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PTE Highlight Incorrect Words: Complete Guide | PTE Academic

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Highlight Incorrect Words is a listening task on PTE Academic where the transcript on screen does not quite match the recording. As you listen, you click the words in the transcript that are different from what you hear. It tests how closely you can follow speech while reading along.

This is one of the few tasks where a wrong click costs you a point, so accuracy matters more than speed. With a method that keeps your eyes on the transcript and clicks only clear differences, you can score well without taking risks. This guide explains how it works, how the scoring deducts points, and how to click safely.

Table of Contents

What is the "Highlight Incorrect Words" question type?

Highlight Incorrect Words is a listening task in PTE Academic. You see a transcript of a recording, but several words in it have been changed. As the recording plays, you click the words in the transcript that differ from what the speaker actually says. According to Pearson, the recording is about 15 to 50 seconds long and plays only once.

The official Pearson score guide states that a test includes 2 to 3 of these questions, and they count toward both your Listening score and your Reading score. Importantly, the scoring deducts a point for each word you wrongly highlight.

Here is a real example from our practice set. The transcript on screen has six changed words. As you listen, you click each word that differs from the recording:

Changed words (transcript versus audio): statistical was actually "numerical", demonstrate was "communicate", techniques was "strategies", interact was "engage", scholastic was "bureaucratic", and careers was "endeavors".

You earn a point for each of these you correctly click. If you also clicked a word that was actually correct, you would lose a point, so it pays to click only the differences you are sure about.

For more worked examples like this one, see our Highlight Incorrect Words practice questions with answers, which cover the full range of contexts and patterns you may face.

How "Highlight Incorrect Words" is scored

Highlight Incorrect Words uses partial credit with a penalty. The official Pearson score guide states that you get 1 point for each incorrect word you correctly highlight, but a point is deducted for each word you highlight that was actually correct.

This is the key feature of the task. Clicking a word that matches the recording does not just waste a click, it removes a point you earned elsewhere. The lowest total for the question is 0, so you cannot go below zero, but careless clicking can cancel out your correct answers.

This task counts toward both your Listening and your Reading scores, and it is marked automatically by the computer.

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This task deducts a point for each word you wrongly highlight. So click a word only when you clearly hear it differ from the transcript. When you are unsure whether a word changed, it is usually safer not to click it.
Catch every wrong word
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Tips to do well on "Highlight Incorrect Words" questions

Follow the transcript with your eyes

Keep your eyes moving along the transcript exactly in time with the speaker. The task is really about noticing the moment the word you hear does not match the word you see. Staying on pace with the audio is what lets you catch the differences.

Click only clear differences

Because wrong clicks lose points, highlight a word only when you are sure it differs from the recording. A word you are uncertain about is safer left unclicked. Confident, accurate clicks protect the points you earn from the words you did catch.

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Ask yourself for each suspicious word: did I clearly hear something different? If yes, click it. If you only have a vague feeling, leave it, since a wrong click costs a point.

Do not fall behind the audio

If you stop to think about one word, the recording moves on and you miss the next differences. When you are unsure about a word, make a quick decision and keep reading along. Falling behind is the main way test takers miss the later changed words.

Listen for meaning and sound

Changed words sometimes sound similar to the original and sometimes change the meaning. Listen for both: a word that sounds different and a word that makes the sentence mean something else. Either kind of mismatch marks a word you should highlight.

Do not over-click

There is no fixed number of changed words, so do not keep clicking just to feel thorough. Each wrong click costs a point, so highlight only the differences you actually heard. Clicking many words at random will lower your score, not raise it.

Trust your first clear judgment

When you clearly hear a mismatch, highlight it and move on without second-guessing. The recording plays once, so there is no time to go back and forth. A confident click on a clear difference is exactly what the task rewards.

How to practice "Highlight Incorrect Words" questions

This task improves when you practice following a transcript while listening and noticing mismatches in real time. The useful feedback is seeing which words you correctly caught and which clicks would have cost you points.

On Arno you can practice real Highlight Incorrect Words questions and get instant scoring on the words you marked, showing exactly which you missed so you can catch more and score higher. You build the habit of clicking only clear differences.

Click here to create your free account and start practicing Highlight Incorrect Words.

Frequently asked questions

How is PTE Highlight Incorrect Words scored?

You get 1 point for each changed word you correctly highlight, but a point is deducted for each word you highlight that was actually correct. The lowest total is 0. It counts toward both Listening and Reading.

Is there negative marking on this task?

Yes. This is one of the few PTE tasks with negative marking. Highlighting a correct word removes a point, so you should only click words you clearly hear differ from the transcript.

How many times does the audio play?

Only once. The recording, about 15 to 50 seconds long, plays a single time, so you follow the transcript and click differences as you hear them.

How many words are changed?

There is no fixed number of changed words, so do not click a set amount. Highlight only the differences you actually hear, since extra clicks on correct words cost points.

How many of these questions are on PTE Academic?

A PTE Academic test includes 2 to 3 Highlight Incorrect Words questions, according to the Pearson score guide.

Should I click a word I am unsure about?

Usually not. Because a wrong click loses a point, it is safer to leave a doubtful word unclicked and keep your points from the words you clearly heard differ.

Conclusion

Highlight Incorrect Words rewards close, accurate listening. Follow the transcript in time with the speaker, and click only the words you clearly hear differ from the text. Because each wrong click deducts a point, restraint is part of the skill, so leave doubtful words alone.

Do not aim for a set number of clicks, and do not fall behind the audio. Practice following speech while reading, and this higher-risk task becomes one you can handle with steady, confident judgment.

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