PTE Core Write Email Templates by Situation

Write Email gives you 9 minutes and a range of 50 to 120 words. Nine minutes is enough to think, but not if you are also inventing a structure. These templates supply the structure so your nine minutes go on the content the prompt actually asks for.

Each template is sized to land between 95 and 110 words once filled, which keeps you inside the range even if you add a sentence.

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Key Takeaways

• Write Email: prompt up to 100 words, response 50 to 120 words, 9 minutes, scores Writing.
• Seven situations cover almost every prompt: request, complaint, apology, information, invitation, decline, follow-up.
• Every template is greeting, purpose, one paragraph per prompt point, action, sign-off.
• Register follows the recipient, not the situation — a complaint to a colleague is not formal.
• Fill the template with specific invented detail; vague content costs content marks.

The universal skeleton

Element	Words	Always present?
Greeting	2-4	Yes
Purpose sentence	12-18	Yes
One paragraph per prompt point	20-30 each	Yes — usually three
Action sentence	12-18	Yes
Sign-off and name	3-4	Yes

Register table

Recipient	Greeting	Sign-off	Contractions?
Unnamed company or department	Dear Sir or Madam,	Yours faithfully,	No
Named person, formal	Dear Ms. Adeyemi,	Kind regards,	No
Manager you know	Dear Ms. Adeyemi,	Kind regards,	Sparingly
Colleague	Hi Dana,	Best wishes,	Yes
Team, plural	Hi all,	Best wishes,	Yes
Friend or neighbour	Hi Priya, / Dear Mr. Feldt,	Best, / Kind regards,	Yes

Template 1: request

Dear [name], I am writing to request [the thing] for [the period or occasion]. [Reason, one sentence. Be specific: a date, an event, a constraint.] [How the impact will be managed: who will cover, what you will finish first, what will not be affected.] Could you confirm whether this is possible? If [the request] is difficult, I could [alternative] instead. Kind regards, [your name]

Use when the prompt says
ask for leave / ask for an extension / ask for permission / apply for something

Template 2: complaint

Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing regarding [order or reference number and the item or service], [delivered or provided] on [date]. [The problem, described concretely: what is wrong, how many, what state it arrived in.] [One extra fact that strengthens the claim: the packaging was intact, the fault appeared immediately, I have kept the receipt.] I would like [the specific remedy you want], and I would prefer not to [the cost you should not bear]. Please confirm what arrangements you will make. Yours faithfully, [your name]

Use when the prompt says
complain / report a problem / request a refund or replacement / say you are dissatisfied

Name the remedy you want. A complaint that describes a problem without stating what should happen leaves out the point the prompt usually asks for.

Template 3: apology and explanation

Dear [name], I am writing to apologise for [what happened] on [date]. [The reason, stated briefly and without excessive excuse. One sentence.] [What you have already done about it: the corrected version is attached, the order has been reissued, I have spoken to the supplier.] [What will prevent a repeat, if the prompt asks.] Please let me know if anything further is needed. Kind regards, [your name]

Use when the prompt says
apologise / explain why something went wrong / respond to a complaint

Template 4: giving information

Hi all, A quick note about [the change or event]. [What is happening and when, in one sentence with a specific date and time.] [What people need to do, with a deadline. Be concrete: pack by 7:45, register before Friday, bring photo ID.] [What is not changing, or what someone else is handling. This is the sentence that prevents follow-up questions.] If anything is unclear, [named person and role] is the person to ask. Best wishes, [your name]

Use when the prompt says
inform / announce / tell your team / give instructions

Template 5: enquiry

Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to enquire about [the course, service or product] advertised [where you saw it]. Could you tell me [question one], [question two] and [question three]? I would also like to know whether [availability, deadline or eligibility]. [Your own situation, in one sentence: your level, your requirement, your timescale. This is what makes the reply useful.] Thank you for your help. Yours faithfully, [your name]

Use when the prompt says
ask for information / enquire about / find out whether

Grouping three questions into one sentence is efficient at 100 words. Three separate question sentences costs 15 words you need elsewhere.

