PTE Write Essay
PTE Write Essay is the second PTE Writing task, which asks you to read an essay topic and write a response in between 200 and 300 words. The Write Essay task comes after the Summarize Written Text questions in the exam and is the most crucial task of the writing section if you want to achieve a high writing score. Although this task only contributes to your PTE Writing score, alone it contributes heavily to your writing score on the PTE test. So, in this blog, we will explore all the key tips and tricks, along with several high-scoring PTE Writing Essay templates to maximize your score. If you like reading, please continue, but you can also watch our video below on this task, with the Complete strategy.
Not only that, but we will also learn about the different essay templates for test-takers with different levels of English proficiency. So, don’t worry if your English is weak, we still have a template for you to succeed in the PTE test. We heavily recommend such test-takers to work on improving their overall English proficiency, but if you want to quickly improve your writing skills, please read our Writing: ways to improve blog. In my view, Writing is a science, not an art, and everyone is capable of learning the correct technique of writing if they have a strong will.
PTE Write Essay Overview
PTE Write Essay is the second task of the writing section, which is the second section of Part 1 of the PTE exam – Speaking & Writing, with a total time between 54 to 67 minutes. The PTE Writing section is roughly a little more than half that time, depending on the number of questions you get in the writing section. You are presented with a topic, which may be 2 to 3 sentences long and you are expected to write a persuasive or argumentative essay on the topic. Each PTE essay question has an allocated time of 20 minutes, in which you need to provide your response. You would normally get 1 PTE essay question in the PTE test, but you may also get 2 questions sometimes. Don’t panic, you still need to attempt both the questions.
NOTE: What is SEEDING? When you get two PTE Write essay questions, instead of one, only one of them is marked for your score. The other essay is used to train the PTE algorithm, to make it better. But you wouldn’t know which one will be marked, so you need to attempt both the questions with a full heart.
PTE Write Essay Facts Summary
- 2nd PTE Writing Task
- Skills assessed: Writing
- Essay Prompt length: 2 to 3 sentences
- Essay Response expected length: 200 to 300 words
- Number of questions: 1 to 2
- Time to answer: 20 minutes per question
- Scoring: Content, Development Structure, Form, General Linguistics, Grammar, Vocabulary, and Spelling
PTE Write Essay Layout
The below picture shows how you get the Write Essay questions in the PTE exam.
At the very top, you see the question prompt, which is nothing but the instructions to attempt the given question. Just next to it, is the timer which starts at 20 minutes and decreases as the time passes, to 0. The essay prompt is the question that you need to answer. It will explain to you in detail the topic as well as which type of essay response you need to provide, for example, agree or disagree. Below that is the writing space where you need to type your response. You may use the cut, copy and paste buttons to move some text in your response from one place to the other, but you can’t use the mouse or keyboard shortcuts to copy and paste. The total word count at the bottom shows how many words you have typed so far.
PTE Write Essay Scoring
PTE Essay is a complex task, both to write as well as evaluate. So, the PTE algorithm uses 7 different scoring parameters to mark your essay.
The table above shows you the scoring areas and how many points you score if you provide appropriate responses. We will talk about each one of them in detail below.
Content
You can score a maximum of 3 points if your response addresses all aspects of the topic, including details, examples, and explanations used to support your point of view. According to the PTE, to get maximum points for content, your response should be logical and on the topic and supported by details, examples, and explanations.
Development, Structure and Coherence
According to the PTE, a well-developed response provides a logical organizational pattern, connects the ideas well and also explains these connections. What this means is, that if you want a maximum score for this scoring area, then you should provide your response in paragraphs comprising Introduction, Body, and Conclusion. Also, the paragraphs should be logically connected using a smooth transition.
Form
If your essay is between 200 and 300 words, you get a maximum of 2 points for form. If your essay response is between 120 to 199 words or 301 to 380 words, you lose 1 point. And, if your essay is below 120 words or above 380 words, you get zero for form
General Linguistics
General linguistics focuses on clear communication. You should clearly highlight the key ideas and also creatively express your opinion. Again, you can get a maximum of 2 points for general linguistics, if your essay response accurately communicates your ideas.
