Sample answers · Listening MCMA
PTE Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers · Listening section
PTE Listening MCMA sample – Band 79 selections.
A worked Listening MCMA: the 100-second stimulus rendered as transcript, the note grid captured during playback, all 7 options analysed against the notes, and the Band 79 selection strategy that manages negative marking. Listening MCMA is one of only 3 negatively-marked PTE tasks.
Last verified 16 July 2026 · Written for PTE Academic post-August 2025 format · Verified against Pearson's July 2025 Score Guide.
The stimulus recording
The economic and public-health case for cycling infrastructure
100 seconds audio · plays once, no replay control · no on-screen transcript on the real exam.
Investment in dedicated cycling infrastructure has been repeatedly shown to deliver stronger public health and economic returns than almost any other transport spend, and yet it remains politically underweighted in most Western democracies. The public health case is straightforward. Cities that have built continuous, protected cycling networks – Copenhagen and Amsterdam are the canonical examples, but Seville, Utrecht and increasingly parts of Melbourne fit the same pattern – see measurable reductions in cardiovascular disease incidence, obesity rates and air-quality-related respiratory illness. Copenhagen's own health authority estimates that every kilometre cycled adds approximately six minutes of healthy life expectancy through cardiovascular benefit alone. Economically, cycling infrastructure delivers a return that most transport economists agree exceeds equivalent road investment. Studies from the UK Department for Transport, from major Australian state agencies and from the New Zealand transport ministry all place benefit-to-cost ratios for well-designed cycling projects between five to one and thirteen to one, driven mainly by reduced healthcare costs, reduced traffic congestion for those who continue driving, and higher retail spend on high streets that have been made cycle-friendly. The main constraint is political rather than technical. Cycling infrastructure inconveniences motorists in the short term – losing a car lane always attracts more objection than gaining a bike lane earns praise – even when the longer-term evidence is unambiguous. Cities that have proceeded despite this asymmetry, treating the transition as a public health measure rather than a discretionary lifestyle choice, are the ones that have delivered the benefits at scale.
The transcript is shown here for study only. On the real exam you hear the audio once and must select answers from the note grid you captured – the transcript is not on screen.
Note grid captured during playback
4 rows, shorthand, filled in real time.
| Row | Note (shorthand) |
|---|---|
| TOPIC | Cycling infra → strong public health + economic returns, politically underweighted |
| HEALTH CASE | Cities: Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Seville, Utrecht, Melbourne (partial). Measurable: cardiovascular ↓, obesity ↓, air-quality respiratory illness ↓. Copenhagen: 6 min extra healthy life per km cycled |
| ECONOMIC CASE | BCR 5:1 to 13:1 per UK DfT, AU state agencies, NZ ministry. Drivers: healthcare ↓, congestion ↓, high street retail ↑ |
| CONSTRAINT | Political not technical. Losing car lane = more objection than bike lane earns praise. Treat as public health measure = success |
Grid pre-drawn on the erasable whiteboard during the “Get ready” countdown BEFORE audio starts. Filled with arrows and abbreviations during the 100 seconds of playback. Specific numbers (5:1 to 13:1, 6 minutes) captured verbatim because they anchor the evidence-based options.
The question
The number of correct options is NOT stated on the real exam. Between 2 and 4 of the 7 options below are correct.
Per-option analysis
Each option evaluated against the note grid.
Reduced cardiovascular disease incidence in cities with protected cycling networks.
Evidence: Directly stated in paragraph 2 as one of three measurable health benefits observed in cities that built continuous protected networks.
Higher retail spending on high streets that have been made cycle-friendly.
Evidence: Directly stated in paragraph 3 as one of the drivers behind the 5:1 to 13:1 benefit-to-cost ratio.
Reduced tax revenue from petrol duty as fewer people drive.
Evidence: Not mentioned. The recording discusses reduced healthcare costs and reduced congestion as economic benefits, but never petrol tax revenue. Plausible-sounding but unsupported.
Benefit-to-cost ratios of between five to one and thirteen to one on well-designed cycling projects.
Evidence: Directly stated with the exact numbers in paragraph 3, sourced to UK DfT, Australian state agencies and New Zealand transport ministry.
Six minutes of extra healthy life expectancy for every kilometre cycled.
Evidence: Directly stated in paragraph 2, attributed specifically to Copenhagen's health authority.
Reduced political opposition compared to road investment projects.
Evidence: The opposite is stated. Paragraph 4 says cycling infrastructure faces MORE political opposition than road projects because losing a car lane attracts more objection than gaining a bike lane earns praise. Inverted distractor.
Faster overall commute times for the average urban resident.
Evidence: Not mentioned. The recording references reduced congestion for continuing drivers, but never claims faster overall commute times as a benefit. Guessing based on general knowledge scores -1 here.
Band 79 answer
The 4 selections that earn full marks.
4 correct picks, 0 incorrect. Raw score: +4 - 0 = 4/4 – full marks.
