Written byFizza Butool ZaidiIELTS teacher for 10+ years, PTE for 5Updated 30 October 2026
PTE Academic
Form bands from the PTE Academic Score Guide; times from Pearson's Speaking and Writing and Listening pages.
| Task | Time | Full Form marks | Part marks | Form 0 (whole answer scores 0) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summarize Written Text | 10 minutes | One complete sentence, 5–75 words (1 point) | None | Under 5 or over 75 words, or not one sentence |
| Write Essay | 20 minutes | 200–300 words (2 points) | 120–199 or 301–380 words (1 point) | Under 120 or over 380 words |
| Summarize Spoken Text | 10 minutes | 50–70 words (2 points) | 40–49 or 71–100 words (1 point) | Under 40 or over 100 words |
PTE Core
Form bands from the PTE Core Score Guide; times from Pearson's Core Speaking and Writing and Core Listening pages.
| Task | Time | Full Form marks | Part marks | Form 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summarize Written Text | 10 minutes | 25–50 words (2 points) | 5–24 or 51–60 words (1 point) | Under 5 or over 60 words |
| Write Email | 9 minutes | 50–120 words (2 points) | 30–49 or 121–140 words (1 point) | Under 30 or over 140 words |
| Summarize Spoken Text | 8 minutes | 20–30 words (2 points) | 5–19 or 31–40 words (1 point) | Under 5 or over 40 words |
Know your target? Check where you stand
Take a free AI-scored PTE mock and see your score per skill before you book the real test. Free account, no card.
Take a free mock →Practise before you book: free PTE mock test, PTE predictions, PTE Core practice test and PTE to IELTS converter.
Where Pearson's pages differ
Two PTE Core figures differ between Pearson's documents. The Core format page says to write a Write Email of 80 to 120 words, while its Form description and the Score Guide give full marks at 50–120. For Summarize Written Text, the format page says an answer under 25 or over 50 words 'will not be scored', while the Score Guide gives 1 point for 5–24 or 51–60 words (PTE Core). Staying inside the narrower range satisfies both.
The test shows a word count at the bottom of the screen for every writing task, so check it before time runs out.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if my PTE essay is 310 words?+
It falls in the 301–380 band, so Form drops from 2 to 1. The other traits are still scored.
Is there a word limit for Write from Dictation?+
No. You type the sentence you heard, and each correct word spelled correctly scores one point.
Does the PTE word counter count every word?+
Pearson says the word count at the bottom of the screen counts the number of words you write. It does not publish its counting rules.
Can I write two sentences in PTE Core Summarize Written Text?+
Yes. Pearson's Core page says use one or more complete sentences, unlike PTE Academic, which needs one sentence.
Keep reading
Related
- PTE Write Essay scoring
- PTE Summarize Written Text scoring
- PTE Core Summarize Written Text scoring
- PTE Core Write Email scoring
- All 3112 guides
Guide updated on 30 October 2026. Individual prices and policies may have earlier observation dates. Confirm current details on the linked official pages before you book or apply.
© 2026 BandLadder. Written and checked by the BandLadder team. You may quote or cite this page with credit to BandLadder and a link to it; republishing it in full needs our written permission. Content use policy