Method guide
Write Email: the method
Nine minutes, one email, and a scoring order most candidates never hear about: the first two traits decide whether the other five are scored at all. This is the method for using the nine minutes so that nothing that costs points is left to chance.
What this guide covers
The Write Email task page explains the format, the seven scoring traits in their order and the mistakes that cost the most. This guide is the method: how to split nine minutes, how to make sure all three points are covered before you type, how to choose the register from the first word, two worked examples (one formal, one informal) and drills.
The fact that drives the method is the scoring order. Content is checked first: whether every part of the prompt is addressed. Form is checked second: whether the length is inside the range. An email that fails either gate scores zero on everything, and perfect grammar cannot rescue it. Pearson also treats a response built largely from memorised material as not addressing the prompt. So the method puts most of its care into the two things that cannot be fixed afterwards: the three points and the length.
The nine-minute plan
| Time | What to do |
|---|---|
| 0:00–1:00 | Read. Who is it to? Why are you writing? What are the three points? Pick one concrete detail for each. |
| 1:00–7:00 | Write. Greeting, one line saying why you are writing, a short paragraph for each point, one closing line, farewell and your name. |
| 7:00–9:00 | Check. All three points covered? Inside the word range? Names from the prompt spelled right? Tenses consistent? Capital letters in place? |
Two minutes of checking feels generous until you remember what it protects. A missing point costs you on Content, a word count outside the range costs you on Form, and a misspelled name costs you on Spelling. None of those needs better English to fix, only the time to look.
The first minute: one detail per point
The most expensive mistake in this task is covering two of the three points. It lands on Content, the trait that everything else depends on. It happens because candidates write a good paragraph about the first point, a thin one about the second, and run out of time before the third.
The fix is a habit for the first minute: before you type, decide one concrete detail for each bullet point. Not a sentence, a detail. "Two weeks." "Before work." "A notice and a refund." With three details decided, each paragraph writes itself in two sentences, and none can be forgotten, because you are working from a list of three things, not from memory of the prompt.
To: Ms. Patel, the manager → formal. Why: changing rooms closed. Point 1, the problem: closed two weeks, no notice. Point 2, the effect: I train before work, late for work, missed three classes. Point 3, a suggestion: a notice with a date; another branch or a partial refund.
Length: where to aim
Form is scored on length, and both under and over the range are penalised. The range for PTE Core Write Email is 50 to 120 words. Aim for about 90 to 110: enough room for three developed points and still time to check. A greeting, a purpose line, three two-sentence paragraphs, a closing line and a sign-off land in that band naturally. If the platform shows a word counter, glance at it as you finish each paragraph; if not, three short paragraphs of roughly thirty words each is the shape to feel for.
Register from the first word
Email conventions are marked for being appropriate, not just present. Read who the email is to before you write the first word, and choose the whole set at once.
| To a manager, landlord, official | To a friend or family member | |
|---|---|---|
| Salutation | Dear Ms. Patel, | Hi Sam, |
| Purpose line | I am writing about… | Just a quick note about… |
| Request | Could you… / Would it be possible to… | Any chance you could… |
| Closing line | Thank you for your help. | Let me know what you think. |
| Farewell | Kind regards, | See you soon, |
A warm "Hey!" to a landlord or a stiff "I regret to inform you" to a friend costs the same trait. Choose once, then stay there.
Worked example 1: formal
The changing rooms at your gym have been closed for two weeks, and members were not told why. Write an email to the manager, Ms. Patel. In your email: describe the problem; explain how it affects you; suggest what the gym could do.
Dear Ms. Patel,
I am a member at your Riverside location, and I am writing about the changing rooms, which have been closed for two weeks without notice.
Because I train before work, I need somewhere to shower and change. At the moment I have to go home first, so I am late for work, and I have missed three classes I paid for.
Could you put up a notice saying when the rooms will reopen? Until then, it would help if members could use another branch free of charge, or receive a partial refund for this month.
Thank you for your help.
Kind regards,
Daniel
Why it works:
- One paragraph per bullet point, so each point is plainly covered, for the scoring and for anyone reading it.
- The first line says why the email exists. The reader knows the purpose from the first sentence.
- Concrete details: two weeks, before work, three classes. Specifics show the prompt was read, which is what Content rewards.
- Transitions do the organising: because, at the moment, until then.
- Nothing memorised. Every sentence belongs to this situation and no other.
Worked example 2: informal
A friend has asked you to help them move house on Saturday, but you cannot. Write an email to your friend, Sam. In your email: explain why you cannot help on Saturday; suggest another way you could help; ask about the new place.
Hi Sam,
Thanks for asking me about Saturday. I'm really sorry, but I can't make it. My sister's flight lands that morning and I promised to pick her up from the airport, so I'll be on the road most of the day.
I'd still like to help, though. I'm free all day Sunday, so I could come over and unpack the kitchen, or I could borrow my cousin's van on Friday evening if you need to move the big things early.
How is the new place? Is it closer to work?
See you soon,
Priya
Same skeleton as the formal email: purpose, three points in three paragraphs, each with a detail (the flight, Sunday and the van, closer to work), closing and sign-off. The register is different from the first word to the last, and nothing in it could be pasted into the gym email.
The two-minute check
- Three points, three paragraphs. Point to each bullet in the prompt and find its paragraph.
- Word count inside the range, ideally 90 to 110.
- Names and places spelled exactly as the prompt spells them.
- Salutation and farewell both present and both in the same register.
- Tenses consistent inside each paragraph; capital letters on I, names and sentence starts.
- No template sentence. If a line could open any email ("I am writing this email to bring to your kind attention…"), delete it and say why you are writing.
Drills
- The first-minute drill. Ten prompts. For each, take one minute to write the recipient, the register, and one detail per point. No email. This is the habit that protects Content.
- The calibration drill. Write five emails without a counter and guess the word count before checking. Within ten words five times in a row means you can feel the range.
- The register swap. Take one prompt and write it to a manager, then rewrite it to a friend. Same points, every convention changed.
- The template purge. Take an old email of yours and delete every sentence that could belong to a different prompt. Replace each with a sentence that names this situation.
- The full run. Two emails on the nine-minute timer, back to back, each checked against the list above and marked against the seven traits.
A twenty-minute daily routine
- Nine minutes: one full timed email.
- Five minutes: the first-minute drill on five new prompts.
- Six minutes: mark yesterday's email against the seven traits in order. Content and Form first; if either fails, that is the only note you need.
Writing has the highest CLB cut-off of the four skills at every level from CLB 7 to CLB 10, and Write Email is a large part of it. The method above costs nothing in English. It only costs the discipline to read for a minute and check for two.
Sources: Pearson, PTE Core test format (Speaking & Writing); Pearson, PTE Core Test Taker Score Guide, checked September 2026. Pearson updates the score guide from time to time; confirm the current version on Pearson's PTE Core scoring page. The prompts and emails on this page were written for this guide.