Knowing a lot about an essay topic does not automatically tell you what to write. A question about online education might ask whether it should replace classroom teaching, whether it should receive more funding, or who benefits most. Those questions need different arguments.
The essay guidance in Jobin Thomas’s Achieve Band 90 in PTE Writing emphasises understanding the prompt, planning relevant ideas and developing paragraphs. The book title is not a score guarantee. This guide focuses on a practical planning method you can test on your own writing.
Identify the decision the question asks you to make
Read the instruction as carefully as the topic. Underline the action you must take and any limiting words, such as “all,” “only” or “replace.” These words can change the scope of your answer substantially.
Original planning prompt
Some colleges propose replacing all scheduled evening classes with recorded lessons. To what extent do you agree with this proposal?
Topic: recorded and scheduled evening lessons.
Decision: whether recorded lessons should replace all scheduled classes.
Possible position: recordings should supplement scheduled classes because flexibility is valuable, but some learners still need opportunities for immediate questions.
An essay explaining only why technology is popular would miss the replacement decision. Your plan should show how each main point helps answer that decision.
Choose a position you can explain
You can agree, disagree or give a qualified response when the question allows it. A qualified position should still be clear. “There are advantages and disadvantages” names a debate without telling the reader what you conclude.
In the example, “supplement rather than replace” is a position. It allows you to recognise flexibility while explaining why complete replacement goes too far. You do not need to pretend that one option is perfect to make a reasoned argument.
Give each body paragraph one job
Write a short purpose beside each planned paragraph. The first might explain how recordings help learners with changing work schedules. The second might explain why access to questions and discussion still matters. Both contribute to the same conclusion.
Under each purpose, add a reason and a concrete illustration. If two paragraphs make essentially the same point, combine them or develop a genuinely different reason. More paragraphs do not automatically mean more development.
Which plan answers the prompt more directly?
Plan A: History of computers; popularity of the internet; prediction that technology will grow.
Plan B: Recordings help learners revisit material around work; scheduled discussion helps resolve misunderstandings; a combined approach retains both benefits.
Answer: Plan B directly addresses complete replacement. Plan A stays near the topic but does not examine the actual proposal.
Keep the conclusion consistent with the argument
Before writing the full essay, draft a plain one-line conclusion. Does it follow from the reasons in your plan? If you support a combined approach throughout, do not finish by claiming that every scheduled class should disappear.
You can refine your position while planning. What matters is that the final response forms a coherent argument. Avoid adding a new major reason only in the conclusion, where there is no room left to develop it.
Practise planning separately from drafting
Take three different prompts on one topic and make a brief plan for each. This helps reveal how the instruction changes the response. Then choose one plan and write the essay, checking afterwards that each paragraph performed its intended job.
Pearson’s current Write Essay instructions specify 200–300 words and 20 minutes. Practise balancing planning, drafting and review within that total; there is no single planning split that suits every learner.
Explore PTE Writing — Course 2 to review the course linked to this source. Bring a question, a clear position and a paragraph plan to your next practice attempt.
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PTE Writing — Course 2
Explore the complete course outline and related practice topics.
Source: 12 PTE Writing.epub, Jobins Training. Examples labelled original or illustrative were written for this article. Independent exam preparation; no affiliation with or endorsement by the examining body. Practice does not predict an official score.