Practical Tips for the PTE Essay Writing and Summarise Written Text

The PTE test is a combination of four main sections: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The task of speaking and writing is done in part one of the PTE test and your writing skill will be assessed based on your answers to specified tasks, there are only two writing tasks: summarise a given written text and write an essay on an assigned topic. The PTE essay writing skill test aims to assess your grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and written discourse skills. Thus, it’s an important section, and you must know what’s expected before going into the exam. Read on to know practical tips for PTE essay writing and summarise the written text. 

Best Practical Tips for the PTE Essay Writing and Summarise Written Text 

We all know what essay writing and summarising a written text is, we are going to show you how to write it in 3 easy steps. Here are some of the practical tips for PTE essay writing and summarising written text.

Examine the Prompt and Plan  

Before beginning with the essay and summary, we suggest that you evaluate the prompt to get the important information. Make sure to check what the question is asking you to do. Moreover, go through the topic of the essay and the content of the given text to summarise the key points you need to cover, and the arguments to present.  

After this, you need to decide which side of the argument you will write about in the essay. Then, create a rough plan of the content and structure you’d like to add to your essay. Jot down a couple of ideas about your opinion or thoughts you’d like to include in the essay.  

You can structure your essay in the following way:  

1. Introduction- Introduce the topic briefly and add related information.
2. Paragraph 1- Present one idea in support of your argument.
3. Paragraph 2- Add another supporting idea to your argument/or offer a counterargument to strengthen your idea.
4. Conclusion- End the essay with a gist of your ideas that have led to your conclusion and why.  

Planning the essay writing and summary is a crucial part of the exam task, the thought process will make writing the essay and summary much quicker and easier. Keep in mind, you don’t have much time so keep it short and to the point. 

Write the Essay 

Once you get your plan ready and now that you know what you’re going to write, it’s time to execute the plan. Showcase the PTE examiners your ability to write an academic essay and summary in English. While writing, give clear descriptions, avoid any ambiguities, express your thoughts and ideas in favor of your argument in essay writing and while writing a summary, be meaningful and use stylistic features to communicate ideas coherently.  

Bring your A-game by displaying your range of vocabulary and grammar in the essay and summary. You are more likely to score higher if you use complex sentence structures and vocabulary correctly.  Additionally, using idiomatic expressions or colloquialisms will be the cherry on the cake, but don’t overdo them. Keep in mind that the best answers have academic terms and avoid repetition of words by using synonyms wherever applicable.  

You may want to consider these expressions when writing your essay and summary: 

1. Useful phrases to introduce a point- Given; in light of; considering
2. Introducing the views of an author- According to X; X stated that; referring to the views of X 
3. Adding a point- Moreover; furthermore; in addition 
4. Offering an opinion- In my opinion; From my point of view; My conviction is that  
5. Concluding- In summary; To sum up; In conclusion  

Always Proofread 

Before you move on to the next section, make sure that you have checked and cross-checked your essay and summary carefully. In this final step, give yourself a couple of extra minutes to check for spelling errors, the right use of punctuation, and correct grammar. When proofreading, also check if you’ve answered the question set out in the prompt. Make sure you have argued your opinion well in the essay, constructed your content in the summary accurately, and come to a relevant conclusion.  

Last but not least, check the flow of your essay and summary if it reads well or not and make sure that the word count is somewhere between 200 and 300 words and try not to cross the word limit.  

Practice Using Compound and Complex Sentences

Do not forget, to summarise a given text, your response must be expressed within one sentence, so you will need to use a complex or compound sentence and have a good vocabulary to be able to summarise the main message of the passage and also briefly mention the additional detail.

Write in the Correct Form

When you write your response, make sure that it is in only one sentence, with a capital letter at the beginning and only one full stop at the end. Your answer must be between 5 and 75 words so check the word count using the ‘Total Word Count’ counter below the response box in the PTE test. However, if you write less than five words or more than 75 words, your response will not be scored and you will end up losing scores.

Here are some checklists to keep in mind to make sure you’ve covered all the major points before finishing.  

• Have you addressed the prompt properly? If not, you will score zero. 
• Have you organized the content well, used correct vocabulary and taken a logical approach to the essay topic? 
• Have you included four paragraphs: an introduction, 2 body paragraphs each developing and supporting an idea, and a short conclusion summarising your ideas?  
• Have you included examples, explanations, and facts to support your point of view/argument?   
• Have you written between 200-300 words?  

Also Read: PTE Accepting Universities in the UK

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