36	The bridge will remain closed until structural repairs are complete.
37	Recycling rates vary considerably between neighbouring authorities.
38	The proposal includes provision for additional cycle lanes.
39	Vegetation along the riverbank reduces the risk of erosion.
40	Air quality monitoring stations were installed at six locations.

Worked example

Stage	What you have
Heard	“The registration deadline for the autumn semester has been extended.”
Shorthand typed during audio	reg dead aut sem been ext
First expansion	registration deadline autumn semester been extended
Function words added	The registration deadline for the autumn semester has been extended.
If you only reached the shorthand	Typing “registration deadline autumn semester extended” still earns partial credit

Spellings that decide this task

Word	Common misspelling
accommodation	accomodation
maintenance	maintainance
necessary	neccessary
occurrence	occurence
separate	seperate
questionnaire	questionaire
independent	independant
consistent	consistant
environment	enviroment
government	goverment
committee	commitee
curriculum	curriculam
laboratory	labratory
preliminary	preliminery
substantial	substancial
authorised / authorized	autherised — both s and z forms are accepted

Function words that are easy to reconstruct

Pattern	Reconstruct as
Two nouns in sequence with no article heard	“the ___ of the ___” or “___ for the ___”
A verb with “been”	“has been” or “have been” — check the subject
A plural subject with a bare verb	No -s on the verb
A time expression	“in”, “on”, “at”, “by” — decided by the noun
A purpose phrase	“for” plus noun, or “to” plus verb

Content words carry the marks and function words are the ones you can rebuild by grammar. Spend your three seconds on the content words.

Practice routine

Have someone read a sentence aloud once at normal pace, or use a text-to-speech tool at natural speed.
Type shorthand during the sentence, then expand it immediately.
Compare word by word. Count the words you got, not whether the sentence was perfect.
Log every misspelling separately from every missed word — they need different practice.
Do ten sentences a day. This task rewards volume more than any other in PTE Core, because the skill is purely mechanical.
Once a week, do ten sentences at 1.25 times speed. Normal pace then feels slow.

What loses marks

Error	Why	Fix
Typing nothing because you missed part	Partial credit means the part you had was worth marks	Always type what you have
Typing full words during the audio	You capture the beginning and lose the end	Shorthand first, expand after
Reordering the words	Word order is scored	Keep the order you heard
Misspelling a content word	That word scores nothing	Drill the academic spelling list
Adding words to make it grammatical	Invented words are not credited and can disrupt order	Type what you heard, gaps included
Spending too long on one word	It is the last task; time pressure is real	Take your best spelling and move on

FAQ

How is PTE Core Write From Dictation scored?

With partial credit, so each correctly spelled word in the right position earns credit towards both your Listening and Writing scores. That means an incomplete answer is worth typing and a blank answer is the only guaranteed zero.

How long is the sentence?

Three to five seconds of audio, played once, which is typically eight to twelve words. There is no replay.

Should I type during the audio or after?

Type shorthand during the audio — the first letters of the content words — and expand it immediately afterwards. Typing full words at speaking pace means capturing the opening of the sentence and losing the end.

Does word order matter?

Yes. Credit depends on words being in the right place, so type them in the order you heard them even when your recall is incomplete rather than rearranging what you have into a grammatical sentence.

Does spelling matter?

Yes, and it is the highest-return preparation for this task because the listening demand is fixed while the spelling demand is learnable. Both British and American spellings are accepted, so “authorised” and “authorized” both score.

How much should I practise this task?

More than any other in PTE Core, because the skill is mechanical and responds directly to volume. Ten sentences a day, with a weekly session at slightly increased speed, moves this task faster than an equivalent amount of time spent anywhere else in Part 3.

Related practice resources