Template 6: invitation or accepting

Hi [name], I am writing to invite you to [event] on [date] at [time], at [place]. [What the event is and why you are inviting this person: one sentence.] [Practical details: what to bring, whether there is food, how to get there, whether to reply by a date.] Let me know by [date] whether you can make it. [Optional: if that date does not work, we could look at another.] Best wishes, [your name]

Template 7: declining

Dear [name], Thank you for [the invitation, offer or request]. Unfortunately I will not be able to [do it]. [The reason, one sentence, without over-explaining.] [What you can offer instead: a different date, a partial contribution, a suggestion of someone else.] I am sorry to miss it, and I hope [it goes well / we can arrange something later]. Kind regards, [your name]

Decline in the second sentence. An email that reaches the refusal in the final line has spent its word budget on the wrong thing.

Sentence bank

Function	Formal	Informal
Purpose	I am writing to request / regarding / to enquire about	Just a quick note about / I wanted to ask about
Give a reason	This is because / owing to / due to	The reason is / it is because
Report a problem	Unfortunately / The difficulty is that	Something has gone wrong with
Request action	Could you confirm whether / I would be grateful if you could	Could you let me know / Can you check
Offer an alternative	If that is not possible, I could	If not, we could
Reassure	Please be assured that / I have already arranged for	Do not worry, I have already
Close	I look forward to hearing from you.	Let me know.

Filling a template well

Weak filling	Strong filling
I need some time off next month.	I need three days from Wednesday 12 to Friday 14 March.
The item was damaged.	One leg was cracked at the joint and the top surface was scratched.
Someone will cover my work.	Joachim has agreed to cover the scheduling desk.
Please reply soon.	Could you confirm by Friday so I can book the travel?
There is a problem with the meeting.	The room is double-booked at 14:00, so we need the annexe instead.

Every strong version is the same length or shorter than the weak one. Specificity is not a word cost — it replaces vague words rather than adding to them.

Nine-minute plan

1. 0-1: Read the prompt. Circle the recipient and number the points.
2. 1-2: Pick the template and write the greeting and purpose.
3. 2-6: One paragraph per numbered point, in the prompt’s order.
4. 6-7: Action sentence and sign-off.
5. 7-8: Count the words. Adjust toward 100 to 110.
6. 8-9: Check every numbered point has a paragraph, and check tenses and articles.

What loses marks

Error	Fix
A prompt point with no paragraph	Number the points and tick them off before submitting
Outside 50 to 120 words	Count at minute seven, not at minute nine
Formal greeting with informal body	Choose one row of the register table and stay in it
Template visible as a template	Fill every bracket with specific content; do not leave generic phrasing
Copying the prompt wording	Paraphrase; copied words waste your budget
No greeting or no sign-off	Both are required in every email

FAQ

How many words should a PTE Core Write Email be?

Between 50 and 120, and 95 to 110 is the safe target. These templates are sized to land in that band once filled, so adding a sentence will not push you over.

Can I memorise a Write Email template?

A structure, yes. Memorised sentences, no — they usually fit the prompt imperfectly and eat the word budget you need for the actual content. Learn the skeleton and the sentence functions, then fill them with what this prompt asks for.

How do I choose the register?

By the recipient, not the situation. A complaint to a company is formal; a complaint to a colleague is not. Pick one row of the register table and keep the greeting, body and sign-off consistent with it.

What if the prompt has three points and I only have room for two?

You have room for three — that is what the 20 to 30 words per paragraph allocation is for. If you are running out of space, the purpose or action sentence is too long, not the points. Every listed point needs coverage.

Should I invent specific details?

Yes. Specific dates, names and figures make the email concrete and score better than vague statements, and they usually take no more words. Nobody verifies the content.

How long do I get for Write Email?

Nine minutes per email, and PTE Core includes two or three of them in Part 1. Using a template frees most of those nine minutes for content and the word count check.

Related practice resources

• PTE Core Write Email practice
• PTE Core cheat sheet
• PTE Core collocation list

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