Fill in the Blanks plays a recording once while you read along a transcript with several words missing. You type each missing word exactly as you hear it — correct spelling is required for credit, so this task combines listening accuracy with careful transcription.
Exam
PTE Academic and PTE Core
Scoring
Each blank scored independently; spelling must be exact
In PTE Core's Listening: Fill in the Blanks task, you type the exact words you hear into gaps in an on-screen transcript while a short recording plays. Every blank you complete correctly counts toward two of the four skill scores IRCC converts to CLB, so careful typing here supports two of the numbers that matter for a Canadian application, not just one.
What Listening: Fill in the Blanks tests
You see a transcript of a short recording on screen, with several words missing and replaced by empty boxes. As the audio plays, you type each missing word into its box. The recording plays once, so you follow the transcript and fill the gaps as the speaker reaches them.
PTE Core lists Fill in the Blanks as one of seven task types in the Listening section. In PTE Core specifically, the task is credited to both Listening and Writing, as are Write from Dictation and Summarize Spoken Text, because typing an accurate blank shows both what you understood and how correctly you can spell it.
Format and timing in PTE Core
A typical PTE Core test includes 2 to 3 Fill in the Blanks items. Each recording runs for 30 to 60 seconds, so the gaps come up quickly and there is little time to recover from a missed word.
Pearson does not publish a separate reading or answering allowance for this task. It sits inside the Core Listening section's overall 22-to-37-minute window alongside the other six listening task types. In practice, you type as the recording plays and move on once you have checked your answers.
How it is scored
Scoring is partial credit: you earn 1 point for every blank you fill with the correct word, spelled correctly, with a minimum of 0 for the item. There is no penalty for an incorrect or empty blank beyond simply not earning that point, and no bonus for guessing extra words that were not asked for.
Because this task feeds both your Core Listening and Writing scores, careless errors here can affect two skill scores, and so potentially two CLB conversions. IRCC's published table turns a Core Listening score of 60-70 into CLB 7 and 82-88 into CLB 9, while the same test's Writing score needs 69-78 for CLB 7 and 88-89 for CLB 9. A candidate who is strong at speaking but careless with spelling in tasks like this one can under-perform on the Writing conversion specifically.
Step-by-step approach
Scan the visible transcript as soon as it appears and note the grammar around each blank (is it a noun, verb, number, day of the week?).
Use that grammar clue to narrow what kind of word you are listening for, rather than trying to catch every single word in the recording.
Type each answer the instant you hear it; you cannot pause or rewind, so waiting until the end to fill several blanks from memory is unreliable.
Keep spelling in mind while typing, not just after: plurals, verb endings and common homophones (their/there, its/it's) are where a correctly heard word most easily turns into a misspelled one.
If you miss a blank, leave your best guess rather than nothing and move straight on; dwelling on one gap costs you the next one.
Once the recording ends, do a quick visual check of what you typed before moving on, since a misspelled word earns nothing even when you heard it correctly.
Worked example
Example (written by LexiPTE). Transcript with blanks shown in brackets: "The library's new opening [hours] start next [Monday], and the reading room will [close] an hour earlier on [Fridays] until further notice."
Why it works: each missing word is a single, common item that fits the grammar of its slot: "hours" completes a plural noun phrase, "Monday" is a day name, "close" is the base-form verb the sentence needs, and "Fridays" is a plural day name matching "an hour earlier on." None of the answers require advanced vocabulary. What earns the points is hearing the word correctly and typing it with the right spelling and ending, which is exactly what the Core Score Guide's one-point-per-correct-word rule rewards.
Strategies for PTE Core candidates
Build vocabulary around everyday and workplace notices: opening hours, dates, deadlines, room numbers and simple instructions, as well as more formal talks, so that no topic feels unfamiliar on test day.
Practise catching short function words (a, the, on, at) as well as content words; a wrong preposition can change which blank answer is grammatically correct.
Split your personal error log into two columns: words you misheard versus words you heard but misspelled. The two problems need different practice: one sharper listening, the other more careful proofreading.
Drill with dictation-style audio at slightly faster-than-comfortable speed so that normal Core listening speed feels manageable on test day.
Since the same task quietly supports both your Listening and Writing conversions, treat accuracy in this task as protecting two CLB numbers, not one.
Common mistakes
Leaving a blank empty when unsure. An empty box scores 0 either way, so a reasonable guess costs nothing and can occasionally be right.
Fixing capitalisation, punctuation or formatting instead of moving on. The task does not reward polishing a box you have already answered while the recording keeps playing.
Typing a synonym instead of the exact word heard. Only the correct, correctly spelled word earns the point; a close meaning is not credited.
Ignoring plural and tense endings. Spelling accuracy includes these small endings, and dropping an "-s" or "-ed" can turn a correct answer into an unscored one.
Practice plan
Week 1: complete short dictation drills daily using everyday and workplace audio (notices, short announcements), typing full sentences from memory to build listening-to-spelling accuracy.
Week 2: switch to gapped transcripts like the real task format, timing yourself to type before the audio moves on, and log each miss as "mishearing" or "misspelling."
Week 3: mix Fill in the Blanks with Write from Dictation practice in the same session, since both tasks reward the same accurate-spelling skill and both count toward Writing.
Ongoing: review your two-column error log weekly and target whichever category (hearing or spelling) is larger before your test date.
A typical PTE Core test includes 2 to 3 items of this type, each with its own short recording and gapped transcript.
Yes. Pearson's PTE Core Score Guide awards 1 point per blank only when the word is both correct and spelled correctly, so a misspelling loses the point even if you heard the word right.
No. In PTE Core, Fill in the Blanks contributes to both your Listening and your Writing skill scores, which IRCC then converts separately to CLB.
No fixed time is published for an individual item. It shares the Core Listening section's overall 22-to-37-minute allowance with the other six listening task types.
An empty or incorrect blank simply scores 0 for that word; there is no additional penalty, and the item's score cannot go below 0.
Fill in the Blanks plays a recording once while you read along a transcript with several words missing. You type each missing word exactly as you hear it — correct spelling is required for credit, so this task combines listening accuracy with careful transcription.
Exam: PTE Academic and PTE Core. Scoring: Each blank scored independently; spelling must be exact.
Read the transcript first and predict what part of speech each gap needs. Listen for the missing word in context rather than isolating it from the sentence. Confirm your answer against the sentence's meaning, then check its spelling before moving on.
Writing a word that sounds right but does not match the surrounding grammar. Losing your place in the transcript after missing one gap. Minor spelling errors on an otherwise correct word.
Choose a published question, follow its listening instruction, and submit your own response.
Objective questions show the result returned by the server. Speaking and writing feedback appears only when an evaluator is available; the site does not invent a score.
Yes. Use the PTE Academic/Core picker. If this task is unavailable for the selected exam, the page asks you to choose a supported exam.
A typical PTE Core test includes 2 to 3 items of this type, each with its own short recording and gapped transcript.
Yes. Pearson's PTE Core Score Guide awards 1 point per blank only when the word is both correct and spelled correctly, so a misspelling loses the point even if you heard the word right.
No. In PTE Core, Fill in the Blanks contributes to both your Listening and your Writing skill scores, which IRCC then converts separately to CLB.
No fixed time is published for an individual item. It shares the Core Listening section's overall 22-to-37-minute allowance with the other six listening task types.
An empty or incorrect blank simply scores 0 for that word; there is no additional penalty, and the item's score cannot go below 0.
