The Pearson Test of English(PTE) is an English language testing exam. All the students from non-English speaking countries who are seeking admission in an English-speaking country are required to submit an English test score.
There are various English testing exams like the IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, and the Duolingo test English.
For Indian students, PTE is the most chosen English language proficiency test because of its easy format and feasibility.
PTE tests your English skills in 3 sections: The speaking and writing section, the Listening section, and the Reading section. The Writing section is often the hardest for students as it requires them to write an essay.
Many students also have doubts regarding how the PTE writing essay is evaluated and how they can get more marks in the writing section.
PTE Writing Essay Format
You will be given a writing prompt that can be 2-3 sentences long or a question. You will have to write an essay on that prompt which should be 200-300 words long.
The essay should also be written in a formal style. You will get 20 minutes to complete the essay.
PTE Writing Essay evaluation
The PTE is very specific when it comes to the evaluation of the sections. All the sections of PTE are evaluated based on certain skills and characteristics.
It is important to understand the marking system of the PTE writing essay to score more in it. The writing essay is evaluated based on 4 criteria:
Content:
The most important criterion to be evaluated in the essay is the content. The length is just 200-300 words, so you need to be very precise in the body of the essay.
Try to address all the points that you think are important regarding the prompt. If the prompt is a question, make sure your content provides a clear answer with valid reasons.
You may include your opinions in your content, but they should all be backed up with valid reasons.
Coherence:
Another important skill that is evaluated is coherence. It refers to how well the ideas are organized in the essay.
The examiners want you to include your opinions in the PTE writing essay, but they want the ideas to be logical and well-organized.
They are also looking for a wells structured essay with a good introduction, body, and conclusion.
Grammar:
The examiners are strict about the grammar used in the PTE writing essay. They need you to write clear error-free sentences. Mostly the use of tenses should be perfect.
One aspect of grammar which students often ignore is Punctuation. The whole meaning of one sentence changes by incorrect use of punctuation.
Vocabulary:
Your ability to use a variety of words in your essay demonstrates your vocabulary. The examiners are looking for the correct usage of vocabulary rather than just hard words forced into sentences. Vocabulary is also an important evolution criterion in the speaking section.
If you struggle with making a proper PTE study plan to get a good score in the PTE exam, our other blog will benefit you.
Tips and Strategies for PTE Writing Essay
Now that you have a clear understanding of the format and the evaluation criteria of the essay let us look at some tips and strategies that you can use to improve your score in the writing section.
Understand the prompt:
Before you start writing the essay, the most important thing is understanding the prompt properly. The prompt is 2-3 sentences long and is very specific. You have to understand what the examiner is looking for in the essay.
The prompt may be a question. In that case, try to explain the question briefly in the introduction part and answer the question with valid arguments in the body part.
Organize and plan:
The essay you need to write is of a short length, and thus each word has more importance. Do not start writing the essay as soon as you read the prompt.
Take some minutes to understand the prompt, and then plan your essay. Make a clear picture of what your essay would look like, what points you will include in every section of the essay, and what arguments you will make.
Organizing your thoughts may take some time, but it makes your essay clearer and more precise.
Use a formal tone:
This is rather a necessity than a tip, but most students fail to write in a formal tone. You can start reading some of the formally written essays to understand what a formal essay looks like.
Appropriate use of words and punctuation are also important to maintain a formal tone. Avoid using short forms and slang. Try to sound as professional as you can.
Use examples:
This is probably the most underrated tip for the PTE writing essay. The examiners require you to have a formal tone, but they need to know where your opinions are coming from.
Whenever you put forward an opinion in the essay, support it with an example that validates your opinion. This will improve your score distinctly in the writing section.
You can rely on hypothetical examples but try to include real-life examples when possible. Try to demonstrate your observation skills subtly when you use a real-life example. Examiners love to see a candidate who has good observational skills.
Linking words:
Using words that link two sentences together, like ‘Since,’ ‘However,’ ‘Moreover,’ and ‘Nevertheless,’ can make your essay more formal and connected.
This will make the examiner conclude that you have organized your thoughts beforehand and know which sentence will follow which one. These things are not specifically looked for, but they increase your score spontaneously.
Review:
This is another tip that is rather a necessity for PTE writing essays. When you are writing in haste, you will make mistakes with spelling and grammar.
These spelling mistakes will not be recognizable when you write, but with a simple and quick review, you can avoid and correct these mistakes. The PTE is computer-based, and thus you can correct your mistakes without making your essay look bad.
You may also have made some mistakes in the grammar of some sentences. Reviewing the essay will also help you to correct these grammar-related mistakes.
Practice:
The key to writing a perfect essay is practice. You should practice writing as many essays as you can.
You can either take an official practice test of the PTE, or you can look for prompts and then write on them and use a grammar-checking tool like Grammarly.com to help you to identify your mistakes.
It also provides you with a writing score which is made by analyzing several different criteria.
Read our other blog to understand how to score 70 on the PTE exam.
Prompt Examples for PTE Writing Essay
Now that you have all the required tips and strategies, here are some examples of prompts that can be asked, or at least these examples are similar to the ones that will be asked.
You can practice writing your essay on these prompts and then check your score on Grammarly.
- Some people believe electric vehicles are the key to a clean environment, while others believe they won’t make such a big difference. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
- Many developing countries have a big gap between the rich and poor. What are the reasons that fuel this gap, and what measures can be taken to lessen this gap?
- In many countries, they have a culture of taking a year off before starting your higher studies in universities. What are the benefits and losses of this culture? Discuss both and form your opinion.
- In most developed countries, obesity and heart diseases are experiencing a big increase. What are the relations between consuming junk food and high-sugar drinks?
- Some people think prisoners should be treated as mental patients and given psychiatric help rather than prison sentences. What are your thoughts on this?
- Countries like Norway and Finland have been at the top of the happiness index many times in a row, while richer countries like America are still below them. What do you think is required for a country to have a happy population?
These were some of the most common examples of prompts in the PTE writing essay. You must have gotten an idea about the pattern of the prompts asked in the exam.
They usually give you a statement that is either a fact or a point of discussion. You have to identify what they’re asking for carefully.
They may just ask for your thoughts which can be both positive and negative, or they may directly give two extreme opinions and then tell you to discuss those particular points.
You must back your opinions with valid reasons and real-life examples in each case. You can take an example from your country and compare that will others to validate your response.
To get information about the best books for PTE preparation, read our other blog.
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The PTE writing essay may be the hardest section for students, but if you know the evaluation criteria, then it is an easy task.
You should clearly understand what the examiner is looking for in your essay and try to give them exactly that.
You can use the above tips and strategies to improve your score. The prompt examples are relevant to the exam questions; you can rely on them for practice.
You can also look for other examples online and practice from them. I hope this blog has given you a clear understanding of the PTE writing essay, but if you still have any questions or queries, contact our experts.
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FAQs
How many types of essays are there in PTE?
There are a total of mainly four types of essays in PTE writing. Problematic, opinion-based, argumentative, and discuss both views.
Is it hard to get 65 in PTE?
The answer to this question may vary from person to person. If you have a strong hold on English and prepare for the exam with full concentration, you can easily get a score of 65 in the PTE exam.
