Write From Dictation(WFD)
3–4 short sentences. Every correct word = 1 mark. The most mechanical marks in the exam — if you use the right order.
The Format
- Audio
- One short sentence, played ONCE
- Your job
- Type it word-for-word
- Scoring
- 1 point per correct word · 0 for incorrect · you DON'T get −1
The Scoring
The Listen-First Method
Do not type while it plays — typing steals your listening.
Type the nouns · verbs · numbers: 'library holds collection journals'.
'The library holds an extensive collection of academic journals.'
One misspelled word = one mark gone.
Word Economy — When You Can't Hold It All
Longer sentences overflow your memory. Every word pays the same 1 mark, but they are not equally easy to recover — so save the words you cannot rebuild.
Nouns, verbs, numbers and adjectives carry the meaning — hold these first. If you keep “library … provides … access … journals”, the frame of the sentence is safe.
“The”, “a”, “to”, “of” each still pay 1 mark, the same as any big word. The difference: you can REBUILD them from grammar even when you never heard them. Lose them from the ear, win them back from the rules.
The moment the audio ends, jot the first letters of the words you are holding — “t u l p a t t o a j” — then expand each letter into its word. It halves the load on your memory without typing during the audio.
Grammar Predicts the Words You Missed
English grammar often allows only ONE word in a gap. Train this and you type words you never actually heard — correctly.
What must the missing word be?
The Sound Traps
Most lost marks are not unknown words — they are known words whose sounds shrink or twin at natural speed.
Final -s and -ed get swallowed at speaking pace. Your grammar pass restores them:
- students — not “student” (plural after “many/these/of”)
- walked — not “walk” (past-time markers demand -ed)
- provides — not “provide” (third-person singular -s)
Unstressed little words blur into a schwa — recognise the patterns instead of trusting your ears:
- “must have been” sounds like “must’ve been” — NEVER write “must of”
- “a” and “the” both blur — grammar decides which one fits
- “to” before a verb almost disappears — if a verb follows, a “to” probably came first
Same sound, different spelling — meaning decides, and a wrong pick costs the mark:
- their / there / they’re
- affect (verb) / effect (noun)
- principal (person/main) / principle (rule)
- weather (climate) / whether (if)
Worked Example — One Sentence, Four Steps
Audio: “The university library provides access to thousands of academic journals.” Here is the full Listen-First method applied:
From first listen to full marks
- 1.Listen to the whole sentence — hands OFF the keyboard.typing steals listening
- 2.Type the content words: “university library provides access thousands academic journals”.the frame is safe
- 3.Rebuild the small words: “The university library provides access to thousands of academic journals.”grammar restores the / to / of
- 4.Proofread word by word: plural “journals”, the -s on “provides”, both little words present.every word = 1 mark
The 4 Traps That Cost You the Task
Typing steals your listening — hear the full sentence first, then type.
'a', 'the', 'has', plural -s — the classic silent killers of WFD marks.
Spelling is binary per word: one misspelling = that mark gone. Drill your demons.
1 point per correct word, 0 for wrong ones, no −1. When doubtful, add the extra words — partial answers always pay.
Daily Drills
- →Start on this site: the Write From Dictation trainer on the Practice page reads sentences aloud and scores you per word.
- →Then 20–25 sentences daily from a question bank — score each attempt word by word.
- →Log every missed small word or misspelling, and redo yesterday's misses before today's set.