Sample answers · Highlight Incorrect Words
PTE Highlight Incorrect Words · Listening section
PTE Highlight Incorrect Words sample – Band 79.
A worked HIW item: the 38-second spoken transcript, the on-screen transcript with 5 mismatches highlighted, per-mismatch analysis, and the full scoring math showing why over-clicking on this task is more expensive than under-clicking. HIW is one of only 3 negatively-marked PTE tasks.
Last verified 17 July 2026 · Written for PTE Academic post-August 2025 format · Verified against Pearson's July 2025 Score Guide.
The spoken transcript (what you hear)
How ocean tides work
38 seconds audio · plays once, no replay control · the on-screen transcript below differs from this in 5 places.
The rise and fall of ocean tides is primarily driven by the gravitational attraction of the Moon and, to a lesser degree, the Sun. Because the Earth rotates once every twenty-four hours, most coastlines experience two high tides and two low tides each day. The height of a given tide is also modulated by local seafloor geometry, so the same tidal cycle produces small changes in some bays and dramatic swings in others.
Rendered here for study only. On the real exam this is audio, played once. The on-screen transcript below is what appears on your screen at the same time.
The on-screen transcript (what your eye reads)
Click every word that differs from what you hear.
The five highlighted words above are the mismatches a Band 79 candidate would click. Each click on a highlighted word scores +1. Each click on any other word (a word that matches the audio) scores -1.
Per-mismatch analysis
Each mismatch, what the speaker actually said, and why it matters.
| # | On screen | Actually spoken | Type | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | largely | primarily | Adverb swap | Near-synonyms. Both mean "mostly" but the exact word differs. Common trap: fast readers pass over adverb swaps because the meaning is preserved. |
| 2 | smaller | lesser | Comparative swap | Both are comparatives, but "lesser" is the register the speaker uses ("to a lesser degree" is a fixed collocation). Register-shift mismatches are common on HIW. |
| 3 | spins | rotates | Verb swap (register) | "Spins" and "rotates" both describe the Earth's motion, but only "rotates" is the correct scientific register. On academic-topic HIW clips, verb-register swaps are the highest-frequency mismatch type. |
| 4 | observe | experience | Verb swap (meaning) | "Observe" and "experience" have overlapping meaning but different agents (observers watch; experiencers undergo). Coastlines don't observe tides, they experience them. Meaning-swap mismatches require you to hear the exact verb. |
| 5 | affected | modulated | Verb swap (technical) | "Affected" is vague; "modulated" is specific (implies degree, not just presence of an effect). Precision-vocabulary swaps like this are frequent on HIW because they test genuine listening rather than surface-level word matching. |
Band 79 answer
All 5 mismatches clicked, no false alarms.
5 correct clicks, 0 incorrect. Raw score: +5 - 0 = 5/5 – full marks.
Scoring math (why over-clicking is expensive)
Same item, 5 clicking strategies.
| Strategy | Clicks | Raw math | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 79 pick (all 5 mismatches, no wrong clicks) | 5 correct, 0 incorrect | +5 - 0 = 5 | 5/5 – full marks |
| Careful reader (4 mismatches caught, 0 wrong) | 4 correct, 0 incorrect | +4 - 0 = 4 | 4/5 – missed one mismatch, no wrong clicks |
| Aggressive clicker (all 5 + 3 correct-word false alarms) | 5 correct, 3 incorrect | +5 - 3 = 2 | 2/5 – over-clicking cost 3 marks |
| Panicker (clicks every unfamiliar word: 12 clicks) | 5 correct, 7 incorrect | +5 - 7 = -2 → floored to 0 | 0/5 – too many wrong clicks zeroed the item |
| Under-clicker (only 2 mismatches, no wrong) | 2 correct, 0 incorrect | +2 - 0 = 2 | 2/5 – safe from negative marks but leaves 3 marks on the table |
The rule: +1 for each correct click, -1 for each incorrect click, minimum score per item is 0 (you cannot go negative on a single item, but the drag on total Listening / Reading scores across all HIW items adds up).
The Band 79 timing plan
Four beats across a 38-second window.
Before audio starts
Read the on-screen transcript once, at natural pace, so your eye knows the visual shape of the text. Do not try to memorise it, that will slow you down when the audio starts.