Grammar, Vocabulary, and Spelling
Lastly, for the grammar usage, in order to receive the maximum points, it should not have grammatical errors and punctuations, and the use of capital letters should be correct. Your vocabulary score is assessed by the variety of words used in your response in an academic context. And for spelling, there should not be any spelling mistakes to get the maximum points. The PTE recognizes English spellings from the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and Canada.
PTE Write Essay Score Summary
- Content – Include all relevant aspects
- Development, Structure & Coherence – Good structure with Introduction, Body & Conclusion, spread in multiple paragraphs
- Form – 200 to 300 words
- General linguistics – Smooth and Clear communication (using transition words)
- Grammar – Consistent grammar (error free)
- Vocabulary – Good command of a variety of words
- Spelling – Correct spelling
PTE Essay Topics and Types
The Write Essay topics always ask you to write an argumentative essay in a persuasive manner. The essay topics may vary from social, technological, and regional to family issues. Whatever the essay topic will be, the question prompt will provide you with a context and you need to find ideas to write in support of the topic. The popular PTE Essay types include:
- Agree or Disagree: In these essay topics, you need to either agree or disagree with the point of view that is presented to you.
- Argument: In argument essay topics, two sides of an argument are given and you need to choose one side and write an essay about it.
- Describe: In these PTE essay topics, you will get a topic or a situation and you need to describe the same.
- Respond to a question: In Respond essay topics, you are given a question and you have to write an essay response.
- Advantages or Disadvantages: In these PTE essay topics, a topic or opinion will be presented and you need to think about either the advantages or disadvantages and then write an essay about it.
So, the write essay topics can be about anything, but the approach you need to take while writing the essay should be the same.
PTE Essay Sample Plan
Overall, you get 20 minutes to write an essay. So, do you use all the 20 minutes to just write the essay? Absolutely not, you should divide your time wisely. Ideally, you should divide your time into 3 parts, planning, writing, and editing respectively.
- Plan: You should spend around 1 to 2 minutes understanding the topic and thinking about what your ideas will be. Never go to typing straight away, planning is crucial. Briefly think and note down what aspects you are going to cover in your response.
- Write: Then, you should use 10 to 15 minutes for actually writing your essay, on the basis of what you have planned. Expand on your ideas and use the Edutrainex Essay structure to achieve the maximum score.
- Edit: Use the last 3 to 5 minutes to proofread what you have written and edit the essay for any spelling, grammatical or punctuation mistakes. Always, keep some time, in the end, to refine and edit your essay response, in order to make your essay better.
PTE Essay Template (For 79+ score)
For the easiness of using our PTE essay template or structure, it is highly recommended you use the below steps, if you are really aiming for a high score in writing.
PTE Essay Template: Step 1 – Planning
You need to plan your PTE essay ideas relevant to the topic, but what does it look like? I will show you how you need to plan and what you need to write in your notepad before you begin typing the essay, using the PTE Essay template that we provide.
STEP 1: Planning what to write
For example, consider argumentative, agree-disagree, and advantages/ disadvantages essay types, you should plan it this way.
- Take 1 side – whichever you are more comfortable with
- Think of Single ideas for Paragraphs 1 and 2
Question: “Working remotely is better than working physically in an office”. Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with this statement. Support your point of view with reasons/ and/ or examples from your own experience or observations.
Essay Plan
- Taking 1 side – Working remotely is better, why?
- Paragraph 1: single idea – flexibility/ convenience
- Paragraph 2: single idea – More family time
PTE Essay Template: Step 2 – Write Introduction
Divide your essay introduction into 3 sections as shown below in the template:
- Section 1: Provide some background information about the topic. So, if the essay topic is about working remotely, then you may talk about some current trends related to the topic.
- Section 2: Paraphrase the question and write it. What this means is that you repeat the essay question in your own words.
- Section 3: Present your argument to the reader. Write what exactly you are going to argue about, which side are you going to choose?