Scoring math
Same question, 5 picking strategies.
| Strategy | Picks | Raw math | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 79 pick (A, B, D, E) | 4 correct, 0 incorrect | +4 - 0 = 4 | 4/4 – full marks |
| Over-picker (A, B, C, D, E, G) | 4 correct, 2 incorrect | +4 - 2 = 2 | 2/4 – two wrong picks cost 2 marks |
| Aggressive picker (all 7) | 4 correct, 3 incorrect | +4 - 3 = 1 | 1/4 – picking everything destroys the score |
| Panicker (only A) | 1 correct, 0 incorrect | +1 - 0 = 1 | 1/4 – safe but leaves 3 marks on the table |
| Wild guess (C, F, G – all wrong) | 0 correct, 3 incorrect | +0 - 3 = -3 → floored to 0 | 0/4 – minimum is 0, can't go negative |
The Band 79 note + selection strategy
5 steps to convert one-shot listening into a repeatable score.
Draw the 4-row note grid BEFORE audio starts
The 'Get ready' countdown before the audio is the only time you can pre-write on the whiteboard. Draw TOPIC / MAIN POINTS / EVIDENCE / CONCLUSION rows in the seconds before the audio begins.
Note in shorthand, not full sentences
80 to 120 seconds is enough to catch main claims but not to write them out. Use symbols (↑ / ↓ / →), abbreviations (CV disease, BCR, DfT), and numbers verbatim ("5:1 to 13:1", "6 min").
Read the question and options AFTER audio ends
Options only appear after the audio finishes on Listening MCMA. Read the question first, then scan each option against your notes.
For each option, match against your notes – not against general knowledge
SELECT only if your notes contain evidence for the option. Do not SELECT because the option 'sounds true about the world' – that is exactly the trap the distractors are built for.
When in doubt, do NOT select
Negative marking on Listening MCMA is identical to Reading MCMA: -1 per wrong pick, minimum score 0. Under-picking caps your ceiling but locks in what you have. Over-picking can zero the item.
6 common Listening MCMA mistakes
The failure modes that drag a Band 79 to a Band 60.
| Mistake | What it costs you |
|---|---|
| Not drawing the note grid before the audio starts | The audio plays once, no replay. Improvised note-taking loses structure and misses the specific evidence that the options test for. |
| Trying to write full sentences while listening | You will miss 20 to 40 seconds of audio content while your hand catches up. Shorthand only – arrows, abbreviations, digits. |
| Picking options based on real-world truth rather than the recording | Listening MCMA options are often true statements about the world that are NOT stated in the recording. Selecting them scores -1. |
| Missing an inverted-claim distractor | Common pattern: recording says 'X faces more opposition than Y', option says 'X faces less opposition than Y'. Fast reading of options misses the inversion. |
| Panicking after the audio and picking everything | Guarantees negative marks on every wrong option. A 4-correct question with 7 total options gives you a raw math of +4 - 3 = 1/4 if you pick all 7. |
| Forgetting Listening MCMA has negative marking (people confuse it with Listening MCSA) | MCSA is single-answer, correct/incorrect, no negative marking. MCMA is multiple-answer with negative marking on wrong picks. Different tasks, different strategies. |
FAQ
Listening MCMA, answered.
How is Listening Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers scored?
Partial credit with negative marking, per Pearson's July 2025 Score Guide. Every correct option selected scores +1, every incorrect option selected scores -1, minimum score floored at 0. Not selecting an option scores 0. Same rule as Reading MCMA and Highlight Incorrect Words – the three negatively marked tasks on the exam.
How many correct options are there per Listening MCMA question?
Between 2 and 4 correct options in a set of 5 to 7 total options. The number of correct options is not stated on the exam. Your job is to select only the ones you can evidence from your notes on the audio, and leave the rest unselected.
How long is the audio for Listening MCMA?
80 to 120 seconds per Pearson's Score Guide. That is the longest single audio clip in the Listening section (SST is 60 to 90 seconds; other Listening items are shorter). The audio plays once with no replay, and there is no on-screen transcript on the real exam.
How many Listening MCMA items are on the PTE Academic test?
2 to 3 items per test per Pearson's July 2025 Score Guide. It sits in Part 3 (Listening) alongside Summarize Spoken Text, Fill in the Blanks, Highlight Correct Summary, MCSA, Select Missing Word, Highlight Incorrect Words, and Write from Dictation.
Can I take notes during Listening MCMA?
Yes. Pearson provides an erasable whiteboard and pens at the test centre. Note-taking is essential for Listening MCMA – the audio plays once and the options do not appear until after playback ends. A structured 4-row grid (topic / main points / evidence / conclusion) built during the 'Get ready' countdown is the highest-leverage prep move.
What is the difference between Listening MCMA and Listening MCSA?
MCMA has multiple correct answers and negative marking (-1 for each wrong pick, minimum 0). MCSA has one correct answer and no negative marking – just correct or incorrect. MCMA rewards careful selection; MCSA rewards decisive picking. Both use similar audio lengths (30 to 90 seconds for MCSA, 80 to 120 for MCMA).
Keep going with Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers (Listening)
One pattern, three depths.
You've just read the band 79 worked example. Here's the rest of the loop for this task.
Further reading
Related tools.
- → Reading MCMA sample – same negative-marking task shape, text stimulus instead of audio.
- → Summarize Spoken Text sample – the sibling listening task with a written response.
- → Listening section overview – all 8 listening task types.
- → Take a free scored mock – real Listening MCMA items with AI scoring.