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PTE Write Email: format, scoring and tips

You read a short situation and write an email that responds to it, covering every point the task lists. It tests practical, everyday writing: the right tone for the reader, a clear purpose and a sensible structure.

Practise Write Email free

Timing at a glance

TimeAbout 9 minutes
LengthAbout 50–120 words

Timings are approximate and can vary slightly from question to question.

How it's scored

Scored onContentFormEmail conventionsOrganizationGrammarVocabularySpelling

Content checks that you cover every point in the task. Form checks the word count. Email conventions look at the greeting, the closing and a tone that fits the reader. Organization checks that the email flows logically. Grammar, Vocabulary and Spelling check the quality of your language.

Worked example

A practice task we wrote

You missed your team's meeting yesterday because of a train delay. Write an email to your manager: apologise, explain what happened, and ask how you can catch up on what you missed.

A strong approach

"Dear Ms Rahman, I'm sorry I missed yesterday's team meeting. My train was delayed for over an hour because of a signal fault, and I couldn't reach the office in time. I'd like to make sure I don't fall behind. Could you let me know whether there are notes from the meeting, or would it be possible to have a short catch-up this week? Thank you for understanding. Kind regards, Arif"

Greeting → apology → reason → request → polite close. One short paragraph per point.

Common mistakes

  • Missing one of the required points.
  • Using a casual tone with a manager or a formal tone with a friend.
  • No greeting or no sign-off.
  • Writing far over the word range with background detail.

Tips

  • List the required points before you write, and tick each one off.
  • Match the greeting to the reader: "Dear Ms Rahman" for a manager, "Hi Sam" for a friend.
  • Give each point its own short paragraph or sentence.
  • Use polite request forms: Could you…, Would it be possible…
  • Check the word count and spelling before you submit.

Write Email FAQ

No. Write Email is part of PTE Core. PTE Academic has Write Essay instead.

Related guides

PTE Write EssayWritingPTE Summarize Written TextWriting

PTE Practice is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Pearson. Our scores are a calibrated emulation, not official PTE scores.