PTE template · Framework

PTE Listening MCMA Template: note-taking, elimination and surviving negative marking

Listening Multiple Choice Multiple Answers (LMCMA) plays an 80 to 120 second academic audio once, then shows 5 to 7 options of which 2 to 4 are correct. There are 2 to 3 LMCMA items per PTE Academic test. This is one of only three tasks in the exam with negative marking: every correct box scores +1, every incorrect box scores -1, with a minimum of 0 per item. Scoring is AI-only. Because the audio plays once and the options only appear after it ends, the entire strategy hinges on two things: what you can note down during the audio, and how ruthlessly you eliminate wrong options after it.

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Quick answer

A Listening MCMA template is a two-phase routine. During the 80 to 120 second audio, capture 6 to 8 shorthand notes of concrete claims: names, numbers, cause-effect chains, contrasts. After the audio, tick only options you can defend from a specific note. Leave anything unclear blank. Under negative marking, an unclear tick costs you the same as guessing wrong.

Read this first

LMCMA has negative marking (+1 per correct box, -1 per incorrect box, minimum 0 per item). This changes the whole strategy: ticking every plausible-looking option is worse than ticking only the confident ones. A hesitant guess is not free. Never over-select; commit to fewer answers if you are unsure.

The framework

How the framework works

Read the sections in order. Each one is a step of the framework, with adaptable sentence starters you fill from the actual prompt.

The two-phase strategy

Phase 1 (during the 80 to 120 second audio): capture 6 to 8 shorthand notes. You do NOT know the options yet, so you cannot pre-filter. Note anything a lecturer typically stresses: names, dates, numbers, comparisons, cause-effect chains, contrasts ('unlike X, Y...'), and any word said with clear emphasis. Abbreviate ruthlessly. Phase 2 (after the audio, when the options appear): read each option and compare against your notes. Tick ONLY the options where you can point to a specific note that supports it. If your notes are silent on an option, leave it blank. Under negative marking, an unchecked wrong option costs 0, but a checked wrong option costs 1.

The negative-marking maths (why unclear ticks cost you)

Scoring per item: every correct box ticked = +1, every incorrect box ticked = -1, minimum score 0. Example: 6-option item, 3 correct. If you tick all 6, you score max(0, 3 minus 3) = 0. If you tick the 3 correct plus 1 wrong, you score max(0, 3 minus 1) = 2. If you tick only 2 you know and skip the others, you score max(0, 2 minus 0) = 2. Rule of thumb: tick only the options you are at least 75 percent sure about. A defensible tick beats a hopeful tick every time. If you can only defend 2 of the 3 correct answers, take the 2 and move on: you cannot recover marks lost to a bad third guess.

The note-taking shorthand (during the audio)

You have 80 to 120 seconds and no way to pause. Use these abbreviations: - Names: first letter only (D for Darwin, C for Cambridge). - Numbers: write them as digits, never spell out. - Cause-effect: arrow (→). - Contrast: 'vs' or 'not'. - Increase / decrease: + / -. - Uncertainty: (?) after a note you did not fully catch. Capture the SPINE of the lecture, not every word. Six to eight notes for a 90 second audio is realistic. If you try to write full sentences you will fall behind and miss the middle third, which is usually where the exam-relevant contrasts sit.

The elimination method (after the audio)

For each option, ask three questions in order: 1. Does a note explicitly support this option? If yes, tick. 2. Does a note explicitly contradict this option? If yes, leave blank. 3. Am I silent on this option? Leave blank. Common distractor patterns to watch for: - HALF-TRUE: option contains a real fact from the audio joined to a false claim ('the study found X and concluded Y'; X was said, Y was not). - SWAPPED CAUSE-EFFECT: audio said A caused B, option says B caused A. - OUT-OF-SCOPE: option is true in the real world but never mentioned in the audio. - SPEAKER'S CONTRAST: audio dismissed a view ('unlike traditional accounts'), option restates the dismissed view as fact.

What Pearson scores on Listening MCMA

One trait, partial credit, negative marking: - +1 per correctly ticked box. - -1 per incorrectly ticked box. - Minimum score per item: 0. LMCMA is AI-only scored (not one of the 7 hybrid task types with human Content review). It contributes to your Listening skill score only. Per Pearson's July 2025 Score Guide, a PTE Academic test contains 2 to 3 LMCMA items.

Timing target

- 0 to 90 seconds (approximately): audio plays, note-taking phase. Do not read the options. - 90 to 140 seconds: options appear, apply the elimination method. - 140 to 160 seconds: final review of ticked options before submitting. Do not spend more than about 2.5 minutes total per LMCMA item. The Listening section runs 31 to 39 minutes across 8 task types, and LMCMA is 2 to 3 items of it. Time bled on one item comes off Write from Dictation later, which is a higher-leverage task.

Worked examples

The framework applied

Same framework, different prompts. Each answer is filled with real content, not a memorised script.

