PTE Core email template, samples and marking

In PTE Core you write 2-3 emails in a test, each in 9 minutes from a short prompt with three bullet points. Pearson marks it on seven traits and says memorised material is not a relevant response, so use a template as a frame, not a script. Below are the marking rules, a frame, two model emails and a spoken sample, all ours.

Write Email is the writing task most people mean when they search for a PTE Core email template. Pearson describes it in its own words:

Pearson says the strongest emails cover all three bullet points, and that an email needs the usual parts:

Pearson's test tips PDF repeats this and adds reminders to read the prompt and to check your work.

• Read the prompt carefully and make sure your email addresses all the required areas.
• It’s important to use common email conventions such as a greeting and sign off.
• Proofread and edit your email before moving on.

The Score Guide says the task is marked on seven traits. In Pearson's words:

The two gates: Content and Form

An email is checked on Content first, then Form. Pearson's two statements differ on what stops the marking: its diagram has Content or Form leading to a score of 0 and no further scoring, while its text says "Content and Form". Here is each in Pearson's words:

• Write Email is first scored on Content and then on Form.
• The task is not scored if the test taker’s response does not meet the minimum requirements for the traits Content and Form (i.e., when a test taker scores 0 for Content and Form).

Our reading: cover all three bullet points and keep to the length range, and you stay clear of both rules.

Pearson gives examples of emails that will get nothing:

• An email written on a completely different topic from the task prompt (Content)
• An email which is less than 30 words (Form)
• An email that does not deal properly with the prompt due to significant amounts of pre-prepared/memorized material (Content)

Length: what each band means

A spelling point worth knowing

So Canadian, British and American spellings are all accepted, but do not mix them in one email. If you write "neighbour", do not write "color".

Pearson's pages do not agree on the lower limit. The marking rule is the one that counts, and it gives full credit from 50 words:

Our reading: write between the two. An email near 100 words is inside both ranges, covers three bullet points in short paragraphs, and leaves room for a greeting and a sign-off. Do not go over 120, and do not aim at the bare minimum.

Pearson's rules are clear about memorised emails. A fixed email with the topic swapped is the opposite of what the test wants:

Our reading: a template is safe only as a plan of parts and a bank of short phrases. It is unsafe as a paragraph you recite. Below is a frame, one row per part of the email. Write the sentences fresh every time, using the names and details from the prompt.

Three paragraphs, three bullet points

The simplest layout is a greeting, an opening sentence that says why you are writing, one short paragraph for each bullet point in the order the prompt gives them, a closing line and a sign-off. The prompt tells you who the reader is, so choose the register from that. Write to a manager or landlord formally. Write to a friend or a colleague you know well in a relaxed way, but still in full sentences.

The prompts and emails below are ours. They show the layout and the register, not a level. We make no claim about what score either would get.

Example one: a formal email

Prompt. You rent a flat. The shower has been leaking for two weeks and the bathroom floor is getting damaged. Write an email to your landlord, Mr Ahmed. In your email: describe the problem and how long it has lasted; say when you will be at home for a repair visit; ask when the repair will be done.

• It answers the three bullet points in the order the prompt gives them: the problem and its length, then the times at home, then the question about the repair date.
• The greeting uses the name from the prompt and the sign-off matches the polite tone.
• The opening sentence says why the email is being written, so the reader knows at once.
• Each paragraph holds one idea, so the structure is easy to follow.
• It uses a request form ("Could you please") and a polite follow-up ("I would be grateful for"), which suits a landlord.
• It uses one spelling style throughout.

Example two: a friendly email

Prompt. A friend, Lena, has invited you to her birthday dinner on Friday, but you have to work late. Write an email to Lena. In your email: thank her for the invitation; explain why you cannot come; suggest another way to celebrate together.

• The register is relaxed ("Hi Lena", "my treat") but every line is a full sentence with correct grammar.
• It thanks, explains and suggests, which are the three bullet points, in that order.
• The reason is specific ("finish a report") instead of just "I am busy".
• A new idea gets a new paragraph and the final paragraph gives a clear next step.
• The sign-off fits a friend.

Both emails fall inside the length ranges Pearson gives. Check yours the same way: paste your email into a word counter before you move on, and aim near the middle.

Respond to a Situation sits in the same part of the test as Write Email. Pearson describes it:

The first trait is appropriacy, how well your words fit the situation and the person you are speaking to:

• The language function(s) appropriate to the given situation are expressed clearly and politely in a formal or informal register appropriate to the situation.
• The social demands of the given situation are represented in an appropriate level of detail in the response.

Pearson's comment on one of its own sample answers shows what "level of detail" means in practice:

• The test taker’s response is entirely on-task but lacks an appropriate level of detail for this situation.
• she does not suggest a time or confirm that the neighbour knows how to contact her, as would be expected with this type of message.

Our prompt. You live in a flat. Your neighbour's dog has been barking late at night for a week and you cannot sleep. You meet the neighbour in the corridor. What would you say to them?

Our model answer (101 words, about forty seconds at a natural pace). "Hello, I am your neighbour from flat six. I am sorry to bother you, but I wanted to talk about your dog. It has been barking late at night for the past week, and I am finding it hard to sleep because I start work early. I know it is probably not easy for you either. Could we find a solution together? Perhaps you could keep the dog inside after nine, or I could give you my number so you can call me if there is a problem. Thank you for listening, and I hope we can sort this out soon."

• It starts with who you are, so the neighbour knows who is speaking.
• It is polite from the first word, and it does not blame.
• It states the problem with detail (late at night, a week, early start).
• It offers a solution (keep the dog inside after nine) and a way to stay in touch (my number), which gives the answer the detail the situation calls for.
• It finishes with thanks, which gives a clear end.
• The twenty-second plan could be just four notes: who I am, the problem, my idea, thanks.

• Reciting a stored email. A prepared paragraph can be judged irrelevant. Keep phrases short and build each sentence from the prompt.
• Missing a bullet point. Count the bullets before you start and tick them off as you write. Each one needs its own sentence at least.
• No greeting or no sign-off. The email conventions trait looks for both. Write the name from the prompt in the greeting.
• The wrong register. A slangy email to a landlord or a stiff one to a close friend both read as off. Decide the register in the first few seconds.
• Not checking length or spelling. Use the word counter on the screen. Then read the email once for typing slips such as missing letters and doubled words.

This page is not immigration advice. Pearson's own Score Guide and format pages decide how the test is marked.

We do not reproduce Pearson's sample answers. They are Pearson's, and the Score Guide is free to read. This is how Pearson presents them:

Pearson's comments on its written samples are worth reading even if you skip the samples themselves. A few lines show how its markers talk about an email:

Our reading: in the lines above, the comments on the lower levels point to paragraphing, formality and detail, not to long words. For how skill scores map to CLB levels, see our PTE Core score chart.

Common questions