PTE length rules at a glance
| Task | Ideal | Scores zero if |
|---|---|---|
| Write Essay | 200–300 words | under 120 or over 380 |
| Summarize Written Text | one sentence, 5–75 words | outside 5–75, or more than one sentence |
| Summarize Spoken Text | 50–70 words | under 40 or over 100 |
| IELTS Writing Task 1 | at least 150 words | (no zero rule, but short answers lose marks) | | IELTS Writing Task 2 | at least 250 words | (no zero rule, but short answers lose marks) | | OET letter | about 180–200 words (body) | (a guide, not a strict limit) |
PTE rules are from Pearson's official task descriptions; IELTS minimums from the official test format. Word counts can differ slightly between tools for things like hyphenated words and numbers, so leave yourself a small margin.