Writing · Write Essay
PTE Essay writing practice
20 minutes. 200–300 words. Seven traits, each marked separately — and two of them can wipe out the other five.
Form is not a formality. Under 120 words or over 380 and the essay scores 0, however good it is. The same if Content is 0. Everything else you do becomes irrelevant the moment either gate fires.
Official instruction
“You will have 20 minutes to plan, write and revise an essay about the topic below. Your response will be judged on how well you develop a position, organize your essay, and use language. You should write 200–300 words.”
Strategy
- Take a position in the first sentence. Do not hedge both sides throughout — Content rewards a developed argument, not balance for its own sake.
- Skip the generic opener. “In today’s modern world…” wastes words and reads as template.
- Aim for 240–270 words — comfortably inside the band, with room to develop two real points.
- Use specific examples. Concrete beats abstract on Content every time.
- Leave three minutes to proofread. Spelling and grammar are separate traits — the cheapest marks on the page.