PTE Academic · Writing
PTE Write Essay
Read a short prompt and argue your case in a full essay.
A prompt of two or three sentences appears on screen. You have twenty minutes to write an essay of 200 to 300 words in response. Seven things are marked, from what you say and how you organise it to your grammar, your range of language and your spelling, and the task counts towards your Writing score.
How the task works
Plan first, write in paragraphs, check at the end
Twenty minutes is enough for a clear essay if you spend the first couple of them deciding what you think. Writers who start typing straight away tend to wander.
Choose your position
Read the prompt twice and decide what you actually argue. Then pick two reasons that support it and one example for at least one of them. That plan is your whole essay.
Write in paragraphs
An introduction that answers the prompt in your own words, a paragraph for each reason with its example, and a short conclusion. Use connectors such as "however", "for instance" and "as a result" so the reader can follow how the ideas relate.
Check length and slips
Look at your word count first: 200 to 300 is the target. Then read the essay once for spelling, verb agreement and articles.
How Pearson scores it
Seven traits, and two of them can zero the essay
Your essay is marked on seven separate traits, so a strong argument with a few spelling slips still earns most of its marks.
Content 0–6
How well the essay deals with the prompt. The top of the scale goes to an essay that addresses the prompt in depth, reformulates the issue in its own words and supports the argument with relevant examples throughout. Largely generic statements, or leaning on the wording of the prompt, sit near the bottom.
Form 0–2
Length. Between 200 and 300 words scores 2. Between 120 and 199, or between 301 and 380, scores 1. Fewer than 120 or more than 380 words scores 0, as does an essay written in capital letters, without punctuation, or made only of bullet points or very short sentences.
Development, Structure and Coherence 0–6
Whether the essay is built like an argument: a clear position, ideas developed at length, an introduction and a conclusion, logical paragraphs, and connectors that show how the ideas relate.
Grammar 0–2
Two for consistent control of complex language, with rare errors. One for a relatively high degree of control and no mistakes that cause misunderstanding. Zero for mainly simple structures or several basic mistakes.
General Linguistic Range 0–6
How wide and precise your language is. The top of the scale is a variety of expressions used appropriately, with ideas formulated with ease and precision. Narrow, repeated simple expressions score lower.
Vocabulary Range 0–2
Two for a broad repertoire of words, including idiomatic expressions. One for a good range for general academic topics, with some imprecision. Zero for mainly basic vocabulary.
Spelling 0–2
Two for correct spelling. One for a single spelling error. Zero for more than one.
Write Essay counts towards your Writing score. When Content or Form scores 0, no score points are given at all, and Pearson's own examples are an essay on a completely different topic, one under 120 words, or one built on memorised material. In the live test a human expert also reviews the Content mark, and for this task also Development, Structure and Coherence and General Linguistic Range.
What usually goes wrong
Where students lose marks
Drifting off the topic
An essay on a different topic from the prompt scores no points at all. Reread the prompt before your conclusion and check that you are still answering it.
Missing the word range
Under 200 or over 300 words costs marks, and under 120 or over 380 means no score points at all. Watch the count as you write and leave a minute at the end to trim or add.
No visible structure
One long block, or a list of loosely related sentences, makes the argument hard to follow. Give the essay an introduction, body paragraphs that each carry one idea, and a conclusion.
Relying on a memorised template
Pearson lists a response built on significant pre-prepared or memorised material as one that receives no score points. Use a simple shape if it helps, but fill it with words that answer this particular prompt.
Ideas without support
Stating an opinion and repeating it is not an argument. Each point needs a reason or a concrete example, because supporting detail is what lifts Content.
A worked example
One prompt, and what a strong essay does
Here is a prompt in the style of the task: “Some people believe that university students should spend a period studying in another country. Others think they learn just as much at home. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.” Decide what the essay should do, then compare with the list below.
What a strong essay does
- Opening A clear position The introduction restates the question in your own words and says which side you take.
- Body Two supporting points One paragraph for each reason, for example that living abroad builds independence and that it improves language skills.
- Body A concrete example At least one point is backed by a specific case rather than a general claim.
- Balance The other view The prompt asks for both views, so one sentence acknowledges the opposing side, such as cost, before returning to your position.
- Closing A short conclusion It sums up the position in fresh words and adds nothing new.
What an opening paragraph looks like
Whether students should spend part of their degree overseas is a question on which reasonable people disagree. Although studying at home is cheaper and more familiar, I believe that time abroad teaches lessons that a home campus rarely can. This essay will consider both views before explaining why.
Strategy tip: Write your conclusion earlier than you think you need to. If the essay ends on a clear closing paragraph, running out of time costs you a little polish rather than the whole structure.
Notice what that paragraph does. It names the topic without copying the prompt, gives both sides, states a position, and tells the reader how the essay will proceed.
Practising here
Feedback on the essay you wrote, trait by trait
We mark the same seven traits Pearson's rubric names and explain each one, so you can see exactly where your essay gained or lost marks.
The prompt and a live word count
The prompt stays on screen while you write, and a word counter shows at once whether you are short, in range or over.
A result for every trait
Content, Form, Development, Structure and Coherence, Grammar, General Linguistic Range, Vocabulary and Spelling are each shown separately, with a short explanation of why.
The word range, shown honestly
If your essay falls outside the word range that Pearson allows, it scores zero here too, and you are told that this was the reason.
Mistakes marked in your own essay
Spelling slips are highlighted in your text. Where a wrongly used word is still a real word, and a spell-check would not catch it, it is marked as well.
A model essay for the prompt
A reference essay for the same prompt, so you can see how a strong answer builds the argument next to your own.
One tip you can use next time
A short piece of advice for your next essay, not your result again in different words.
Common questions
Write Essay, answered
How long is the prompt, and how long do I have?
The prompt is two or three sentences, and you have 20 minutes to write your essay.
How many words should I write?
Between 200 and 300. Writing 120 to 199 or 301 to 380 words costs you Form marks, and fewer than 120 or more than 380 words scores 0 for Form and gives no score points for the essay.
What happens if I go off the topic?
An essay on a completely different topic scores 0 for Content, and when Content scores 0 no score points are given for the response.
Can I use a memorised template?
Pearson says a response that does not properly deal with the prompt because of significant pre-prepared or memorised material receives no score points. A simple structure is fine; the words inside it must answer the prompt.
How is Write Essay scored?
By seven traits: Content, Form, Development, Structure and Coherence, Grammar, General Linguistic Range, Vocabulary Range and Spelling. In the live test a person also reviews Content, Development, Structure and Coherence, and General Linguistic Range. It counts towards your Writing score.
Should I write in paragraphs?
Yes. Pearson's description of a strong essay includes a clear introduction and conclusion and logical paragraphs, so break the essay up rather than writing one block.
How do I practise Write Essay here?
Sign in, open Write Essay and write a real essay for a prompt. You see a result and an explanation for each trait, mistakes highlighted in your text, a model essay and one tip to use next time.