Academic Writing Skills Flashcards

Which vocabulary choice best replaces the informal phrase 'a lot of' in a PTE Academic essay?

Answer: a considerable number of

'A considerable number of' is formal and appropriate for academic writing, whereas the other options are colloquial.

Which sentence correctly uses a nominalization to achieve an academic tone?

Answer: The decision to increase investment was made.

Nominalization turns verbs/adjectives into nouns ('decision', 'investment'), creating the impersonal, formal tone valued in academic writing.

In PTE Academic Writing, which grammar error most heavily penalises the 'Grammar Usage & Mechanics' dimension?

Answer: Subject-verb agreement errors throughout the essay

Systematic errors like subject-verb disagreement that recur throughout the essay signal a fundamental gap in grammar control and incur heavier penalties than isolated slips.

What does 'lexical diversity' mean in the context of PTE essay scoring?

Answer: Using a range of different words rather than repeating the same terms

Lexical diversity refers to the variety of vocabulary used; repeating the same words reduces this measure and can lower Vocabulary Range scores.

A student writes: 'There is many reasons why climate change is serious.' Which error is present?

Answer: Subject-verb agreement error

'There is' must agree with the plural noun 'reasons', so the correct form is 'There are many reasons.'

Which linking phrase best introduces an example in a PTE Academic essay?

Answer: To illustrate,

'To illustrate,' signals that a concrete example or evidence follows, making it the appropriate choice for introducing supporting detail.

How should hedging language be used in a PTE Academic essay?

Answer: Use it to soften absolute statements and acknowledge uncertainty where appropriate

Academic writing uses hedges like 'may', 'tends to', or 'suggests' where certainty is limited, which demonstrates nuanced thinking valued by scorers.