Let me show you an example, consider the same topic as shown above. See the colors used to highlight the different sections of the essay introduction to make it more clear.
Working physically in the office has been a traditional approach to work for a long time, but these days a new way of working has emerged. Working from home or working remotely, is the current way of working for today’s workforce. The essay will argue that working remotely is a far better choice for people who wish to perform a better job.
PTE Essay Template: Step 3 – Write Paragraph 1
The next step in PTE writing an essay is to write the body, which should consist of two paragraphs. For each of the paragraphs for the essay body, we will follow the same approach. The idea is presented below in 4 different sections, as per our Essay template.
- Section 1: Explain the main idea, what exactly you want to discuss
- Section 2: Provide supporting information for the idea you just discussed
- Section 3: Provide an example to support this
- Section 4: Conclude the paragraph
Using the single idea for paragraph 1 that we noted before, which was ‘flexibility’, we are going to write the sentences as per the outline of Sections 1 to 4 as shown above.
While there are several issues that employees face when working from the office, the primary one is the lack of flexibility. In the workplace, the employees need to continuously work for the designated hours without getting a chance to relax. For example, while working from home, workers can take frequent breaks to keep them relaxed and focused on the job. Clearly, this type of convenience allows people to work more efficiently and perform a better job.
PTE Essay Template: Step 4 – Write Paragraph 2
Writing the next paragraph of the essay is similar to the first one. You should repeat the same structure that I have explained before. But in this case, you use the second idea to write the second paragraph.
In addition to flexibility, working remotely also allows employees to have more family time. In today’s busy life, more family time together means higher mental health of the workforce. For example, spending more time with kids allows people to be happier and also benefits the children. So, having more family time not only contributes to employees’ better health but also improves their performance.
PTE Essay Template: Step 5 – Write Conclusion
The final step in PTE essay writing is to provide a conclusion. The conclusion sums up your response by summarizing the ideas that you discussed in the introduction and the two paragraphs. Let me show you the template for the conclusion below.
- Section 1: Summarize the two main ideas from paragraphs 1 and 2, and use your argument from the introduction.
- In conclusion + give your argument (section 3 from introduction) + 2 main ideas from P1 & P2
- Section 2: Give your opinion (in a strong way)
Using the above template and on the same topic, let me show you how an ideal conclusion should look for an essay.
In conclusion, working remotely is a better way to work these days because of the flexibility it provides to the employees and also gives them more family time. In my opinion, working remotely is definitely better than working physically at the office because of its advantages.
You can see how using our PTE essay template can make your essay so simple and yet highly scoring, because this template satisfies all the scoring criteria specified by the PTE. Have a look below, at how everything looks together. Color coding is used to show you what exactly those sentences refer to in the template/ structure that we have provided. The word count of the written essay is also perfect, right between the 200 and 300 words requirement. So, this is how you write a good essay using our PTE essay template/ structure. But, if you are struggling with your English language skills, especially grammar, you may want to use the essay templates that have more ready-made content and you can just add a few words there to get it ready.
Total Word Count: 249 (Perfect !!!)
PTE Writing Essay Template (People with Average English skills)
Now, I am going to share a few PTE writing essay templates for test-takers who are not confident with their English language skills. The below template is for those, who think their English skills are mediocre (not too great, not too bad). You can get this assessment from our PTE experts, or you can make this judgment yourself.
Understanding the PTE Writing Essay Template (People with Average English skills)
Although <main keyword from the topic>, has become an essential part of a constructive dialogue, that may lead to intriguing and inspiring discussions. There are numerous relevant arguments on either side of <topic>. This essay will assert key points related to <main keyword from the topic>, by considering both sides of the argument.
To commence my stance, there are a number of favorable reasons for it. Firstly, the most prominent one is the <positive/ negative point of the topic>. For example, widespread research shows <provide an example in favor of the positive/ negative point>. Therefore, the aforesaid discussion justifies my viewpoint.