Example 1The lecturer explains that atmospheric CO2 dissolves in seawater and forms carbonic acid, lowering pH from 8.2 to 8.1 since the industrial era. She notes that oysters, corals and some plankton build shells from calcium carbonate, which dissolves more readily in acidic water. She mentions that larval oysters have shown reduced survival in laboratory acidification experiments, and that the Great Barrier Reef has been less able to rebuild after bleaching. She dismisses the popular framing that ocean acidification and warming are the same problem, noting they are chemically distinct even though both stem from CO2.

90 second lecture on ocean acidification and marine calcifiers.

Framework-filled answer

Tick options 1, 3, 4 and 6. Skip options 2 and 5. Option 1: supported by the 'pH 8.2 to 8.1' note. Tick. Option 2: contradicted by the 'acidification NOT warming' note (speaker explicitly dismissed this framing). Blank. Option 3: supported by the 'larval oysters low survival (lab)' note. Tick. Option 4: supported by the 'calcium carbonate shells dissolve in acid' note. Tick. Option 5: NOT in the notes. The lecture linked reduced REBUILD after bleaching to acidification, not bleaching itself. This is a swapped-cause distractor. Blank. Option 6: supported by the 'GBR low rebuild post-bleach' note. Tick. Score: 4 correct ticks, 0 incorrect ticks = 4. If you had also ticked option 2 or 5, you would have scored 3.

Why this scores: The elimination method distinguishes options 5 and 6 cleanly. Both mention bleaching, but only one restates what the lecture actually said. Option 5 is a classic half-true distractor: it mixes a real topic from the audio with a false causal claim.

Example 2The lecturer describes how demand for prime office space in cities like Singapore and Dubai has fallen by 15 to 20 percent since 2020, driven by hybrid working patterns. She notes that landlords have offered shorter and more flexible leases in response, and that suburban housing demand has risen as workers relocate to home-office friendly areas. She mentions that both governments have begun rewriting zoning rules to permit office-to-residential conversion. She rejects the claim that remote work has ended the demand for city centres, noting that entertainment, dining and healthcare all remain concentrated downtown.

82 second lecture on remote work and city planning in Singapore and Dubai.

Framework-filled answer

Tick options 1, 3 and 4. Skip options 2, 5 and 6. Option 1: supported by the 'down 15 to 20% since 2020' note. Tick. Option 2: contradicted by the 'NOT true city centres are dead' note. Blank. Option 3: supported by the 'landlords: shorter, flexible leases' note. Tick. Option 4: supported by the 'gov rewriting zoning' note. Tick. Option 5: NOT in the notes. The audio said suburban DEMAND rose, not that rental PRICES rose. This is a plausible real-world extrapolation but the lecture never mentioned prices. Blank. Option 6: contradicted by the same zoning note. Blank. Score: 3 correct ticks, 0 incorrect ticks = 3. Option 5 is the trap: it is likely true in the real world, but 'the audio never said it' means it is not defensible from your notes.

Frequently asked questions

How is Listening MCMA scored?

Partial credit with negative marking: +1 for every correctly ticked box, -1 for every incorrectly ticked box, minimum 0 per item. This is one of only three PTE Academic tasks with negative marking (the others are Reading MCMA and Highlight Incorrect Words).

How many Listening MCMA items are on the PTE Academic test?

2 to 3 LMCMA items per test per Pearson's July 2025 Score Guide. Each item plays an 80 to 120 second audio once and shows 5 to 7 options with 2 to 4 correct. All items contribute to the Listening skill score.

How many options should I tick on Listening MCMA?

Only the ones you can defend from a specific note taken during the audio. There is no bonus for ticking more; negative marking punishes hopeful guesses. If you can only defend 2 of the 3 correct answers, take the 2 and move on. Two defensible ticks beats three ticks that include a guess.

Can I look at the options while the audio is playing?

In practice the options only appear on screen after the audio ends, so during the audio itself you should be note-taking, not option-reading. This forces the strategy: rich notes first, then elimination against the options once they appear.

What is the most common Listening MCMA trap?

The half-true distractor. An option contains a real fact from the audio joined to a false claim, so it feels familiar. The elimination rule protects you: tick only options where the WHOLE statement is supported by a note. If any part of the option is unstated or contradicted, leave it blank.

How should I take notes during the 80 to 120 second audio?

Keywords and symbols, not sentences. Names as first letters, numbers as digits, cause-effect as arrows, contrasts as 'vs' or 'not', increase/decrease as + / -. Target 6 to 8 notes for a 90 second audio. Capture the spine of the lecture, not every word.

Is Listening MCMA scored by human reviewers?

No. LMCMA is AI-only. It is not one of the 7 hybrid task types (Describe Image, Retell Lecture, Summarize Group Discussion, Respond to a Situation, Summarize Written Text, Write Essay, Summarize Spoken Text) where Content is scored by both AI and a human examiner.