While taking the PTE Exam, you need a different approach for each of the four sections. For the writing section in PTE, you need to know the rules of writing and the structure of writing. To develop your writing style for this section you need to follow the rules and practice writing a lot. Here we have explained in detail about the Writing section of PTE along with it and we have also mentioned useful tips to tackle this section.
Duration |
40-60 minutes |
Number of Questions |
3-4 questions |
Number of tasks |
2 tasks |
Tasks in PTE writing section
In the writing section of PTE, you need to write as per the instructions given in the questions and your written answers are evaluated according to it. The section consists of 2 tasks, which are discussed in detail below:
Summarize Written Text
To complete this task successfully, you have to follow the instructions given. The complete details of this task are mentioned below:
- Here you have to summarize the given paragraph in your own words.
- You will have to write the summary of the passage in only ONE sentence which means, only one full stop is allowed. However, you may use commas and semicolons more than once.
- This task includes 2 to 3 questions.
- You should write the summary only within 75 words and not more than that.
- Your reading and writing skills will be tested here.
- You will be allotted 10 minutes for each question in this task.
- Your response will be evaluated by factors such as the quality of your writing and how well your response presents the main idea of the passage.
Essay Writing
Writing your PTE essay will not be difficult if you follow the instructions and practice well-writing essays before the official test. To complete the Essay writing task successfully, you have to follow the instructions. The complete details of this task are mentioned below:
- In this task, you will have to write an essay on a given topic.
- Ensure to write a minimum of 200 words, but it should also not exceed more than 300 words. At the bottom of the screen, you can check the number of words you write.
- Your Essay writing will be evaluated on the basis of grammar, vocabulary, coherence, and written discourse.
- You will be given 20 minutes of time for one essay.
- There will be 1 to 2 questions in this task.
The writing section can have any one of the following three combinations:
Sr.no |
Combinations |
Time given |
1 |
2 Summaries and 1 Essay |
40 minutes |
2 |
3 Summaries and 1 Essay |
50 minutes |
3 |
2 Summaries and 2 Essays |
60 minutes |
If you have any doubt regarding PTE you can check this: Frequently Asked Questions of PTE
Tips for the Writing section of PTE
Summarize Written Text
- Getting a good score is possible only with strong grammar and vocabulary. If you have an average vocabulary and grammar, you can expect to score nearly 73 out of 90.
- You should try to write your answers between 35 to 45 words. Avoid writing very long sentences, as the scoring algorithms may not be able to evaluate long sentences with high accuracy.
- After writing the summary, Ensure to check that it is only one sentence, starting with a capital letter of the first word and ending with one full stop.
- Pay more attention to punctuation, as it plays an important role in this task.
- In this section, you will need to use the compound sentence to present the main idea of the passage and also for mentioning the supporting points in short within one sentence only. So practice well using compound sentences.
- Capitalize all the starting words and nouns in a sentence.
- Don’t provide any examples, unless asked for.
- Don’t include your own ideas, here you have to only summarise what is in the passage in your own words. Read more: Do’s and don’ts before and on the PTE test day
- Write the summary using the third-person form. You should avoid the usage of I, Me, We, etc.
- Pay more attention to the last paragraph of the passage as it usually contains the summary of the text.
- Recheck the sentence for punctuations, grammar & spellings errors.
Essay Writing
- Before you start writing, note the keywords prompts, such as find out what exactly the topic is about, what key points you should focus on to answer the given question, and which point of view should be presented and discussed in the essay.
- Essay prompts can be written in several ways. For example, you may need to discuss whether you agree or disagree with the given statement.
- Plan the format of your essay based on whether it is an opinion essay, problem-solution essay, advantages-disadvantages essay, etc.
- Give structure to your essay by following this pattern – first paragraph introduction, second third paragraphs body, last paragraph conclusion.
- In the body paragraphs, provide examples, reasons, and statistics to strengthen your arguments.
- Be sure to write correct spellings, check once you are done.
- Be very careful with the grammar part. For example singular/ plural, tenses, etc
- Don’t put too many ideas in a single paragraph, keep it simple.
- Correct punctuations will add to the marks.
- Most importantly keep the length of the essay between 200–300 words.
The writing section for the PTE is challenging, but you will go through it easily if you start preparing as soon as possible.
All the Best..!!
Get the full information on other sections as well here:
Listening section of the PTE
Speaking section of PTE
Reading section of PTE