The PTE Writing section expects test-takers to create a well-structured, clear, and correct answer to receive high scores. So, how to conquer the PTE writing tasks with ease? This blog will explain how the PTE Writing scoring criteria works, give tips for success in the PTE Writing tasks, and discuss common mistakes you must avoid.
Let’s dive in.
Table of Contents
PTE Writing Scoring Criteria
Understanding the PTE Writing scoring system is your first step in conquering these tasks. Here are the criteria that affect your writing score:
- Content: This criterion evaluates your ability to address the question and complete your response.
- Grammar: This determines test-takers’ word and sentence structure accuracy.
- Vocabulary: Candidates who have a strong vocabulary and make good word choices will receive higher scores in this section.
- Spelling: Your spelling must be completely correct to receive this score.
- Coherence and cohesion: Your ideas should follow a structured format and be logical. Separated ideas that are unreadable will get low scores.
Tips To Conquer The PTE Writing Tasks
- Good structure: Your essay writing needs to include a clear introduction, then followed by solid body paragraphs where each mentions a key idea, and finally a conclusion to sum up. For summary tasks, keep your sentence short and capture the main point correctly.
- Pay attention: Read the prompt carefully to answer the question correctly. Test-takers who rush to skim the prompt often miss key details included, leading to low scores.
- Don’t overcomplicate: Avoid using complicated words in your writing to sound smart. You may misuse the wrong words and even confuse yourself. Test-takers who write clearly and simply receive higher scores due to good delivery and straightforward messages.
- Keep your idea in logical order: Your ideas should flow logically with key points included. Add transition words to make your writing easier to read such as “firstly,” “moreover,” and “finally”. A lack of logic will result in a low coherence and cohesion score, so pay attention.
- Avoid informal writing: Informal writing that includes slang, short terms, or overused abbreviations often costs test-takers points. Stay formal in your PTE writing tasks.
- Strong vocabulary: Build your vocabulary by reading books, articles, and newspapers frequently. Don’t just learn new words – start using them in your writing and speaking. This method helps grow your vocabulary more effectively, thus making your writing gain more depth and express ideas better.
- Good grammar: This is a must for receiving higher PTE writing scores. Make sure your knowledge of tense, structure, and subject-verb agreement is solid. Poor grammar only weakens your writing, so fix this by improving your grammar.
- Practice frequently: Practice makes perfect. Good writing doesn’t happen in a day. Practice writing on various topics to become familiar with different prompts and adapt quickly to the real test.
- Reach out to PTE coaches: Getting insights from a PTE coach will help you recognise your weaknesses and sharpen your skills effectively. You won’t be so confused and struggle with your writing once an expert guides you.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
Mistakes will damage your PTE writing performance, making your writing hard to read which leads to low scores.
Check these common mistakes below to improve:
- Misunderstanding the prompt: Rushing to write without reading the prompt causes you to miss important details. Your answer will lack key information, or worse – be off-topic.
- Ignoring word limits: This is another common mistake that many test-takers make. Writing below the word limit means your ideas are incomplete while exceeding the limits costs you points. The key is to stay within the required range and focus on giving a correct and clear response.
- Making grammar mistakes: Many test-takers struggle with subject-verb agreement, tenses, and phrasing in their writing. This creates hard-to-read content and low grammar scores. Reviewing your writing before submitting will help you improve your scores.
- Having spelling and typos in their writing: These minor mistakes are also the cause of low PTE writing scores, showing the candidates’s carelessness. Avoid this by proofreading your writing properly.
Conclusion
We hope this blog helps you understand how to conquer the PTE writing tasks with ease. Good preparation and a deep understanding of the test format will always help. It’s time to put your goal into action. Cheers!