PTE Essay
An argumentative essay of 200 to 300 words in 20 minutes, feeding the Writing score. It is machine-scored, which makes form — length, paragraphing, structure — count in a way it does not on a human-marked test.
The word range is a scored component
Under 200 or over 300 words is penalised on form directly. Aim for roughly 250 — comfortably inside the range with room for an error in counting.
- Four or five paragraphs: introduction, two body paragraphs, conclusion.
- One idea per body paragraph, developed with a reason and an example.
- A clear position, stated in the introduction and restated at the end.
- Linking words, used where they belong rather than sprinkled.
Twenty minutes, spent
- 2 minutes — read the prompt, pick a side, note two reasons.
- 15 minutes — write.
- 3 minutes — check spelling, check the word count, check every sentence has a verb.
Spelling and grammar are scored by machine and consistently. The final three minutes are worth more here than on an essay a human reads, because an engine does not forgive a typo it can see.
Essay — FAQs
2 questions
200 to 300 words in 20 minutes. Outside that range costs form marks.
No. The prompts are general and any reasonable position supported with ordinary examples is fine.
More speaking & writing question types
Sources
Written from the test board's own published material and checked on 1 October 2026.