PTE Core Write Email: Format, Structure and a Sample Answer
Write Email is the one PTE Core task with no Academic equivalent. Here’s the format, a simple four-part structure, a sample answer and the mistakes that cost marks.
Write Email appears only in PTE Core. You read a short situation, then write an email of 80–120 words in 9 minutes. The prompt always lists three things your email must do — and covering all three is the single biggest factor in your content score.
A four-part structure that fits any prompt
- Greeting that matches the reader: “Dear Ms Taylor,” for someone formal, “Hi Sam,” for a friend or colleague.
- One sentence on why you are writing.
- One short paragraph per bullet point in the prompt — three points, three paragraphs.
- A polite closing line and sign-off: “Thank you for your help. Kind regards,” then your name.
Sample prompt
You joined a local gym, but the evening class you signed up for keeps being cancelled. Write an email to the manager. In your email: explain the problem, say how it affects you, and ask what they will do about it.
Sample answer (98 words)
Dear Ms Taylor, I joined your gym in August and signed up for the Tuesday evening yoga class. Unfortunately, the class has been cancelled three times in the past month, usually with less than an hour’s notice. This has been frustrating because I arrange childcare so that I can attend, and I have already paid for the full term. Could you please let me know whether the class will run regularly from now on? If not, I would appreciate a partial refund or a place in the Thursday class instead. Thank you for your help. Kind regards, Anil
Why it works: each of the three points gets its own paragraph, the tone is polite but clear, the request is specific (a refund or a different class), and it lands comfortably inside 80–120 words.
Mistakes that cost marks
- Missing one of the three points — the most common reason for a low content score.
- Going under 80 or over 120 words.
- Wrong tone: “Hey mate” to a manager, or a stiff formal letter to a friend.
- Writing a mini essay with an introduction and conclusion instead of a real email.
- Leaving no time to check spelling — spelling and grammar are marked.
Practise with instant AI feedback
Our Write Email practice has 24 original prompts. Submit an answer and our AI marker checks whether you covered every point, your tone, word count, spelling and grammar — and tells you exactly what to fix.
Free, 2 minutes, reviewed by a trainer.