PTE listening task guide

PTE Highlight Correct Summary: format, scoring and practice

Highlight Correct Summary asks you to match one-play audio to the most accurate written summary. The best choice must preserve the main point and supporting relationship, not merely repeat familiar words.

Practise Highlight Correct Summary See all PTE tasks
Task overview

Highlight Correct Summary at a glance

Prompt30-90 seconds of audio
PreparationListen once
ResponseNo separate item timer
Skills scoredListening and Reading
Test-day flow

How Highlight Correct Summary works

  1. You hear a 30-90 second recording once.
  2. Several written summaries are available, but only one is correct.
  3. You select the paragraph that most accurately summarises the recording.
Scoring

What your response is scored on

Correct or incorrect

One accurate selection earns the item credit; an incorrect selection or no response earns none.

Listening

You need to understand and combine the recording's key information.

Reading

You compare written summaries for accuracy, scope and relationships between ideas.

Use scores as direction, not certainty

Pearson does not publish the complete scoring algorithm or raw-to-scale conversion. PrepEx feedback and 10-90 scores are practice estimates, not official PTE results.

Original example

Sample-style summary options

Highlight Correct Summary Sample task
Plays once

The speaker argues that urban tree programs work best when planting targets are combined with species planning and long-term maintenance.

The speaker concludes that cities should stop planting trees because maintenance costs are unpredictable.

The recording focuses entirely on measuring temperatures inside commercial buildings.

This is an original PrepEx example designed to demonstrate the response format. It is not an official Pearson test item.

Practice method

How to improve at Highlight Correct Summary

  1. Listen first and note the topic, main claim and two supporting points before reading closely.
  2. Eliminate options that reverse a relationship, overstate a detail or focus on only one example.
  3. Choose by overall meaning rather than matching isolated words from the recording.
Practice this task type

Learn the strategy here, then practise filtered Highlight Correct Summary items in the Practice Hub.

Practise Highlight Correct Summary Back to all PTE task types
Focused session

A 15-minute Highlight Correct Summary practice loop

01

Preview the rules

Re-read the timing, scoring traits and common mistakes on this guide before opening practice.

02

Run focused attempts

Open the filtered Practice Hub view and complete several Highlight Correct Summary attempts without switching task types.

03

Review and repeat

Use your activity history and target plan to decide whether to repeat this task or move to the next weak family.

Continue the loop

Stay on this task for a short focused set, then review whether it should remain your priority.

Run focused attempts Review attempts Update target plan
Avoidable errors

Common mistakes

  • Reading long options while the recording is playing
  • Choosing the option with the most repeated vocabulary
  • Accepting a summary that contains one correct detail but misses the main point
  • Overlooking small words that reverse cause, contrast or certainty
Accuracy and source

Checked against Pearson's current format

Task format, timing and published scoring traits were checked against Pearson's current PTE Academic test-format guidance on June 23, 2026. Pearson remains the final authority and may update the test.

Primary source: Pearson PTE Academic test format.

All PTE task typesBrowse the complete 22-task library by section. How PTE scoring worksUnderstand partial credit, score traits and the 10-90 scale. Practise Highlight Correct SummaryGo directly to matching items in the PTE Practice Hub.
PTE Academic is a trademark of Pearson Education Ltd. PrepEx is independent of Pearson. PrepEx scores are practice estimates, not official Pearson scores.