Contents
General
Write first, proofread later
Once you finish your writing, make you sure you have no spelling and grammar mistakes. You should spend time on proofreading for at least one minute per 10 minutes.
Practice without typo-checker
Nowadays everyone uses a typo checker when writing on the computer. This is a must-tool in our daily life, but this also prevents us from learning correct spelling, and it could impact our spelling when doing PTE Academic Writing section.
You should not use this function when practising. It is pretty common that you will learn incorrect spelling. To me these are the ones that I have frequently misspelled.
coperate -> cooperate
acomplish -> accomplish
embarras -> embarrass
It looks very easy to tell the mistake, right? But you might be making similar mistakes when doing the Writing section…so just be aware of the importance of writing correct words, which will boost your Writing score. Just turn off your typo checker from today.
Be aware of typical mistakes
Here are some examples of typical mistakes that candidates tend to make.
1. Missing space after period / comma( example: whole.From -> whole. From)
2. Spelling (example: believ -> believe)
3. Capitalise the first letter of the first word (example: on -> On)
4. Uppercase / lowercase (example: It -> it)
5. Singular / plural (example: individual -> individuals)
6. Third person (example: lie -> lies)
7. Past tense / past perfect tense (example: need -> needed (all informed “needed”)
8. Missing this/that/a/an/the (example: use form -> use this/the form)
9. missing a space between words (example: Toconclude -> To conclude)
10. Grammar (example: mention -> mentioned (from the above “mentioned”))
These mistakes can be found very easily, but in an exam situation you will be pressured, which means that you might end up making many small mistakes. By allocating time for checking these it will help avoid unnecessary score deductions.
Summarize written text
Time limit: 10 minutes
Number of items: 1-2
Affected score: Writing, Reading
Content: You will see one to several paragraphs on the screen. Summarize them in one sentence between 50 and 70 words.
General
1. Only the first sentence will be assessed. Do not forget to finish the sentence with a full stop.
2. Write between 50 and 70 words.
3. Use a semicolon (;) to connect sentences, and use colon (:) explain details of the prior sentence.
4. Do not use first person pronoun which is unnecessary. You do not need to write your own opinion.
5. Do not need to paraphrase. Just copy texts from the question which won’t give you any penalty. Do not waste time paraphrasing in your answer.
6. Do not need to fill 70 words. A longer answer does not mean giving you a higher score. An answer with 50 words will be still be assessed as a reasonable length.
Instructions
On top of the above information, make sure you understand how to use connecting words.
Connecting words
1. Use because, and, but generally.
2. Use comma and semicolon for general sentence connection
3. Comma can be used to connect between relative sentences
4. Semicolon can be used as a full stop BUT not considered as full stop which means that you can use it to link sentences even though they are less relevant.
Practice material: 60 Second Science – Scientific American
Scientific American 60 Second Science normally offer daily news with script in 1-10 paragraphs which you can use it to practice Summarize Written Text.
60 Second Science
Essay
Time limit: 20 minutes
Number of items: 1-2
Affected score: Writing
Content: Write a 200-300 word essay based on the given theme
1. Only two question types. One is discussion style and the other is writing your ideas without taking any sides.
2. To save time for content writing, try to use a template that you are comfortable to use.
3. Do not need to write a very complex essay. That is overkill for PTE Writing
4. Try to add as many topic keywords as you can. Paraphrasing also works.
Instructions
Below are the most important things to remember.
Be aware of the minimum word requirement
You must write at least 250 words. This is the minimum amount. Of course you can get 79+ with under 250 words for the essay, but generally speaking, adding more content will get you a higher score. It is important to be careful about grammar and topic keywords, you won’t get a high score if you do not write at least 200 words.
Practise by typing
Practice is a MUST if you’re not comfortable using a keyboard. Try to practice one essay a day to get used to it otherwise you might have a very hard time tackling this section. Of course, you will be pressured during the exam and it is hard to do as good as your practice in the real test. You need to get used to it otherwise you should give up doing PTE.
