Writing

Writing

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 Writing
 Writing part of PTE Academic tests your
ability to produce written English in an
academic environment.

 Writing item types require you to write a

response in standard academic English
using correct grammar and spelling.

 Two item types appear in the writing

sections of PTE Academic. The total item to
complete the writing sections is 40,50 or 60
minute, depending on the combination of
items in a given text.
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 Writing
 Writing item types are timed individually.
You can refer to the timer in the upper
right hand corner of the computer screen,
“Time Remaining,” which counts down the
time remaining for each item.

 PTE Academic recognizes English spelling

conventions from the United States, the
United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.
However, one spelling convention should
be used consistently in a given response.

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Test Components: Writing
Item Type Task Skills Text/Prompt Response Time to
assessed length Length answer
Summarize After reading a reading and text up to 300 one sentence 10 minutes
Written Text passage, write a one- writing words 5-75
sentence summary of
the passage.

Write Essay Write an essay of 200- writing up to 4 200-300 words 20 minutes

300 words on a given sentences
topic.

Set A – 3(SWT)+1(WE) Set B – 2(SWT)+2(WE)

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Summarize Written Text

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Summarize Written Text

Summarize written text is a short-

answer writing item type. It tests your
ability to comprehend, analyze and
combine information from a reading
passage, and then summarize the key
points in writing. It assesses both
writing and reading skills.

• For this item type you need to write a

summary of the text in one sentence
at a word count of 5-75 words.

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Summarize Written Text

Timer

Instruction

Reading Passage

Response
Box

Word Count
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 Item Scoring: Summarize Written Text

Content Form Grammar Vocabulary Total Score

2 1 2 2 7

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 Summarize Written Text
Strategies
Before Writing
• Read the passage carefully, focusing on the content.
• Re-read the passage and take not of the topic sentences and key words if necessary.

While Writing
• Focus on the key words. Your summary should include the main ideas presented in the passage. These
are usually indicated in the topic sentences.
• Do not include background knowledge or your own ideas. Remember that all of the information you
need to write your summary is contained in the passage.
• Use grammatical structures that you feel confident about. You will make fewer mistakes.

After Writing
• Check the content of your summary
• Does it convey the main ideas in the passage?
• Does it include essential supporting points?
• Check the content of your summary
• Is it expressed in one single complete sentence? Do not write more than one sentence.
• How many words does the sentence contain?
• Check grammar, spelling and punctuation, and make corrections where necessary.
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 Summarize Written Text
Strategies

An academic summary tells
the main points of a source
text in brief form using
your own words.

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 Things to remember: Summarize Written Text

• Capitalize the first letter of your first word and end your sentence
with a full stop.
• Avoid: Run-Ons, Misplaced Modifiers, and Comma Splices

A run-on sentence occurs when two or more independent clauses (also known as complete sentences) are
Run-Ons connected improperly

Example: I love to write papers I would write one every day if I had the time.

A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is improperly separated from the word
Misplaced Modifiers it modifies / describes. 

Example: On her way home, Jan found a gold man's watch.

A comma splice also called a run-on, occurs when a writer has connected two main clauses with a
Comma Splices comma alone.

Example: I am not angry with you, I am not happy with you, either.

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 SENTENCES Summarize Written Text

 Simple Sentence

Joe waited for the train.

Compound Sentence

Joe waited for the train, but the train was late.

Complex Sentence

While he waited at the train station, Joe realized that the train
was late.
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 SENTENCES Summarize Written Text

Your response must be

expressed within one sentence,
so you will need to use a
complex and/or compound
sentence to be able to
summarize the main point of
the passage and also briefly
mention the supporting details.

