Write Email is the last question type in Part 1 of PTE Core, and the only one that tests Writing on its own. You get 2 or 3 of them. Each gives you a short everyday situation and three themes, and you have 9 minutes to write an email. This guide covers what the screen shows, how the email is scored, how to plan your 9 minutes, and a full model answer.

The practice prompt and model answer below are original and written for this independent practice site. They are not official Pearson material.

What the task looks like

The instruction is always the same: read a description of a situation, then write an email about it in 9 minutes. You should aim to write at least 100 words, in complete sentences. Then comes the situation, in up to 100 words, and three short themes your reasons must come from. Here is a practice prompt in that format:

You rent an apartment and would like to adopt a cat. Your lease says pets need the landlord’s permission. Write an email to your landlord, Ms. Romero, asking for permission.

Your email must cover the following three themes:

• Experience
• Damage
• Neighbours

Include all three themes and provide supporting ideas.

You type into a box with a word counter and Cut, Copy and Paste buttons. The themes are only one or two words each, so it’s up to you to turn each one into a reason with a supporting detail.

How Write Email is scored

The email is scored by computer on seven traits, using the scale in Pearson’s Score Guide:

Two rules matter more than any single trait:

• Zero Content or zero Form means zero for the whole email. An off-topic email, one under 30 words, or one built from large amounts of memorized material gets no points at all.
• Pick one spelling style and keep to it. Canadian, British, American and Australian spelling are all accepted, but switching between them (colour and color) counts against you.

The on-screen instruction says to aim for at least 100 words, and full Form marks stop at 120, so 90 to 120 words is a safe target. There’s no reward for writing more.

Plan your 9 minutes

Choose the register from the reader

Email conventions include register, so a friendly “Hey!” to a landlord costs marks even if the rest is perfect.

Model answer

This answers the practice prompt above. It is 116 words, counting the greeting and sign-off.

Dear Ms. Romero,

I am writing to ask whether I could adopt a cat while I rent apartment 4B.

First, I have plenty of experience with pets. My family had two cats when I was growing up, and I looked after a friend’s cat for six months last year.

I also understand your concern about damage. I would buy a scratching post, keep the cat’s nails trimmed and pay for a professional carpet cleaning when I move out.

Finally, the neighbours would not be disturbed. Cats are quiet, and I would clean the litter box every day, so there would be no smell in the hallway.

Thank you for considering my request.

Kind regards,
Daniel Park

Why it works

• Every theme has its own paragraph and a concrete detail: two family cats and six months of cat-sitting; a scratching post and carpet cleaning; a quiet animal and a daily-cleaned litter box.
• The conventions are complete: greeting, purpose sentence, closing line, sign-off and name.
• The linking is simple and clear: “First”, “I also understand” and “Finally” show the structure without padding.
• It sits inside the word range with time left to check spelling.

Mistakes to avoid

• Skipping a theme. Each missing theme lowers Content, and the last one is the easiest to forget when time runs short.
• Writing in all capitals, or with no punctuation. Either one gives Form zero, and the whole email scores nothing.
• A memorized email. A standard greeting and closing are fine, but the body has to answer this prompt. Large blocks of prepared text can score zero.
• Going far past 120 words. Form drops at 121 and hits zero above 140.
• Mixing spelling styles in one response.

Test yourself

Keep practising

Write Email is one of seven question types in Part 1. For the whole test, read the PTE Core test guide. To see what Writing score each CLB level needs (69 for CLB 7), see the PTE Core score chart.