In PTE Academic, the essay question gives you a prompt and asks you to write 200 to 300 words in 20 minutes. That sounds generous, but when you factor in planning, typing and checking, every minute counts. A clear strategy makes the difference between a mediocre score and a strong one.
Spend three minutes planning. Read the prompt carefully and identify the question type: opinion (agree or disagree), discussion (advantages and disadvantages), or problem-solution. Jot down your main position and two to three supporting reasons. A plan prevents you from going off-topic halfway through.
Follow the three-paragraph structure. Introduction: restate the question and state your position in one sentence. Body: two to three paragraphs with reasons and examples supporting your view. Conclusion: summarize your position briefly. Keep it simple — the AI rewards clear structure over complex ideas.
Type accurately — spelling matters more than you think. The PTE AI scores every word individually. A misspelled word gets zero points. Take a moment to check spelling, especially of commonly confused words: "environment" not "enviroment," "government" not "goverment," "necessary" with one C and two S's.
Use a range of sentence structures. Mix simple and complex sentences. "Education is important. It helps people get better jobs. Furthermore, it builds critical thinking skills that benefit society." The progression from simple to complex within a paragraph demonstrates vocabulary range and grammatical control.
Do not write too much or too little. The ideal word count is 220 to 280 words. Writing fewer than 200 words means you did not develop your ideas enough. Writing more than 300 words wastes time and increases the chance of errors. Stick to the target range.
Use the last two minutes to review. Check your spelling, sentence structure and coherence. Make sure your introduction and conclusion match. If you have time, read the essay once aloud in your head — you will catch awkward phrasing that you missed while typing. Shaista recommends this review habit to all PTE students at LEWS Academy, and it consistently saves marks.
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