If you’re preparing for the Pearson Test of English (PTE) and aiming to score high in the Writing section, strong grammar skills are essential. Good grammar isn’t just about avoiding mistakes; it helps you clearly express your ideas, structure your sentences effectively, and create a professional tone. The PTE Writing section is scored by AI, which means even small grammatical errors can affect your score. This blog covers simple yet powerful grammar rules and tips to help you ace your PTE essay writing with confidence.

1. Master Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-verb agreement is one of the most common trouble areas in writing. The basic rule is simple: a singular subject needs a singular verb, and a plural subject needs a plural verb.

Correct: She writes well.

Incorrect: She write well.

It gets tricky with collective nouns, indefinite pronouns, or phrases between the subject and verb:

Correct: Everyone is ready for the test.

Incorrect: Everyone are ready for the test.

Take extra care when writing complex or compound sentences. Incorrect subject-verb agreement is easily spotted by PTE’s scoring algorithm, so make this rule a top priority.

2. Use Articles Accurately

Articles a, an, and the are small but powerful words. Misusing them can make your writing sound awkward or unclear.

• Use a before words that begin with a consonant sound: a book, a university sounds like yoo-niversity

• Use an before words that begin with a vowel sound: an apple, an hour silent h

• Use the when referring to something specific or already known: The book you gave me is interesting.

Tip: After writing your essay, do a quick scan just for articles. Many high-scoring students miss points because of these tiny but important words.

3. Vary Sentence Structures

Mixing sentence types can help your writing flow better and show off your grammar skills:

• Simple sentence: One clear idea

Example: The internet has changed education.

• Compound sentence: Two ideas joined with and, but, or so

Example: Students use online tools, and teachers rely on them too.

• Complex sentence: A main idea with a dependent clause

Example: Although online learning is helpful, it also has challenges.

• Compound-complex sentence: A combination of all the above

Example: While some prefer traditional learning, others enjoy online classes, and they believe it saves time.

Using a variety of sentence forms shows you can handle both clarity and complexity, both important for a top score.

4. Be Careful with Tenses

PTE essays often require you to explain, argue, or describe. For this, sticking to one consistent tense is key.

• Stick to the present tense when talking about facts or general truths. Online learning helps students learn flexibly.

• Use the past tense when describing past events. He studied for hours before the exam.

Changing tenses unnecessarily confuses the reader and affects your coherence score.

5. Use Punctuation Correctly

Punctuation helps your reader understand your meaning. Incorrect punctuation can completely change your sentence:

• Commas (,) separate items or add pauses. I bought books, pens, and a folder.

• Periods (.) end a sentence. The essay was clear.

• Semicolons (;) connect closely related ideas. The test was difficult; I did my best.

• Apostrophes (’) show possession or contractions. The student’s score improved.

Punctuation mistakes lower your grammar score, so proofread carefully.

6. Avoid Run-On Sentences

A run-on sentence occurs when two independent ideas are joined without proper punctuation or conjunctions.

Incorrect: PTE essays require practice they also need good grammar.

Correct: PTE essays require practice, and they also need good grammar.

Run-ons are harder to read and make your writing appear less polished. Keep your sentences clean and well- connected.

7. Watch Out for Double Comparatives

Using more than one comparative word is a common error.

Incorrect: This phone is more better than the old one.

Correct: This phone is better than the old one.

Avoid adding more or most before adjectives that are already in comparative form, like faster, better, or smaller. These small changes can make your writing clearer and more professional.

8. Build Sentences Correctly

PTE essays should follow a clear sentence structure. A basic sentence structure is:

Subject + Verb + Object

Incorrect: She is excited about the job start.

Correct: She is excited to start the job.

Poor sentence structure confuses your message. During practice, focus on forming proper, simple, and compound sentences before moving to complex ones.

9. Practice Identifying Word Forms

One effective way to improve grammar is by identifying parts of speech while reading or writing: nouns, verbs, adjectives, and so on.

Incorrect: He advice me to rest.

Correct: He advised me to rest.

The more you notice how words function in a sentence, the better control you’ll gain over grammar in your writing.

10. Proofread Every Essay

Even experienced writers make grammar mistakes. That’s why proofreading is so important. After finishing your essay, read it again slowly. Look specifically for:

• Article errors
• Verb tense changes
• Subject-verb agreementPunctuation
• Spelling and word form mistakes

Grammar is the foundation of a great PTE essay. It helps you write more clearly, organize ideas better. Grammar rules like subject-verb agreement, sentence structure, article use, and punctuation not only improve your score but also make you a better writer overall.