Practice Using Compound and Complex Sentences

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 SENTENCES
COMPOUND
 two independent clauses joined
together by a conjunction
 often formed with these
coordinating conjunctions: and,
but, for, or, nor, yet, so,
and ; (the semi-colon)
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Summarize Written Text
COMPLEX
 one independent clause and one
dependent clause joined together
 often formed by putting these
words at the beginning of the
dependent clause: as, as if, before,
after, because, though, even
though, while, when, whenever, if,
during, as soon as, as long as,
since, until, unless,
where, and wherever
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 SENTENCES Summarize Written Text

Compound or Complex?
 I really want to go to work, but I am too sick to drive.
 The movie, though very long, was still very enjoyable.
 Should we start class now, or should we wait for
everyone to get here?
 Let’s go back to the restaurant where we had our first
date.
 Joe made the sugar cookies; Susan decorated them.

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Practice 1 Summarize Written Text

The 1950s saw the emergence of the theory of andragogy, the process by
which adults learn (as distinct from pedagogy, the theory of children’s
learning processes). Educator Malcolm Knowles held that flexibility,
informality, enthusiasm, and commitment from both student and teacher, as
well as the ability to build upon extant knowledge, were all necessary aspects
of adult education classes.

Knowles’s beliefs about adult learning had their roots in five

assumptions. First, adults are self-directed, independent beings. Next, adults
have a reservoir of experiences on which to build, which children lack. Third,
they are ready to learn skills necessary for their social roles. Fourth, adults
learn as a way of solving problems, since their application of learned concepts
is immediate. Finally, adults’ motivation to learn comes from within.

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 Practice 2 Summarize Written Text

When an individual drives a car, heats a house, or uses an aerosol hairspray, greenhouse
gases are produced. In economic terms, this creates a classic negative external. Most of the
costs (in this case, those arising from global warming) are borne by individuals other than the
one making the decision about how many miles to drive or how much hairspray to use.
Because the driver (or sprayer) enjoys all the benefits of the activity but suffers only a part of
the cost, that individual engages in more than the economically efficient amount of the
activity. In this sense, the problem of greenhouse gases parallels the problems that occur
when someone smokes a cigarette in an enclosed space or litters the countryside with fast-
food wrappers. If we are to get individuals to reduce production of greenhouse gases to the
efficient rate, we must somehow induce them to act as though they bear all the costs of their
actions. The two most widely accepted means of doing this are government regulation and
taxation, both of which have been proposed to deal with greenhouse gases.

Greenhouse gasses are produced in our daily activities and could create negative
external, which means that most of the cost behind these actions are shouldered by a
vast majority of innocent people, and therefore such behaviors can only be regulated
through government regulation and taxation.
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 Practice 2 Summarize Written Text

When an individual drives a car, heats a house, or uses an aerosol hairspray, greenhouse
gases are produced. In economic terms, this creates a classic negative external. Most of the
costs (in this case, those arising from global warming) are borne by individuals other than the
one making the decision about how many miles to drive or how much hairspray to use.
Because the driver (or sprayer) enjoys all the benefits of the activity but suffers only a part of
the cost, that individual engages in more than the economically efficient amount of the
activity. In this sense, the problem of greenhouse gases parallels the problems that occur
when someone smokes a cigarette in an enclosed space or litters the countryside with fast-
food wrappers. If we are to get individuals to reduce production of greenhouse gases to the
efficient rate, we must somehow induce them to act as though they bear all the costs of their
actions. The two most widely accepted means of doing this are government regulation and
taxation, both of which have been proposed to deal with greenhouse gases.

Greenhouse gasses are produced in our daily activities and could create negative
external, which means that most of the cost behind these actions are shouldered by a
vast majority of innocent people, and therefore such behaviors can only be regulated
through government regulation and taxation.
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 Practice 3 Summarize Written Text

As a social practice developed for various functions, a dowry is still seen as a usual part of
marriage in some traditional cultures, although not as common as it used to be.

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 Practice 4 Summarize Written Text

Media scrutiny of public figures should be supported because these public figures depend
on the general public for income and there are often pressing public policy concerns.

