PTE Essay Writing Format: Everything You Need to Know

Every candidate should understand the PTE essay writing format, as this section contributes greatly to your writing score.

You need to produce 1 essay that is persuasive and best represents your language and thinking ability.

LUME Test will provide more details on this topic to help you ace this crucial PTE writing task.

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Key Takeaways 

• Candidates will have 20 minutes to complete a 200-300-word essay.
• The prompt is categorized into 5 question types with different answer formats.
• There are 7 criteria that contribute to your result. 
• A checklist to double-check your work will be included in the last part of this article. 

Related:

• PTE Academic overview
• Free PTE practice questions
• PTE tips and tricks
• PTE Writing tips and tricks

What Is PTE Essay Writing? 

PTE essay writing is one part of the Speaking and Writing module. 

In this task, candidates need to read a prompt of 2-3 lines and have 20 minutes to write an essay of 200-300 words.

The PTE essay word limit is important, and you must not violate it; otherwise, it will tremendously affect your score.

Note that the prompt writing styles are various, and the topics are diverse, too, requiring lots of practice. 

Test takers need to show a level of knowledge in vocabulary, grammar, and writing discourse skills.

Besides linguistic ability, you should have good critical and logical thinking skills to present your ideas in an understandable way.

PTE Essay Writing Format

Essay Types

PTE essay writing task is categorized into 5 types.

Each has its own PTE essay writing format to answer and develop ideas.

• Advantage and disadvantage

You need to discuss the pros and cons of a specific topic.

Your writing should present the balanced points of view between the advantages and disadvantages. 

• Problem and solution

With this type of prompt, candidates need to identify a problem, discuss its causes and effects, and come up with solutions.

• Agree and disagree

A point of view will be presented, and you need to state your idea, whether you agree or disagree with it.

You should include an explanation of your choice, supporting ideas, and evidence/ examples.

• Argument

The prompt will contain two options. 

Candidates need to take a stance on an issue and persuade readers with explanations and examples. 

• Essay on a given topic

Sometimes, test takers need to answer a question on a specific topic.

Your response should be direct and concise and solve the required issue. 

Structure 

The basic PTE essay writing format contains 4 parts:

• Introduction

In general, an Introduction is a short description of a topic formed by paraphrasing the prompt.

If you’re asked to give your opinion, state it right in this part.

The end of the paragraph should be a connecting line to further explanation in the following parts.

The ideal length for this part is 3-4 lines or 40-50 words. 

• Paragraph 1

Starting with a clear topic sentence will connect the body paragraphs with the introduction and with each other.

Next, you need to give a reason for your idea and provide facts, evidence, and examples to support it. 

Though it’s optional, you can write a counter-argument sentence expressing that the opposing viewpoint is less valid to persuade readers.

Conclude the paragraph.

• Paragraph 2

Depending on the essay’s type, this paragraph can be for or against the first one. 

Start this paragraph by using linking words, such as “On the other hand,” “On the contrary,” “Nonetheless, “etc.

Then, give an opinion and supporting ideas.

Candidates should back this up with evidence, facts, statistics, or examples.

And then conclude the paragraph.

Each body paragraph should be approximately 100 words to ensure you will not go over the PTE essay word limit.

• Conclusion

Write 2-3 sentences or 40-50 words to conclude your work.

You can say which argument you agree with or summarize the arguments in body paragraphs. 

You can also write a call to action as a conclusion to the topic.

Remember to keep this part short and paraphrase words to avoid repetition. 

Criteria And Scoring 

The PTE essay writing task will assess your skill based on the following criteria:

Criteria	Maximum points
Content	6
Formal requirement	2
Development, structure, and coherence	6
Grammar	2
General linguistic range	6
Vocabulary	2
Spelling	2

The most important criterion is content.

If you go off-topic, you’ll receive a score of 0. It means all your effort is denied; thus, stay alert to this issue. 

Candidates also will not receive any score in the following cases:

• Non-English answer
• No punctuation
• Too long or too short response
• Capitalized answer
• The use of bullet points and short sentences 
• No answer

PTE Essay Writing Checklist 

After finishing your answer, you’d better double-check your work according to this checklist to avoid unnecessary mistakes.

• Wordcount

Have you written between 200 and 300 words? 

• Understanding

Did you understand the prompt and identify the question type correctly?

• Task requirement

Did you answer all the points mentioned in the prompt?

• Structure

Did you write with a clear structure of 4 paragraphs?

• Content relevance

Did you stay on the given topic?

• Grammar 

Did you check all grammar structures and correct mistakes if any?

• Vocabulary and word choice

Did you use various and appropriate words to express your idea concisely? 

Is there any repetition?

• Spelling

Did you check the spelling of difficult words or words you quite often make mistakes in?

• Clarity and coercion

Did you write everything clearly, coherently, and easy to understand?

Did you include transitional words to link ideas and create a good flow? 

• Time management

Could you manage to finish the whole essay within 20 minutes?

Conclusion 

The PTE essay writing format includes an introduction, 2 body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Depending on the question types, the way of answering might be different but still based on this format.

Spending time practicing different types of essays will help you identify them faster and implement the proper structure. 

Good luck to you on the exam.

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