What the task asks
You are given a prompt and about twenty minutes to write an argumentative essay of roughly 200 to 300 words. It is machine-scored on content, form, structure, grammar, vocabulary and spelling. Because form and length are scored, an essay that is well organised and inside the word range beats a brilliant one that is too short or off topic.
A template you can reuse
- Introduction: paraphrase the prompt and state your position clearly.
- Body paragraph 1: your first reason, with one specific example.
- Body paragraph 2: your second reason, with one specific example.
- Conclusion: restate your position and sum up in one or two sentences.
Using the same shape every time means you spend your twenty minutes writing, not planning from scratch.
Where marks are won and lost
Clean grammar and correct spelling feed the score directly, so leave two or three minutes to check your work. Link your ideas with words like because, however and therefore, and make sure every paragraph stays on topic. If Writing is capping your score, this task and Summarize Written Text are the two to master. See our PTE Academic study plan to fit it into your prep.
PTE Academic coaching for your target band
PTEfy is online PTE Academic and PTE Core coaching built around the exact band your program asks for. We target the skills that move your score.
See PTE coaching plansKeep reading: PTE Academic exam format · PTE Academic Re-tell Lecture · Improve your PTE Academic score