Essay Writing: Tips and Strategies
In the second question of the Writing section, you have to write an essay in 200-300 words on a given topic. You might come across a statement or a question that needs to be answered in 20 minutes. You can use ‘cut’, ‘copy’, and ‘paste’ options while writing your response. Also, there is a word count at the bottom of the screen that will help you in counting the words as you write.
Understand Essay Writing
Prompt length:2-3 sentences
Skills assessed: Writing
Time to answer: 20 minutes
Scoring: The scoring of this question depends on 7 factors:
- 1. Content: Make sure that your response addresses the topic. Use details, examples, and explanations to support your answer.
- 2. Development,structure, and coherence: Create a well-developed response that uses logical organization of the information. Effectively connect ideas and explain these connections.
- 3. Form: Make sure there are 200-300 words in the essay. If the essay contains less than 180 and more than 380 words, no score is given.
- 4. General linguistic range: Use the language that clearly states your ideas. Provide clear descriptions, change emphasis, and eliminate ambiguity for a better score.
- 5. Grammar usage and mechanics: Your response must be grammatically correct. Correct sentence structure, capitalization, and punctuation give a better score.
- 6. Vocabulary range: Make use of synonyms, and idiomatic expressions, and avoid repetition to make your content more impressive.
- 7. Spelling: PTE accepts spellings from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. You have to be consistent in your spelling.
Tips and Strategies for Essay Writing
- 1. Analyze the statement: Take time to analyze the statement. Note keywords, find out the topic,and think about the words that can be used. Make sure you understand the prompt clearly. Read it again and again to get a better idea.
- 2. Organize your thoughts: Bring together all the information and ideas in an organized way so that the essay is fluent.
- 3. Be careful while starting the essay: The prompt may ask you a question (agree-disagree) or it is a simple statement. Start your essay accordingly.
- 4. Focus on details: Mention details and examples when writing the essay. Check for grammar, linking words, punctuation, and spelling.
- 5. Use a defined form: Start with an introduction followed by the body of the essay and then a conclusion.
For more tips and strategies, you can register with SGES Education.