Include topic sentences in your essay
For example, if the theme is about environmental concern, you may want to add the below topic sentences to increase your score.
– global warming
– environmental issue
– governments, companies, individuals
– pollution
– CO2 emissions
– fossil fuels
Adding relevant words to the topic will boost your score in Vocabulary in Enabling Skills. You do not need to use very difficult words to spice up your essay, just paraphrasing will be good enough.
Example:
environmental problems -> environmental issues
deal with -> tackle
Minimize spelling and grammar mistakes
These typical mistakes must be avoided! Because of the time pressure you will tend to overlook these mistakes. Make sure you check these before finishing your essay.
Use a template
Only 20 minutes is allocated per essay. Without using a template you will be struggling to complete a 200-300 word essay. By using a template, you will reduce grammar mistakes as well.
Spend at least 2 minutes on grammar and other possible typical mistakes
Try to finish your essay within 18 minutes then spend the rest for checking any mistakes in your essay.
Take the practice essay as a real one
What you cannot do in a practice test cannot be done in your real test either. Time your practice essay and after a few weeks you will be used to writing a 200-300 word essay within the fixed time.
Type 1: Discussion
Introduction – 40-50 words
Body 1 (Agree) 100-120 words
Body 2 (Disagree) 100-120 words
Conclusion – 40 words
Template
Introduction
There has been a serious discussion on whether ~. . From my own perspective, although it is possible to claim that ~, I believe that its advantages outweigh its disadvantages.
Body 1 (Agree)
To begin with, there are numerous reasons why ~, but the obvious one lies in the fact that ~
Body 2 (Disagree)
On the other hand, there are some people who have a different perspective, and they argue that ~
Conclusion
To conclude, although there are strong arguments from both sides, from the above mentioned, I am overall convinced that ~
Sample answer
There has been a serious discussion on whether telecommunication such as mobile phones have brought benefits to individuals and the society as a whole. From my own perspective, although it is possible to claim that mobile phones have become a huge distraction in our daily life, I believe that its advantages outweigh its disadvantages.
To begin with, there are numerous reasons why telecommunication can benefit individuals, but the obvious one lies in the fact that it makes society work more efficiently and improve people’s everyday lifes effectively. Specifically, nowadays each individual owns their handheld devices such as mobile phones which allows communication between distant locations. For a society, we no longer need to do business trips to just join a conference, since it can be done by an international call which connects people in multiple locations. For individuals, mobile phones, as telecommunicating devices, gives us access to all the information needed and with more convenience. For example, we can locate friends in a large crowd and organize many events just by a phone call.
On the other hand, there are some people who have a different perspective, and they argue that the communication revolution has had detrimental effects. It is obvious that we tend to overuse this form of communication, and consequently, it causes some of us to become anti-social. Taking a friend of mine as an example, he usually stays online and rarely talks in person. Furthermore, more and more people care less about people around them because it is so addictive and forces them to engage in continuous communication.
In conclusion, although there are strong arguments for both sides, from the above mentioned, I am overall convinced that if used properly, it brings a positive outcome for both society and individuals and which delivers many benefits.
Type 2:
Introduction – 40-50 words
Body 1 (characteristics 1) 100-120 words
Body 2 (characteristics 2) 100-120 words
Conclusion – 40 words
Template
Introduction
There has been a serious discussion on whether ~. . From my own perspective, although it is possible to claim that ~, I believe that its advantages outweigh its disadvantages.
Body 1 (characteristics 1)
To begin with, there are numerous reasons why ~, but the obvious one lies in the fact that ~
Body 2 (characteristics 2)
Also, X has some characteristics that we should not overlook. ~
Conclusion
To conclude, although there are strong arguments over ~, however, from the above mentioned, I am overall convinced that ~
Practice material: Any materials
As long as your chosen theme is academically relevant, any topic can be used. Here is s sample list of essay topics.
Owlcation – 100 Academic Persuasive Research Topics
Be First to Comment