PTE-A Writing: 5 Elements to Focus On for A Good Score in the Module
Writing is one of the communicative skills tested in the PTE Academic Exam.
Other than communicative skills, there are enabling skills. These are grammar, spelling, vocabulary, oral fluency,
pronunciation and written discourse.
Besides, some questions in the Writing Module will be scored for Content and Form. Content and Form contribute to
the communicative and overall scores.
In this blog, we will talk about five elements you should keep in mind during
PTE preparation to get a good score in Writing. They are Vocabulary, Coherence,
Cohesion, Connectors and Written Discourse.
But before we get into that, let's first understand the scoring of the PTE-A Writing Module at first.
Understanding the Scoring for PTE-A Writing Module
In the PTE-A Exam, the following tasks contribute scoring towards the Writing Module:
- Summarize Written Text
- Essay
- Spoken Text
- Listening & Writing Fill in the Blanks
- Write from Dictation
Out of these, your English language skill is displayed in three tasks. These involve writing sentences of
your own.
- Summarise Written Text
- Essay
- Summarize Spoken Text
It is here that Vocabulary, Coherence, Cohesion and Connectors, and Written Discourse come into consideration.
Vocabulary
It is the ability to use the most appropriate words to convey the meaning precisely.
Coherence
Coherence means to be logical and consistent in your writing. It means having clear and concise writing that
flows naturally and has a precise meaning.
Let's understand this with the help of an example.
Which of the paragraphs is more coherent?
Paragraph 2 is the answer.
Cohesion
Cohesion can be defined as the glue holding a piece of writing together. Cohesive text reads like it sticks
together from sentence to sentence, and paragraph to paragraph.
In cohesively written text, words/phrases act as the glue connecting the sentences to form one paragraph.
Such words are known as cohesive devices. Other examples of cohesive devices are furthermore, moreover,
firstly, above all, on the other hand, otherwise etc.
Connectors
Connectors are linking words that boost the organisation of your sentences/paragraphs. Examples: however,
moreover, therefore, but, and, so, this, these etc.
Written Discourse
The Pearson Score Guide Written Discourse as:
"Correct and communicatively efficient production of written language at the textual
level."
Your Written Discourse score will be determined by:
- Content
- Logical development, internal coherence and structure of the text
- General Linguistic Range
- Vocabulary
- Grammar
Content
How well you perform under Content depends on how appropriate your written response. You have to follow the
instructions mentioned in the prompt. Your answers should be relevant to what has been asked. You should
also stick to the word limit given for the response.
Development, coherence, structure
This depends on your sentence development and structure. Coherence is a measure of how well you connect
ideas, how clear your expressions are.
Cohesion is a measure of how well connected your ideas are at the sentence and paragraph level.
General linguistic range
Your writing should use a wide range of language and expresses thoughts without ambiguity or restriction.
If you tick all of the boxes, then you will receive a good score under general linguistic range.
Vocabulary
The Score Guide defines vocabulary as the proper choice of words used for the expression of precise
meaning.
Grammar
It is the correct use of the language at the word form and the word order at the sentence level.
Conclusion
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