PTE Writing Scoring, Explained
PTE writing tasks are graded by automated scoring against explicit criteria — content, form, grammar, vocabulary, and for essays, development and range. Form is the gate: responses outside the word or sentence rules are capped before content is even weighed.
Writing tasks and their rules
| Task | Limit | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Summarize Written Text (Academic) | One sentence, 5–75 words | 10 min |
| Summarize Written Text (Core) | 25–50 words | 10 min |
| Write Essay (Academic) | 200–300 words | 20 min |
| Write Email (Core) | 80–120 words | 9 min |
| Summarize Spoken Text (listening part) | 50–70 words (Academic) / 20–30 (Core) | 10 / 8 min |
The hidden writing marks
A significant share of the writing band is earned outside the writing part: Summarize Spoken Text and Write from Dictation both contribute to writing. Candidates stuck on a writing target after polishing their essays usually find the missing marks in dictation accuracy — every correctly spelled word counts.
Frequently asked questions
What criteria does PTE use for writing?
Content, form, grammar, spelling and vocabulary — plus development, structure and coherence for the essay, and organisation and tone for the Core email.
What if my summary is two sentences?
The Academic Summarize Written Text must be exactly one sentence of 5–75 words — a second sentence breaks form and caps the task's score regardless of content.
Do spelling mistakes matter?
Yes — spelling is an explicit criterion in written tasks and per-word accuracy is the entire score in Write from Dictation. One spelling convention (British or American) used consistently is safest.
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