Use words you control. The scorer rewards the right word, not the impressive one, and copying the passage’s phrases earns nothing here.
Glossary term
Vocabulary
Vocabulary is the trait that scores word choice: on the writing summaries and Write Email as a 0–2 “appropriate choice of words” scale, on Write Essay as Vocabulary Range 0–2, and on Answer Short Question as a single 1-or-0 check for an appropriate word. Precise, common words used correctly outscore rare words used badly.
Not shown separately on the official report; it feeds the Writing score of each writing task and, through Answer Short Question, the Listening score. EdKnot practice shows it as a trait bar on writing responses.
How word choice is judged
On the summary tasks the descriptors are about accuracy: a 2 is appropriate choice of words, a 1 has lexical errors with no hindrance to communication, a 0 has defective word choice that could hinder it. Range is not mentioned; using the right ordinary word every time earns the 2.
Write Essay scores Vocabulary Range instead. The 2 descriptor is “good command of a broad lexical repertoire, idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms”; the 1 is “a good range of vocabulary for matters connected to general academic topics” with “lexical shortcomings” leading to circumlocution; the 0 is “mainly basic vocabulary insufficient to deal with the topic”. Here range does count, but only range you control.
Paraphrase and the vocabulary trait
Vocabulary is where paraphrase pays twice. Copying the source text’s phrases into a summary is penalised under Content, and it earns nothing under Vocabulary because the words were not chosen. Rebuilding the idea in your own words is scored on both traits.
On Answer Short Question the trait works alone: the item is worth one point for an appropriate word. Synonyms count, so “cerebrum” scores as well as “brain”, but a related word that is not the answer scores 0.
The numbers that matter
| Summaries and Write Email | 0–2: appropriate choice of words / lexical errors with no hindrance / defective word choice |
|---|---|
| Write Essay (Vocabulary Range) | 2 broad repertoire incl. idiomatic expression; 1 good range for general academic topics with some imprecision; 0 basic vocabulary |
| Answer Short Question | 1 appropriate word choice in response, otherwise 0 |
| Write Email | 2 good command of lexis appropriate to the situation; 1 limited range, some imprecision |
Worked example
“Television is a very important thing because it gives people a lot of information about many things.” Vocabulary Range 0 or 1: basic, repetitive, circumlocutory. “Broadcast news remains the main source of current-affairs information for households without reliable internet access.” Vocabulary Range 2, with no rare words in it.
What it shows: Precision, not rarity, is what the 2 descriptor rewards.
Frequently asked questions
Does using difficult words improve my PTE writing score?
Only if they are the right words used correctly. The Vocabulary Range 2 descriptor on Write Essay rewards a broad repertoire, but the 1 descriptor names “lexical shortcomings” and imprecision, which is what a misused rare word produces. Common words used precisely are the safer route to 2.
Is vocabulary scored on speaking tasks?
Only on Answer Short Question, where the single trait is Vocabulary, 1 or 0. The other speaking tasks score Content, Oral fluency and Pronunciation, though their Content descriptors mention variety of expression.
Do British and American words both count?
Yes. Any standard variety is accepted for vocabulary and spelling, used consistently within a response.
More PTE terms
AI ScoringAppropriacyCEFRCLB (Canadian Language Benchmarks)Communicative SkillsCompetent, Proficient and Superior EnglishConcordance (PTE to IELTS)Development, Structure and CoherenceEmail ConventionsEnhanced PTE Academic (August 2025)Erasable NoteboardExpress EntryFormGSE (Global Scale of English)Human ReviewIntegrated TaskMock TestmyPTENegative MarkingOne Skill RetakeOral FluencyOverall ScorePartial CreditPersonal IntroductionPronunciationPTE CorePTE HomeReschedule and Cancellation PolicyRescoreScore BandScore Report CodeScore ValiditySELT (Secure English Language Test)Sending ScoresShared Clock (Reading and Listening)Skills ProfileThree-Second Silence RuleUKVIURN (Unique Reference Number)