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 Homework Summarize Written Text

Skipping breakfast seems a simple way of losing weight or saving time while getting the
children ready for school or rushing off to work. But it can also be a sign of an unhealthy
lifestyle with potentially dangerous consequences, including a higher risk of premature
death.
According to a study, adults and teenagers who miss the first meal of the day are less likely
to look after their health. They tend to smoke more, drink more alcohol and take less
exercise than those who do eat. Those who skip food in the morning are also more likely to
be fatter and less well-educated, meaning they find it harder to get a job.
Researcher Dr. Anna Keski-Rahkonen said: ‘Smoking, infrequent exercise, a low level of
education, frequent alcohol use and a high body mass index were all associated with
skipping breakfast in adults and adolescents. ‘Our findings suggest this association exists
throughout adulthood. ‘Individuals who skip breakfast may care less about their health than
those who eat breakfast.’
Previously, experts assumed that missing breakfast – often called ‘the most important meal
of the day’ – was simply the marker of a hectic life or a way to try to lose weight. But Dr.
Keski-Rahkonen, who led the study at Helsinki University, said the results revealed starting
the day without food suggests an unhealthy lifestyle.
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 Homework Summarize Written Text

The game of chess is not a game of chance but requires mastery of a complex set of skills
that are both art and science. A player needs to be alert, equally aware of the strengths and
weaknesses of his own position and that of his opponent. A plan is needed, most assuredly.
The number of possible games that can develop, however, exceeds the number of atoms in
the universe. Hence, flexibility within the plan is critical. Each move has a short-term impact
and is also a step in positioning for a victorious endgame.

Like chess, the real estate playing field requires an artful mix of skills, tactics, and strategies.
A chessboard is limited to just 64 squares and is two-dimensional. Real estate’s domain
covers a lot more space, and requires thinking across economic, social, political, and
technological dimensions. Beginners may often extend themselves swiftly and aggressively
into the fray, seeking quick advantage but overlooking the impact of countermeasures that
are obvious to more experienced players. Strategic thinkers see beyond the “next move” and
anticipate the development of a series of moves that, taken together, create a more powerful
control of the board.

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 Homework Summarize Written Text

Assigning new jobs for children as they mature will develop their work ethic, says Gregg
Murset, CEO of BusyKid, a chore, and allowance tracking app. “The most important thing is
to challenge them,” he says. “Once they have some proficiency you need to make them
stretch to do the next job.” Mr. Murset, a father of six children ages 10 to 20, believes
parents should teach children to do housework when they’re young, no matter if it yields
imperfect results. “Even though it’s easier to just clean the toilet by yourself and be done
with it, you have to take the long view and realise that these fundamental life skills are so
important,” he says.

Attaching an allowance to chores teaches children not to expect handouts, says Michael
Eisenberg, a financial advisor and member of the National Financial Literacy Commission.
“At earlier ages, it instills within children the reality that you do something and you get paid
for it,” he says. “Later on in life, they learn that the only way we get money is if we produce
stuff at our jobs.” Some 68% of U.S. parents say they pay an allowance to their children, at
an average rate of $67.80 per month, according to a 2016 survey of 1,005 adults. More
than 80% of respondents who pay an allowance say they want to teach their child the value
of money and financial responsibility, the survey found.
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Write Essay

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Write Essay
Write Essay is a long-answer item type. It test
your ability to write a persuasive or
argumentative essay on a given topic.

There are one to two Write essay in PTE

Academic, depending on the combination of
items in a given test.

For this item type, you need to write a 200-

300 word essay in response to a prompt.