Secondly, another interesting point is <2nd positive/ negative point of the topic>. This idea further substantiates the point of view this essay is supporting. For instance, a survey conducted in America also reveals reflections on similar lines, and thus, it can definitely be said that the argument is completely justified. Clearly, this evidence adds further support to my stance.
In conclusion, while there are a few <merits/ demerits – depending on which side you choose> associated with <topic>, there is equally prospective evidence that supports my arguments. In my opinion, the <positive/ negative – depending on which side you choose> aspects of <topic> are well supported by the justifications that I have provided.
Total Word Count: 162 words.
So, you only need to add 38 more words to reach 200 words. Just a couple of phrases in the essay writing template above, and you are done. For the sections highlighted in purple above, you just need to write either merits or demerits and positive or negative respectively.
Planning with the PTE Writing Essay Template
In order to use the above PTE writing essay template, you need to just note down a few points and make good sentences using the template. For example, let’s consider the same topic discussed above – “Working remotely is better than working physically in an office“. The essay is asking you to either agree or disagree with the given topic and let’s say we agree with it. Let’s look at the template and note down what you need to, and then using them I will show you how to complete the essay.
- Topic: Working remotely is better than working physically in an office
- Main keyword of the Topic (take one side): Working remotely
- First positive point: flexibility that the employees get which allows them to relax
- Example of the First Point: relaxation leads to focus and efficiency in the job
- Second Positive point: getting more family time which keeps the employees happy
- Choosing between what to write (demerits/ merits): You need to select the word opposite to the side you have taken. If you are supporting the topic, you write ‘demerits’ and if you are against the topic, you should ‘merits’.
Using the PTE Writing Essay Template (People with Average English skills)
That’s it, writing just four to five phrases completes your essay, using our tested and tried PTE writing essay template. Let me show you how the final essay looks after using the template and the points we just prepared.
Model Answer using the PTE Writing Essay Template
Although working remotely, has become an essential part of a constructive dialogue, that may lead to intriguing and inspiring discussions. There are numerous relevant arguments on either side of working remotely versus working physically at an office. This essay will assert key points related to working remotely, by considering both sides of the argument.
To commence my stance, there are a number of favorable reasons for it. Firstly, the most prominent one is the flexibility that the employees get which allows them to relax. For example, widespread research shows relaxation leads to focus and efficiency in the job. Therefore, the aforesaid discussion justifies my viewpoint.
Secondly, another interesting point is getting more family time which keeps the employees happy. This idea further substantiates the point of view this essay is supporting. For instance, a survey conducted in America also reveals reflections on similar lines, and thus, it can definitely be said that the argument is completely justified. Clearly, this evidence adds further support to my stance.
In conclusion, while there are a few demerits associated with working remotely, there is equally prospective evidence that supports my arguments. In my opinion, the positive aspects of working remotely are well supported by the justifications that I have provided.
Total word count: 206 words
You still need to be careful, not to make any grammatical mistakes while using the PTE writing essay template above. You may also need to change some words here and there to make it grammatically accurate and make sense in the given context. Also, be wary of the total word count, it should always exceed 200 words, but less than 300 words.
PTE Writing Essay Template (People with Low English skills)
Next, I want to give you a readymade PTE writing essay template, for test-takers whose English language skills are poor or who don’t have time to improve their writing skills, including grammar and vocabulary. Don’t be disheartened, we have a ready-to-use PTE writing essay template that you can use, by just adding a few words here and there relevant to the topic.
Understanding the PTE Writing Essay Template (People with Low English skills)
One of the noticeable inclinations of the present-day world is an immense surge in the number of people assuming that <Opposite point of the topic>. There is an extensive concern that this will lead to numerous worries in one’s life. However, I do not completely agree with this and I will clarify why in this essay.
To begin with, there are a number of arguments in favor of my stance. The most prominent one is <positive things of the topic> and there are myriad of other benefits in various areas. A big thanks to the varied range of advantages it offers. For example, not only do people benefit more when it comes to being effective but also, they can enhance productivity and quality of people’s lives, with much ease. It is needless to say, all these merits support the arguments in the essay, as far as supplementing the chances of prosperity and quality is concerned.
