How to Prepare PTE Essay Writing: Template, Topics & Tips

Tips to Approach PTE Essay Writing

The PTE essay writing emphasizes how well one can communicate in English in a written format. In the PTE writing section, you will be given a prompt and 20 minutes to write an essay of around 200-300 words.

This is how you can approach PTE essays:

1. Analyse the Prompt

Before starting, analyse the given prompt and identify its type to assess the important details. Make sure that you know exactly what the question is asking you to do:

1. Agree/Disagree
2. Advantages & Disadvantage
3. Problem-Solution
4. Discuss both sides/views
5. Two-Part Question

So, let's take one topic on “Some people think that technology has made life easier, while others believe it has made life more complicated. Discuss both views and give your opinion”.

In the above example, you are required to “discuss both views” with supporting examples and arguments.

2. Identify Main Ideas

The next step after analysing the prompt is to brainstorm for a few minutes and create main ideas for each side. These main ideas are the real backbone of your essay and are directly linked to the question. Try to include points that are relevant, specific and supported by examples.

The core idea for the ‘life made easier’ part of the above example:

1. Time Saving: Online shopping, digital payment.
2. Accessibility of Learning: Learning resources, online tutorials, and instant news.
3. Convenience: GPS navigation, communication applications.

And the core idea for the ‘life made complicated’ part is:

1. Stress & Distractions: Frequent notifications, social media information overload.
2. Over-Reliance: Reduces problem-solving or interpersonal skills.
3. Privacy Breach: Cybersecurity threats.

Note: Pick 2-3 points maximum per side to ensure your essay is clear and concise.

3. Create Quick Outline

Now spend 1 to 2 minutes making a quick outline, and that ensures your essay flows logically and saves time. Here, the PTE essay template helps to keep your essay structured, saves time and reduces stress.

Take a look at the template below for ‘discuss both views’:

1. Introduction: Paraphrase prompt + state your opinion
2. Body 1: Explain + example
3. Body 2: Explain + example
4. Opinion Paragraph: Explain why you support it.
5. Conclusion: Summarise points

4. Start with a Clear Introduction

The first sentence of the essay should include a general background on the topic along with contextually appropriate phrases, as the introduction sets the tone for a PTE essay. Here is an example of PTE essay topics, according to which you have to frame your introduction:

1. Social Topics: Parenting, crime, health, society.
2. Technology: Social media, cybersecurity, AI,
3. Business, Sports: Marketing, economic growth, global trade and sports events.

So, now let’s back to our example on ‘Discuss both views’. Its introduction be like.... Technology has become an integral part of our lives. However, some argue that it complicates daily routines. I believe that technology has generally made our lives much easier by simplifying everyday tasks.

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5. Maintain the Logical Flow

To make your essay easy to read, each paragraph should focus on a single main idea supported by examples. Always start each paragraph with a topic sentence, then explain with appropriate examples and wind up with a linking sentence if needed.

Try to include connecting words, such as ‘Firstly’, ‘Moreover’, ‘In contrast’ or ‘Therefore’ to guide the reader with the help of your arguments.

Example of our sample:

Firstly, technology saves time, online shopping and mobile banking allow people to complete tasks quickly, reducing daily stress.

6. Use Grammatically Correct Language

Write simple, correct sentences and avoid complex sentence formation that can lead to mistakes.

Example:

1. Correct Language: Technology has simplified daily tasks, such as online shopping and mobile banking.
2. Incorrect Language: Technology is making life easier and complicated, sometimes.

7. Proofread & Make Changes

In the final step, devote a couple of minutes to check for spelling, grammatical mistakes and right use of punctuation. In addition to this, check that you have answered all the questions set out in the prompt.

Finally, check out the following checklist to make sure that you have turned every stone into a new opportunity:

1. Have you addressed the given prompt? If not, you will lose scores.
2. With the help of linking words, have you organized the text and taken a logical approach to the essay topic?
3. Have you included four paragraphs, like an introduction, 2 body paragraphs with an idea and a brief conclusion summarizing your ideas?
4. Have you included examples, explanations, and facts to support your point of view?
5. Did you write within the word limit of 200-300 words?

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How is PTE Essay Evaluated?

As of now, you get the idea that the PTE essay writing task assesses your ability to write a critically argumentative essay that presents your ability to link ideas logically. PTE essay evaluations are based on seven parameters, with each showing a separate yet vital aspect of the essay quality. These are:

1. Content
2. Formal Requirement
3. Development, structure, and coherence
4. Grammar
5. General linguistic range
6. Vocabulary range
7. Spelling

Out of all these, the most important trait is ‘Content’, which has the highest maximum score. If your answer is irrelevant to the given prompt, you will receive a score of zero. And consequently, the whole essay will receive a zero.

The possible reason is that examiners see that no attempt has been made to do the task as needed. However, this is a very doable thing, you can develop an identification of correct prompt during your PTE exam preparation itself with the help of a mock test.

Conclusion

As of now, you get the idea about the PTE essay writing format, application of the prompt and templates in an effective manner. This clarity makes your preparation more direct, focused and less time-consuming. These skills definitely help you score well in the exam, but also prepare you for the future academic and professional discourse.

With consistent practice of our free PTE mock tests at Gradding.com, your writing becomes a practical skill that strengthen your overall written communication. You can even take our PTE online coaching for more conceptual clarity and an exam-oriented approach.