This item is individually timed. You have 20

minutes to answer each Write Essay item.
After 20 minutes, the test will automatically
move on to the next item.
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Write Essay
Timer

Instruction

Prompt

Response
Box

Word Count

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 Item Scoring: Write Essay

Content Form DSC Grammar GLR Vocabular Spelling Total Score

y Range
3 2 2 2 2 2 2 15

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Item Scoring: Write Essay

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Types of Essay Prompt Write Essay

DIRECT
ARGUE
ADVANTAGES QUESTION
FOR ORAND
AGAINST AN OPINION
DISADVANTAGES
Example: Computers Agree
are beingor Disagree
used
Example: Every culture, throughout time, morehas
andrecorded
more in education.
its history
Some
onepeople
inExample:way orsay that this is a positive trend, while others argue
another.
Example:
that it is Life was
leading to better when
negative technology was simpler. To what
consequences.
It is becoming
extent do you agree increasingly
and disagree? popular to have year off
Inbetween
what waysfinishing
can history be passed
school andon to the
going tonext generation?
university.
Discuss
Why is both sides
history of this to
important argument
society?and give your opinion.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?

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 Cohesion Write Essay

Cohesion is part of what we call in PTE, written discourse.

This refers to the linking of ideas in a logical sequence or
order. Cohesion pertains to the organization of sentences
and ideas in your essay working together as a whole within
their paragraphs. They are held together by cohesive
devices (transitional words and expressions). This makes it
very easy for the reader to follow your presentation of
 information in the essay. They don’t get lost or confused.

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 Write Essay
A Quick Review on Cohesive Devices
FUNCTION SAMPLE CONNECTORS
To add an idea also, again, in addition, additionally,
furthermore, further, moreover, as well as,
what’s more, besides this/that
To show contrast (point out two different on the other hand, however, despite this,
things) conversely, in contrast, on the contrary,
although, while, though, compared with, in
comparison with, rather, whereas, but,
instead of, in spite of, still, nevertheless,
regardless, otherwise

To compare (show similarity/likeness) likewise, similarly, also, in the same way, in

comparison to
To show sequence first, second (etc.), to begin with, initially, at
first, then, next, from there, and then,
following this, finally, lastly

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A Quick Review on Cohesive Devices
FUNCTION
To give examples
To show consequence
To give emphasis/certainty
To state a condition
To summarize
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Write Essay
SAMPLE CONNECTORS
for example, for instance, a good example of
this is, such as, to illustrate, in particular,
particularly, namely, specifically
therefore, as a result, thus, so, consequently,
admittedly, so that, depending on
indeed, certainly, in fact, of course,
undoubtedly, plainly, obviously
if. . . then, unless, whether, provided that,
in summary, in conclusion, overall, in short,
 in brief, to sum up, in other words, all in all,
to put it differently, to summarize, on the
whole,
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 Write Essay
A Quick Review on Cohesive Devices
FUNCTION SAMPLE CONNECTORS
To state a reason because, since, as, so, due to, owing to,
the reason why
To express concession (to accept, granted, naturally, of course
acknowledge that something is true)

Things to remember:
• Do not make use of too many connectors. It might make your essay too
choppy or mechanical. Choose a few and use them wisely.
• Majority of these connectors require a comma after so make sure to
proofread. Examples would be “In addition,” “However,” “Consequently,”

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 Write Essay
Strategies
Before Writing
• Read the Essay Prompt Carefully. Consider exactly what the requirements of the essay are. For
example, you may have to do one or more of the following:
• Agree or disagree with a statement
• Argue for or against an opinion
• Describe a situation
• Answer a question
• Discuss advantages or disadvantages
• Plan the content of your essay using the Erasable Note board Booklet and pen:
• Make an outline (Introduction – Body – Conclusion)
• Note any helpful ideas, phrase or words
• Sequence your ideas
• Check your plan against the essay prompt
• Check the timer. Plan how much time you will use to write, allowing a few minutes at the end for
revising and proofreading.

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 Write Essay
Strategies
While Writing
• Write quickly, referring to your plan.
• Check the word count as your write.

