PTE Write From Dictation — tips, template & practice

• Per-word scoring: 1 point per correct word in the correct position. No partial credit.
• Spelling matters: 'beleive' = wrong even if you heard it right.
• Capitalisation and punctuation are ignored — only the word string is scored.

WFD feeds into both Listening and Writing section scores — double weighting means it's the single most efficient task to drill.

The two-pass technique:

1. First listen (no typing): focus 100% on hearing. Don't try to type while listening — your hand will lag. 2. Immediate brain-dump (5s after audio ends): type the FIRST and LAST words first. These are the most-remembered positions. 3. Fill the middle: reconstruct logical word order from the keywords you caught. 4. Check spelling: scan for the 3 most-misspelled function words ('their/there', 'its/it's', 'affect/effect').

Note-taking trick: jot the first 3 words on the erasable booklet while the audio plays — your typing will fill the rest.

• Don't try to type while the audio plays — you'll miss words.
• Type the first and last words first — they're best-remembered.
• Common WFD vocabulary: 'university', 'researchers', 'demonstrate', 'previously', 'undergraduate'. Drill spelling.
• If you miss a word, guess a plausible one — wrong words don't penalise other correct words.
• Maintain word order — a correct word in the wrong slot scores zero.
• Practice 30 WFDs per day for 2 weeks before the exam. This task responds to drilling.

• Typing during the audio — costs you 2–3 words you didn't hear.
• Spelling errors on academic vocabulary ('aknowledge', 'recieve').
• Wrong word order — even one swap zeros that position.
• Adding words you didn't hear — extra words don't penalise but waste time.
• Skipping WFD prep because it's at the end — it's the most point-dense task in the exam.