Twenty-four prompts, sorted by the job they set.
Every PTE essay prompt is one of four types, and each type gives your second body paragraph a different job. This bank gives you six of each, with the job named beside every prompt, so that timed practice trains the structure and not just the topic.
How to use this page. Rotate the types; do not camp on the one you like. Write one essay per sitting, twenty minutes, 200 to 300 counted words, and mark your own Body 2 against the job listed beside the prompt before judging anything else. The skeleton and the sweeps are in the Write Essay guide; the prompt types table there explains every job in full, and the writing checker gives a finished essay an instant indicative read against the seven traits.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Body 2 owes you the strongest objection to your own position, granted, then answered. Sitting on the fence is the trap.
| The prompt | What Body 2 owes you |
|---|---|
| Public transport should be free for all residents. To what extent do you agree or disagree? | The strongest objection to your position, granted, then answered. Plant a second conditional. |
| University education matters more than practical experience. To what extent do you agree? | Grant the best case for the other side before you answer it. |
| Working from home benefits both employees and employers. To what extent do you agree or disagree? | Choose a position; both sides have good points is not one. |
| Governments should tax unhealthy food. To what extent do you agree or disagree? | The freedom objection, stated fairly, then turned. |
| Printed books will remain essential despite digital alternatives. To what extent do you agree? | The convenience case for screens, granted, then answered. |
| Space exploration is a poor use of public money. To what extent do you agree or disagree? | The strongest counter-argument you can find, then your answer to exactly that. |
Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
Body 2 owes you the disadvantages, weighed against Body 1 and found lighter, in words. Two lists is the trap.
| The prompt | What Body 2 owes you |
|---|---|
| Do the advantages of a four-day working week outweigh the disadvantages? | A sentence that actually weighs: the cost of X is real, but smaller than Y, because… |
| Do the advantages of studying abroad outweigh the disadvantages? | The disadvantages weighed against Body 1 and found lighter, in words. |
| Do the benefits of social media for young people outweigh the harms? | Not two lists. Somewhere, one sentence must do the weighing. |
| Do the advantages of self-driving vehicles outweigh the disadvantages? | Name the disadvantages honestly, then weigh them, then conclude. |
| Do the benefits of tourism to historic cities outweigh the costs? | The costs are Body 2. The weighing sentence is the Content mark. |
| Do the advantages of cashless payments outweigh the disadvantages? | Answer the word outweigh explicitly, or Content will not pay. |
What problems, and what can be done?
Body 2 owes you solutions matched one to one against the problems you named. Orphan solutions are the trap.
| The prompt | What Body 2 owes you |
|---|---|
| Cities are becoming noisier. What problems does this cause and what can be done? | Solutions matched one to one against the problems you named in Body 1. |
| Many people change careers several times. What problems does this cause and how can they be addressed? | Name two problems, answer exactly those two. |
| Traffic congestion is worsening in most large cities. What problems result and what solutions exist? | No solution may answer a problem you never mentioned. |
| Fewer young people vote in elections. What problems does this cause and what can be done? | Two problems, two matched solutions, nothing orphaned. |
| Food waste is rising worldwide. What problems does this create and how can it be reduced? | The one-to-one match is the structure the rater can follow. |
| Many city centres are losing small shops. What problems does this cause and what can be done? | Pair each solution to its problem by name. |
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Body 2 owes you the other side stated fairly, then turned. Hiding your opinion until the conclusion is the trap.
| The prompt | What Body 2 owes you |
|---|---|
| Some people think children should start school later; others favour an early start. Discuss both views and give your opinion. | The other side stated fairly, then turned. Your opinion is already in the introduction. |
| Some believe exams best measure ability; others prefer coursework. Discuss both views and give your opinion. | State the view you reject at its strongest, not its weakest. |
| Some argue city life suits families; others prefer the countryside. Discuss both views and give your opinion. | Check the introduction: the rater wants your position up front. |
| Some think advertising to children should be banned; others see no harm. Discuss both views and give your opinion. | Fairly, then turned. A straw man loses Content. |
| Some believe museums should be free; others think visitors should pay. Discuss both views and give your opinion. | Both views appear, but the essay is still yours. |
| Some say international sport unites nations; others say it fuels rivalry. Discuss both views and give your opinion. | Body 2 owes the other side its best case, then your turn. |
Let the bank choose for you.
On test day you do not pick the prompt. Press the button, set twenty minutes, and write the one it gives you.
The rules of practice
Twenty minutes on a real clock, 200 to 300 words counted, then the four sweeps in order: Form, Content, Splice, Detail. Mark your own Body 2 against the job in the tables above before you look at anything else. And never practise untimed: an untimed essay measures your English, a timed one measures your score.
The full method lives in the Write Essay guide.
Twenty-four essays is a preparation. Four marked ones is a diagnosis.
Write the bank and you will be fluent in the four jobs. Have a few marked and you will know which trait is holding your score.
In a lesson I mark your essay line by line against the seven traits, name the dominant error and build the drill that removes it, one essay per prompt type is the efficient set. Lessons are £20 for fifty minutes, one to one, in proper British English; the first step is a discounted trial lesson.