During the 38-second audio
Read the on-screen transcript AS the audio plays, at exactly the same pace as the speaker. Click any word where your ear registers a difference from what your eye is reading. Do not wait to review, HIW is a live-comparison task.
Immediately after audio ends
You cannot replay. Review the clicks you made. Un-click any that you now doubt. Adding a wrong click after review costs -1, so err on the side of removing rather than adding.
Final check before Next
Count your clicks. On a 38-second HIW clip you should have caught 4 to 6 mismatches. If you clicked more than 8 words, you almost certainly have false alarms; review each for confidence.
6 common Highlight Incorrect Words mistakes
The failure modes that drag a Band 79 to a Band 60.
| Mistake | What it costs you |
|---|---|
| Clicking every word that sounds unfamiliar or academic | Unfamiliar-but-correct words score -1 per click. HIW punishes unfamiliarity-driven guessing more than any other Listening task. Only click when you can point to a specific different-word-heard. |
| Not reading in real time with the audio | Reading ahead means you miss the audio; reading behind means you miss the visual. Match pace, and let the mismatches jump out at the exact moment your ear and eye disagree. |
| Ignoring the negative-marking framing | HIW is one of only 3 negatively-marked PTE tasks. Two wrong clicks cancel two right clicks. Every click must have earned itself. |
| Clicking a mismatch after the audio has ended | By that point you are pattern-matching against remembered audio, not live audio. Reliability drops sharply. Add-after-audio clicks are the highest false-alarm rate in the whole task. |
| Under-clicking to "stay safe" | HIW has 4 to 6 mismatches per typical clip. Clicking only 2 of them scores 2 out of 5 or 6. Being too cautious caps your ceiling; be selective, not silent. |
| Confusing HIW with Listening FIB | HIW = the transcript IS on screen; you click mismatches. Listening FIB = the transcript has blanks; you TYPE the missing words. Different tasks, different interfaces, different scoring. |
FAQ
Highlight Incorrect Words, answered.
How is Highlight Incorrect Words scored?
Partial credit with negative marking, per Pearson's July 2025 Score Guide. Every correctly-identified mismatch scores +1, every wrong click (a word that actually matches the audio) scores -1, minimum score per item is floored at 0. Same rule as Reading MCMA and Listening MCMA, the three negatively-marked tasks on the exam.
How many mismatches are there per Highlight Incorrect Words item?
Typically 4 to 7 mismatches in an on-screen transcript of 60 to 130 words. The exact count varies. Pearson does not tell you in advance how many mismatches to expect.
How many Highlight Incorrect Words items are on the PTE Academic test?
2 to 3 items per test per Pearson's July 2025 Score Guide. HIW sits in Part 3 (Listening) alongside Summarize Spoken Text, Listening MCMA, Listening FIB, Highlight Correct Summary, Listening MCSA, Select Missing Word, and Write from Dictation.
How long is the audio for Highlight Incorrect Words?
15 to 50 seconds per Pearson's Score Guide, played once with no replay control. The on-screen transcript is visible from the start; the task is a live-comparison between what you hear and what you read.
Can I un-click a word after I have highlighted it?
Yes. HIW clicks toggle on and off. If you click a word by mistake, click it again to un-select. The score is based on the final state of the transcript when you click Next; interim clicks do not persist.
Which skills does Highlight Incorrect Words score?
Listening and Reading. Listening because you must identify audio content; Reading because you must comprehend and evaluate the written transcript at the same pace. It is one of two Listening tasks that also feed the Reading score (the other is Highlight Correct Summary).
Which PTE tasks have negative marking?
Only three: Reading Multiple Choice Multiple Answers, Listening Multiple Choice Multiple Answers, and Highlight Incorrect Words. All three use the same rule: +1 for each correct action, -1 for each incorrect action, minimum score per item is 0. Every other PTE task uses either partial credit without negative marking or binary correct/incorrect scoring.
Keep going with Highlight Incorrect Words
One pattern, three depths.
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Reusable framework
Highlight Incorrect Words template
The reusable answer framework — structure, sentence starters, timing marks — that fits any Highlight Incorrect Words prompt.
Read the template →Interactive drill
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Related tools.
- → Reading MCMA sample – sibling negative-marking task, text stimulus.
- → Listening MCMA sample – sibling negative-marking task, audio stimulus.
- → Listening section overview – all 8 Listening task types.
- → Take a free scored mock – real HIW items with AI scoring.