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PTEPTE Prep

Part 1 · Speaking & Writing · WE

Write Essay: Speaking & Writing PTE question type

A prompt gives you a situation to discuss and an opinion to defend. You write a discursive essay of 200 to 300 words in twenty minutes.

This is the only constructed-response item in the whole test and the only one that scores Writing without a companion skill. You get twenty minutes, which is generous for the length, but there is no second chance to restructure.

Scoring

How Write Essay is scored

The widest trait set on the test: content, form, development/structure/coherence, general linguistic range, vocabulary range, spelling and grammar. Form is 2 points at 200 to 300 words, 1 point at 120 to 199 or 301 to 380, and 0 outside that — and form 0 zeroes the entire essay.

Skills scored
Writing — contributes to your Writing score
Questions per test
1 in Speaking & Writing
Traits Pearson rates
Content · Form · Development, Structure and Coherence · General Linguistic Range · Vocabulary Range · Spelling · Grammar

Watch out

Common Write Essay mistakes

  1. 1Running under 120 words, which zeroes everything else you earned.
  2. 2Listing arguments without developing any of them, which costs coherence as well as content.
  3. 3Reusing one idea twice in different words instead of adding a second.

Strategy

Twenty minutes, 200–300 words. Form is worth 2 points at 200–300 words, 1 at 120–199 or 301–380, and 0 outside that — and form 0 scores the item at zero.
Practice Write EssaySit a full mock

Questions

Write Essay questions, answered

How many Write Essay questions are on the PTE Academic?

A PTE Academic has 1 Write Essay items in the Speaking & Writing section. Each one counts towards your Writing score.

How is Write Essay scored?

The widest trait set on the test: content, form, development/structure/coherence, general linguistic range, vocabulary range, spelling and grammar. Form is 2 points at 200 to 300 words, 1 point at 120 to 199 or 301 to 380, and 0 outside that — and form 0 zeroes the entire essay.

What goes wrong most often on Write Essay?

Running under 120 words, which zeroes everything else you earned.

Keep going

Related speaking & writing question types

All Speaking & Writing question types · tips for all 22 types · full test format · how PTE scores work.

Scoring figures on this page follow the current PTE Academic official guide. This is an independent practice site and is not affiliated with Pearson.