After Writing
• Read your essay and consider how effective it is?
• Is the content relevant to the topic given?
• Would the ideas and the way they are developed be clear to another reader?
• Is there an introduction to the topic?
• Is there a clear conclusion?
• Are new ideas introduced in separate and paragraph?
• Are the connection between sentences and paragraphs clear?
• Have a variety of words or phrases been used when referring to the same subject?
• Could the choice of words or phrases be improved?
• Check the total word count. It should be between 200-300 words. If it is not, adjust the length
accordingly.
• Check the grammar, spelling and punctuation, and make corrections where necessary.

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 Write Essay
Parts of an Essay
Key elements of a good introduction
 Hook (general statement or definition of terms)
 Paraphrased proposition (Thesis)
INTRODUCTION  Opinion/Side

 Always elaborate and expound on your main

idea. Paraphrased proposition
BODY  Give examples as necessary to make your
arguments more concrete.

 The conclusion is a summary of your

discussion in the body.
 You can also include a resolution or a
CONCLUSION recommendation as part of your conclusion.
 Your conclusion should be concise and
written in 1-2 sentences only.

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 Write Essay
Reminder

Academic writing refers to a style of expression that

researchers use to define the intellectual boundaries of
their disciplines and their specific areas of expertise.
Characteristics of academic writing include a formal
tone, use of the third-person rather than first-person
perspective (usually), a clear focus on the research
problem under investigation, and precise word choice.
Like specialist languages adopted in other professions,
such as, law or medicine, academic writing is designed
to convey agreed meaning about complex ideas or
concepts for a group of scholarly experts.

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 Example 1 Write Essay

The widespread use of the internet has given people access to information on a level never
experienced before. How does this increase in the availability of information influence life in today’s
world?
It cannot be denied that with the development in technology, life of people have changed drastically. Internet, the best technological
innovation, has created wonders and the information available on internet has greatly affected the masses in many ways.

To begin with, internet provides excessive information and connection. For instance, students prepare projects and thesis with the help
of online information, know about various education schools worldwide and more. Professionals can find jobs and update themselves
through online information because of its flexi timings and advanced facilities. Moreover, people can stay connected to their dear ones
and professional colleagues through networking sites and e-mails.

Apart from this, every country prospers with advanced research and development required in all fields. Internet plays an important role
as it not only provides significant details, but also brings influential people in all respected fields face to face. In this way, countries
achieve more than their individual capabilities and can widen their horizons. Thus, internet and its information have transformed the
world into a globalised open market.

Lastly, internet has changed the role of women today. With the information and other facilities of World Wide Web, women cannot
perform domestic chores, but also prosper professionally. This would not have been possible without availability of information on
internet. Also, men are able to compete better in their jobs for promotion because they do a lot of online courses and practical learning
through information available of internet. 

To sum up, information available on internet has changed the face of society. It has shown a great impact on people socially, politically
and economically. Internet and information available through it has influenced the mankind on a vast scale and with the increasing
technology, they will act as a promising factor for the growth of the entire world.
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 Example 2 Write Essay

Beauty pageants do not promote the cause of feminine equality but rather only succeed in the
objectification and commodification of women, strengthening the perception of women as sexual
objects for men.  To what extent do you agree or disagree?

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Practice 1 Write Essay

Some people say that computers have made life

easier and more convenient. Other people say
that computers have made life more complex
and stressful. What is your opinion? Use specific
reasons and examples to support your answer.

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Homework Write Essay

Working and living abroad helps us to know other cultures well. How far you think
working abroad has good or bad impacts on our cultural lives?

Some people say that computers have made life easier and more convenient. Other
people say that computers have made life more complex and stressful. What is your
opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Stress is now a major problem in many countries around the world. What are some of
the factors in modern society that cause this stress, and how can we reduce it?

Doing a part-time job while studying is important and useful for most university
students. How far do you agree with this statement? Support your opinion with reasons
and examples from your own experience.

People today rely too much on the internet. To what extent do you agree? Support your
argument with reasons and examples
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