Another essential factor in the aforesaid proposition is that it is very probable to help one prosper and outshine in diverse areas. For instance, a survey conducted in America also reveals reflections on similar lines and is completely justifiable. Hence, it is apparent why many are in favor of <main keyword>.
In conclusion, while there are a few merits associated with <Opposite point of the topic>, there is equally prospective evidence that supports my arguments. In my view, on the basis of the arguments outlined above, the benefits of <positive things of the topic> are indeed too great to ignore.
Total Word Count: 249 words.
So, you only need to the keywords in the places highlighted in red. The opposite point highlighted in purple above means that you write the opposite of what you are supporting.
Planning with the PTE Writing Essay Template
Understanding this PTE Writing essay template, it’s very easy as you just need a few words to complete the essay. Let me show you what things you need to note down when using this writing essay template. Again, we are using the same essay topic – “Working remotely is better than working physically in an office“
- Main Keyword: working remotely
- Positive things about the topic: flexibility and family time
- Opposite point of the topic: working remotely is worse than working physically in an office
Using the PTE Writing Essay Template (People with Low English skills)
Just noting down only two points relevant to the topic, you can use the PTE writing essay template to complete your response. It’s so much easier to use this template, rather than trying to write your own, when you already know that your English skills are not that strong. We don’t promise that using this template will get you a very high score, but definitely you will get a decent score than what you will get by writing your own essay. Using the points noted above, below is the final response using the PTE writing essay template we have provided.
Model Answer using the PTE Writing Essay Template
One of the noticeable inclinations of the present-day world is an immense surge in the number of people assuming that working remotely is worse than working physically in an office. There is an extensive concern that this will lead to numerous worries in one’s life. However, I do not completely agree with this and I will clarify why in this essay.
To begin with, there are a number of arguments in favor of my stance. The most prominent one is flexibility and family time and there are myriad of other benefits in various areas. A big thanks to the varied range of advantages it offers. For example, not only do people benefit more when it comes to being effective but also, they can enhance productivity and quality of people’s lives, with much ease. It is needless to say, all these merits support the arguments in the essay, as far as supplementing the chances of prosperity and quality is concerned.
Another essential factor in the aforesaid proposition is that it is very probable to help one prosper and outshine in diverse areas. For instance, a survey conducted in America also reveals reflections on similar lines and is completely justifiable. Hence, it is apparent why many are in favor of working remotely.
In conclusion, while there are a few merits associated with working remotely is worse than working physically in an office, there is equally prospective evidence that supports my arguments. In my view, on the basis of the arguments outlined above, the benefits of flexibility and family time are indeed too great to ignore.
Total word count: 263 words
PTE Essay Sample Topics
Below mentioned are some of the PTE essay sample topics that you can use for your practice.
Agree or Disagree Essay topic
“Being Vegetarian is more ethical than being non-vegetarian”
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with this statement. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience or observations.
Choose a side Essay topic
“Nowadays, many student like to drop an year after finishing schooling, before going to university.” “While many people believe this is necessary, others believe it as a waste of time.”
Choose which position you most agree with and discuss why you chose that position. Support your point of view with details from your own experiences, observations or reading.
Opinion Essay topic
“Many believe that governments are responsible for the obesity increase in children, while others think it is the parents’ fault”
Discuss your view. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience or observations
Problem and Solution Essay topic
“The number of retired people outnumbers the currently employed people in many countries. This model is unsustainable”
Should people be prevented from retiring until they turn 75 unless they have saved up enough money to do so sooner?
Advantages or Disadvantages Essay topic
“Actual books are and will always be better than e-books.”
Discuss the advantages or disadvantages of e-books with regards to this statement.
Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience or observations.
Respond to a Question Essay topic
“Photo shopped images of models and supermodels are unrealistic and can make the average person feel insecure about his or her looks.”
Should media include more average looking people in their advertisements and decrease the extent to which they include models and supermodels?
For more information on this task, refer the official PTE Write Essay explanation.