# PTE Summarize Written Text: the one-sentence rule, scoring and examples

PTE Summarize Written Text gives you 10 minutes to summarize a text of up to 300 words in one single sentence of 5 to 75 words. Break the one-sentence rule and form scores 0.

## The short answer

Summarize Written Text gives you a text of up to 300 words and 10 minutes to summarize it. The response must be one single, complete sentence of between 5 and 75 words: that is the form rule, and breaking it scores 0 for form. There are 2 of these in a test, scored for Reading and Writing, and the content score goes through a human expert review.

## Key facts

- **Items per test:** 2
- **Prompt length:** Text up to 300 words
- **Time:** 10 minutes per item
- **Response:** One single sentence, 5-75 words
- **Skills scored:** Reading and writing
- **Traits:** Content, form, grammar, vocabulary

*Summarize Written Text length: a single sentence of 5 to 75 words scores 1 for form; anything shorter, longer or in more than one sentence scores 0.*

| Words | Form points |
| --- | --- |
| Under 5 | 0 |
| 5-75, one sentence | 1 point, one sentence |
| Over 75, or more than one sentence | 0 |

*Form is one point or none, from Pearson's July 2025 Score Guide. A second full stop costs it whatever the word count is.*

Timings and scoring rules come from Pearson's task pages and the July 2025 Score Guide, checked 28 September 2026.

## How it's scored

Form is pass or fail and it is checked first: one single, complete sentence of 5 to 75 words scores 1. Anything else scores 0, including two sentences, a fragment, a response over 75 words, or a summary written in capital letters.

Content rewards a summary that identifies the main ideas and synthesizes them in your own words. The band descriptors mark down responses that repeat excerpts from the source without reformulating them, even when the ideas are correct.

> A full stop in the middle of your answer costs the whole form mark. Use commas, semicolons or linking words such as "although", "while" and "which" to join ideas instead.

## Summarize Written Text examples

Worked examples written for this page. Answer each one before you open the model response: memorizing a response is scored as an irrelevant answer in the real test.

**Example 1 -- the standard shape**

> When offices closed in 2020, the daily commute disappeared overnight, and with it around an hour a day for the average office worker. Surveys taken that year recorded higher satisfaction and, in several industries, steady or slightly higher output. The picture three years on is more complicated. The same surveys now record longer working days: with no journey to mark the end of one, work bleeds into the evening, and the average remote employee logs more hours than they did in an office. Employers gained flexibility. Employees gained time and then, quietly, gave much of it back.

Prompt: Summarize the text in one sentence of 5 to 75 words. You have 10 minutes.

Write 5 to 75 words.

Model response: "Although remote work removed daily commuting and gave employees more control over their time, it also blurred the boundary between work and home, which has left many people working longer hours than before."

Why it scores: One sentence, 34 words, both main ideas, joined with "although" and "which". It reformulates rather than repeating the text, which is what the higher content bands ask for.

**Example 2 -- three ideas in one sentence**

> Urban farms have spread across rooftops and car parks in the last decade, and the case for them is usually made on three grounds. Food travels meters rather than hundreds of kilometers, which cuts both emissions and spoilage. The plots themselves draw people in: community gardens report waiting lists, and several cities now use them in training schemes. The third claim is harder to sustain. Even the most productive rooftop systems cover a fraction of a percent of a city's vegetable consumption, because the growing area in any city is small and expensive.

Prompt: Summarize the text in one sentence of 5 to 75 words.

Write 5 to 75 words.

Model response: "Urban farming cuts the distance food travels and strengthens local communities, but the small growing areas available in cities mean it can supply only a fraction of what residents eat."

Why it scores: Two supporting ideas and the limitation, still one sentence at 30 words. Listing all three with "and" would read as a list; "but" shows the relationship.

**Example 3 -- what scores 0 for form**

Prompt: The same urban farming text, summarized in two sentences. Type it and watch the word count: the form rule is one sentence of 5 to 75 words.

Write 5 to 75 words.

Model response: "Urban farming cuts food miles and helps communities. However, it cannot feed a whole city."

Why it scores: The ideas are right, but this is two sentences, so form scores 0. The fix is a single connector: "...helps communities, although it cannot feed a whole city."

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## Common mistakes

| What costs marks | Do this instead |
| --- | --- |
| Writing two sentences. | Read your answer back and count the full stops. There must be exactly one, at the end. |
| Copying phrases straight from the text. | Change the wording. Content bands mark down responses that rely on repeated excerpts without synthesis. |
| Running past 75 words to include everything. | Pick the main argument and its main qualification. Detail is what the summary is supposed to drop. |
| Spending the whole 10 minutes on one item. | The timer is per item, but the writing time you save is not transferable. Aim to finish in 6 to 7 minutes and use the rest to check form. |

**Know the score you are aiming at** Put a target into the PTE score calculator to see the visa band it reaches, the points it is worth, and how far off you are. [Open the PTE score calculator](/pte/score-calculator)

## How to practice

1. Summarize a news paragraph in one sentence of under 60 words, once a day.
2. Write the answer, then delete every phrase lifted from the source and rewrite it in your own words.
3. Practice joining two ideas with although, while, whereas and which until the structure is automatic.
4. Check three things before you submit: one full stop, between 5 and 75 words, no capitals-only text.

## Common questions

### How many words should a PTE Summarize Written Text answer be?

Between 5 and 75 words, in one single complete sentence. Outside that range, form scores 0.

### Can I write two sentences in Summarize Written Text?

No. Two sentences score 0 for form, however good the content is.

### How long do you get for Summarize Written Text?

10 minutes per item, and there are 2 items in a test.

### Is Summarize Written Text scored by a human?

The content score includes a human expert review before it is finalised. The rest is AI-scored.

**Sources**
- [Pearson: PTE Academic Speaking & Writing task types (checked 28 September 2026)](https://www.pearsonpte.com/pte-academic/test-format/speaking-writing)
- [Pearson: PTE Academic Test Taker Score Guide, July 2025 (PDF)](https://www.pearsonpte.com/ctf-assets/yqwtwibiobs4/WUcBAMkYCC9Dj5vs2HfVA/941d88d07ba7c2a5007f7ce1b18eedbf/Score_Guide__Test_Taker__-_PTE_Academic_-_July_2025__web_.pdf)

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