Academic Writing Skills Flashcards
7 cards from real PTE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Academic Writing Skills flashcards as text
During the final minutes of the PTE Write Essay task, which editing priority is most important?
Answer: Checking that the response stays on the essay prompt topic
Off-topic content scores zero on the Content dimension, so ensuring all paragraphs address the prompt is the highest editing priority.
A student's PTE essay is 180 words. What is the most likely consequence?
Answer: A penalty to the Form score for falling below the 200-word minimum
PTE's Form dimension requires 200–300 words; a 180-word essay does not meet the minimum and loses Form points.
Which revision improves this sentence for a PTE essay: 'Global warming it is a very big problem for all people everywhere'?
Answer: Global warming poses a significant challenge for populations worldwide.
The revision eliminates the double subject ('it'), replaces informal intensifiers, and raises the lexical register to academic level.
Which strategy best manages time during the 20-minute PTE Write Essay task?
Answer: Spend 3–4 minutes planning, 13–14 minutes writing, and 2–3 minutes reviewing
A brief planning phase clarifies structure, a longer writing phase builds content, and a short review catches errors — this balance optimises all scoring dimensions.
What is the risk of using memorised template phrases excessively in a PTE essay?
Answer: They may be detected and scored as irrelevant or unnatural content
PTE's automated scoring engine can identify formulaic or memorised language that doesn't engage with the specific prompt, which may reduce Content and Vocabulary Range scores.
A student notices a comma splice in their PTE essay: 'The economy grew, unemployment fell.' What is the best correction?
Answer: The economy grew; unemployment fell.
A semicolon correctly joins two closely related independent clauses without creating a comma splice or an abrupt sentence fragment.
Which characteristic distinguishes a high-scoring PTE essay from an average one under the 'Coherence & Cohesion' dimension?
Answer: Smooth logical flow between sentences and paragraphs using varied cohesive devices
High cohesion is achieved through varied connectives, clear paragraph transitions, and logical progression — not through repetition or sentence length alone.