PTE SWT example — Band 79 sample.

A worked Summarize Written Text sample at Band 79: source passage, one-sentence summary at 45 words, all four SWT traits scored, and the Form zero-gates that catch most students. Includes a weaker Band 65 comparison.

Last verified 10 July 2026 · Written for PTE Academic post-August 2025 format · Verified against Pearson's July 2025 Score Guide.

The source passage

Antarctic ice-shelf collapse has accelerated over the past two decades, with satellite records showing that the Larsen B shelf disintegrated in a matter of weeks in 2002 and that similar retreat has since been observed on the Wilkins, Amery and Thwaites systems. Glaciologists attribute the pattern to warmer ocean water reaching the underside of the shelves through deep channels, producing basal melt rates several times higher than the rates that ice accumulation from snowfall can offset. Because floating ice shelves buttress the land-based glaciers behind them, their loss removes a natural brake on ice flow to the sea and translates directly into faster sea-level rise. Recent modelling by the British Antarctic Survey suggests that under current warming scenarios, additional shelf collapses through mid-century are likely rather than possible, with the greatest contribution to sea level coming not from the ice shelves themselves — which are already floating — but from the continental ice they release.

Passage length: ~155 words · Time allocation: 10 minutes · Scored on Content, Form, Grammar, Vocabulary.

Model response · Band 79

7 / 7 traits

The one-sentence band-79 summary.

Satellite records and modelling show that Antarctic ice-shelf collapse — driven mainly by warm ocean water melting the shelves from below — is accelerating and, because shelves buttress land-based glaciers, their loss speeds sea-level rise by releasing the continental ice held behind them.

Word count: 45 · Structure: subject + parenthetical dash-clause + main verb + because-clause. One sentence.

Trait breakdown

What earned each trait score.

Trait	Score	Why it scored there
Content	2/2	Both main ideas captured: acceleration + mechanism (ocean warming), and the causal link to sea-level rise via glacier buttressing.
Form	1/1	One single sentence, 45 words. Inside the 5–75 word Form gate. Ends with a full stop.
Grammar	2/2	Complex sentence with parenthetical dash-set aside and a because-clause. Correct subject-verb agreement across clauses.
Vocabulary	2/2	Precise topic lexis (buttress, accelerating, continental ice, released) used correctly.
Total	7/7	Consistent with Band 79 writing on this task.

Form zero-gates

The 4 rules that score you 0 regardless of content.

Form is a hard gate on SWT: fail any of these and the whole item is scored 0. Every year, thousands of candidates lose all 7 points to a preventable Form error. Check these before you submit.

Rule	What violates it
One sentence only	Two sentences or more — automatic 0 on Form. A comma splice or semicolon is still one sentence; a period-in-the-middle is fatal.
5 to 75 words	Below 5 words or above 75 words — automatic 0 on Form. Aim for 30–55 words to stay safely inside the range.
No bullet points	Continuous prose only. Any bullet or dash-list format triggers a 0.
Full stop at the end	Ending without a full stop is inconsistent with 'one sentence' Form requirement and can drop your Form score.

The Band 65 comparison

Same passage at Band 65.

Antarctic ice shelves are collapsing because of warmer ocean water and this is causing sea level to rise faster because when ice shelves melt they release the land ice behind them, and Larsen B collapsed in 2002 and Thwaites is also melting now.

Word count: 46 · Content 1/2 (adds Larsen B and Thwaites — details not in the summary brief), Form 1/1 (one sentence), Grammar 1/2 (repeated 'because'), Vocabulary 1/2 (basic register).

Why the Band 65 loses points

Content over-includes: names specific ice shelves that are examples, not the main claim.
Grammar is repetitive: two 'because' clauses stacked with 'and' — a common structural weakness at this band.
Vocabulary is neutral: "collapsing", "melt", "release" instead of "disintegrated", "basal melt", "buttress", "released the continental ice".

FAQ

SWT examples, answered.

What is the PTE SWT word limit?

Between 5 and 75 words in a single sentence. Below 5 or above 75 is a Form zero-gate — the item is scored 0 regardless of content. The safe range is 30 to 55 words, which leaves margin at both ends.

How many sentences can PTE SWT have?

Exactly one. Even a well-formed two-sentence response is scored 0 on Form. Comma splices and semicolons still count as one sentence, so if you need to combine ideas, use conjunctions ('and', 'because', 'which') or dashes rather than a full stop.

How is PTE SWT scored?

Four traits: Content (0–2), Form (0–1), Grammar (0–2), Vocabulary (0–2). Maximum raw score is 7. SWT is one of the 7 double-marked task types — both AI and a human review Content before finalising.

How long do you get for SWT?

10 minutes per item. The current PTE Academic format has 2 SWT items in the writing part. Use 2 minutes to read, 5 minutes to draft, 3 minutes to compress and check the one-sentence rule.

Should the SWT include every idea in the passage?

No. Include the main claim and its supporting mechanism. Details, examples and secondary points are omitted. If your summary reads like a shorter version of the passage rather than a distilled headline, it is too crowded and will lose Content points.

→ SWT template — the one-sentence skeleton with sentence starters
→ Take a free scored mock — practise SWT with AI scoring on Form, Grammar and Vocabulary